Supported Independent Living (SIL)
A home of your own, with the support you choose — so you can live your way, build skills and stay connected to the people and places that matter.
A home that works the way you do
Supported Independent Living is support with the everyday tasks of living in your own home — usually shared with one or two other people — so you can be as independent as you want to be. At Always Here Homecare, SIL is never a one-size-fits-all package. We start with what you already do well, what you'd like help with, and what you'd rather do yourself. Support workers are there to back you up, not to take over. If you want to learn to cook a meal, we'll do it with you the first ten times and step back when you're ready. We support people with a wide range of needs, including physical disability, intellectual disability, autism, psychosocial disability, complex health needs and trauma backgrounds. You don't need to explain yourself twice — we ask once, write it down, and follow it.
Living your way
Why people choose AHHC for SIL
You should know who is walking through your front door, and why. We match support workers to people carefully, train them well, and keep the same faces around you so support feels like a relationship — not a roster.
Support led by you
Your goals, your routine, your rules in your home. We write plans with you in plain language and change them whenever you ask.
Connected to community
Support to keep doing what you love — work, study, sport, faith, friends and family — not just to stay safe at home.
Skilled, steady teams
Trained, screened support workers with experience in complex and trauma-informed care, and 24/7 on-call backup behind them.
“They listened to what mattered to our son first, and built the support around that. He has the same workers each week, he's cooking his own dinner, and he's happier than he has been in years.”
– A participant's family
What's included
What SIL support can look like
Everyone's SIL supports are different. This is a starting point — we work out together what you want in yours, and what you'd rather handle on your own.
- Help with personal care at the level you want it — no more, no less
- Support with cooking, shopping, cleaning and looking after your home
- Building everyday skills at your own pace, in real situations
- Getting to appointments, work, study, sport and social plans
- Medication support and coordination with your health team
- Overnight support — active or sleepover — where your plan includes it
- Support to keep in touch with family, friends and community
- Behaviour support delivered the way your plan sets out
The new NDIS SIL Practice Standards
Four new standards — and what they mean for you
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has strengthened the SIL Practice Standard with four focus areas. Below we explain each one in everyday language, and show exactly how it works inside our homes.
- Standard 1
Choice and Control
You decide how your home runs and who supports you.
This standard says the person living in the home leads the decisions — not the provider, and not the roster. That covers the big things (who works with you, what your day looks like) and the everyday things (what's for dinner, when you have visitors, how much support you want with a task before someone steps in).
How we do this in our homes
- You meet and help choose the support workers matched to you.
- Your routine is written with you, in your words, and reviewed whenever you want.
- Regular house meetings where every resident has a real say, with Easy Read agendas if that helps.
- A decision-making support plan that records who you want involved and how you like choices explained.
- Standard 2
Service Agreements with SIL Participants
You get a clear agreement that says exactly what we do and what it costs.
Your SIL agreement should be easy to read and free of surprises. It explains the supports included, the supports that are not, how costs are shared if you live with other people, and what happens if you're unhappy or want to change something.
How we do this in our homes
- Plain-language agreements, with Easy Read or translated versions on request.
- Shared costs explained line by line so you can see how your funding is used.
- A walk-through with you (and anyone you want there) before any support starts.
- Clear steps for changing, pausing or ending the agreement — and no pressure to sign on the spot.
- Standard 3
Responsive Support Provision
Support changes when your needs change — including at night and on short notice.
Life doesn't stay the same, so support shouldn't either. This standard is about noticing when something shifts — health, mental health, mobility, a hard week — and adjusting quickly, without gaps and without you having to repeat your story to a new person each time.
How we do this in our homes
- Consistent staff who know you, so changes get noticed early.
- 24/7 on-call with clinical oversight for after-hours health or safety needs.
- Written shift handovers so the next worker starts already knowing what matters.
- We work alongside your allied health team, GP and behaviour support practitioner, following your plans as written.
- Standard 4
Service Environment (A Home That Suits You)
Your home should be safe, accessible and somewhere you actually want to live.
A SIL home is a home, not a facility. This standard covers accessibility, safety and comfort — and it treats who you live with as a serious question, because sharing a home with people you don't get along with affects everything else.
How we do this in our homes
- You visit the home and meet potential housemates before anything is decided.
- Compatibility is assessed properly, and we act if a share arrangement stops working.
- Accessibility changes — rails, ramps, bathroom set-up, sensory-friendly spaces — arranged where needed.
- Regular home checks for safety and maintenance, with residents asked what they'd like changed.
Want us to walk you through how the four standards apply to a specific home or plan? We're happy to talk it through with participants, families and Support Coordinators — in person, over the phone, or in Easy Read.
Read the full guide
Ready when you are. No pressure.
Give us a call or send a message and you'll speak with one coordinator who stays with you. We'll talk through what you want support with, what your funding covers, and what it would actually cost — before you commit to anything.