Essentially Supported Independent Living (or SIL) provides around the clock (24 hour) support to people with disability. There’s a difference between SIL and SDA or Specialist Disability Accommodation – SIL provides supports in the home, while SDA is all about the home itself.
We’ll focus here on Supported Independent Living, and a great way to start is to look at some of the things is included in your NDIS Plan if you have SIL as part of it:
- 24/7 support with household tasks like cooking and cleaning
- 24/7 support for accessing social and community activities
- 24/7 assistance with personal care
- 24/7 assistance travelling to and attending appointments and supports
This list isn’t all-encompassing, but it helps illustrate just what SIL is… It can be invaluable if you require more support than your less formal support network are able to provide, and most especially assisting you in building the skills to live independently.
Before we go on let’s be sure we’re clear – SIL doesn’t cover your rent, modifications to the home or activities that are covered by other NDIS funding, Supported Independent Living fits under the funding category “Assistance in Daily Life”. This would be specifically added as part of your Plan and while it is technically a “Core Support” you’re unable to use your flexible Core budget to access it.
Prior to accessing funding for SIL, your Support Coordinator will help assess your goals, explore and connect you with providers that are suitable. They will coordinate your supporting documentation and assist you with obtaining quotes and reports from SIL providers like Occupational Therapists so you can have you Plan adequately funded by the NDIS.
As you can tell, your Support Coordinator will be an integral part of getting funding for SIL, so if you’re either just starting out as an NDIS Participant or have a current plan and find that you require SIL to be included in your current or future Plan(s), we urge you to discuss it directly with your Support Coordinator.
If you require help finding the right Support Coordinator, you can either use our helpful finder tool (https://ndsp.com.au/support-coordinator-finder/) or give us a call and we can assist with your search.
In short, if you are an NDIS participant and would like to live more independently, Supported Independent Living (SIL) can help you achieve that goal.
NDSP Plan Managers are a NDIS registered provider specialising in NDIS Plan Management. If you are a NDIS Participant looking for the right Plan Manager, CLICK HERE to get in touch with our friendly team today.
