SIL referral checklist for support coordinators

Updated 24 October 2026

Short answer: To refer someone for SIL, send the provider the participant’s NDIS details and consent, their preferred suburbs and timing, their daily and overnight support needs, any behaviour support plan, and recent allied health reports. If SIL is not in the plan yet, the NDIA needs a recent report, usually from an occupational therapist, showing daily support needs and the other options explored. At My Support Services, send what you have and we reply within one business day.

Use this checklist when you refer a participant for Supported Independent Living (SIL). It covers what to send a SIL provider, and what the NDIA asks for if SIL is not in the plan yet. You do not need everything on day one.

Is SIL the right support?

The NDIA says SIL is best suited to people with higher support needs: people who need active support for more than 8 hours a day, plus some support at other times, including overnight. It is usually shared with housemates, and is generally for people aged 18 and over.

If the participant needs only a few hours of support a day, in-home supports or another home and living option may suit them better. Our guide STA, SIL and MTA: which accommodation to refer compares the options.

If SIL is not in the plan yet

The participant asks the NDIA for home and living supports, usually with your help. The NDIA asks for a recent report from a treating health professional, usually an occupational therapist, that covers:

• Daily support and housing needs, including how often and when support is needed each day
• What the participant can and cannot do because of their disability, and how this affects daily life
• Other home and living options they have explored, and why those options do not meet their needs

If the participant’s needs have changed, the evidence must be dated after their last approved plan. The NDIA may also ask for a roster of care. We can draft one once we understand the participant’s needs.

What to send us

The participant

• Name, date of birth and NDIS number
• Consent to share their information with us
• Plan start and end dates, and how the plan is managed (NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed)
• Whether SIL is already funded, has been requested, or is still being explored

Where and when

• Preferred suburbs, and any areas that will not work
• Current living situation, and when they need to move (or their expected hospital discharge date)
• Housemate preferences, and anything that would not work in a shared home

Support needs

• Personal care, meals, medication and household tasks
• Mobility, transfers and equipment, such as a hoist, wheelchair or hospital bed
• Communication, and support with decision-making
• Overnight needs: does someone need to be nearby and asleep (sleepover), or awake and working (active overnight)?
• Disability-related health supports, such as epilepsy management, PEG feeding or diabetes support

Risk and safety

• The behaviour support plan, if there is one, and any regulated restrictive practices
• Recent incidents and risk assessments

Reports

• Occupational therapy functional assessment
• Any other allied health or behaviour support practitioner reports

Contacts

• Your name, organisation, phone and email
• Family, guardian or nominee contacts

What a roster of care covers

The NDIA bases SIL funding on a roster of care. It sets out the hours of support at home in an ordinary week, the ratio of workers to participants, the support intensity, the type of overnight support, and irregular support such as days at home when unwell. We draft it with you and the participant.

Housing is separate from support

SIL pays for support, not rent. The participant pays rent and household costs under a separate tenancy agreement. Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is funded separately.

SIL must be delivered by a registered NDIS provider, whether the plan is NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed. My Support Services is a registered NDIS provider (no. 4050170588).

Send the referral

Use our referral form, call (03) 9114 8958 or email intake@mysupportservices.com.au. Send what you have. We reply within one business day, and we will ask for anything else we need.

Sources: NDIS, How to ask for home and living supports; NDIS, Supported independent living guideline. NDIS rules change, so check the NDIS website for the latest.