The Foundation of Safe, Independent Living
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is one of the most important supports available through the NDIS. It enables people with disabilities to live as independently as possible in their own homes, with tailored support that respects their autonomy, dignity, and choices.
Module 5A, the newest addition to the NDIS Practice Standards (commenced 1 July 2026), sets the framework for how SIL services must be delivered. It represents a significant shift in how providers approach supported living with stronger emphasis on participant voice, safeguarding, and genuine independence.
If you’re receiving SIL supports, receiving a SIL plan, or considering independent living with support, understanding Module 5A helps you know what quality service delivery looks like and what to expect from your provider.
What Is Supported Independent Living (SIL)?
Supported Independent Living is NDIS funding that pays for support workers to help you live independently in your own home. Unlike group homes or facility-based care, SIL is about:
- Tailored person-to-person support at your home, available constantly or for a substantial portion of each day
- Supporting daily living tasks like cooking, cleaning, personal care, community access, and health management
- Promoting autonomy and choice so you can live as independently as possible
- Community connection enabling you to participate in your community as you choose
- Your home, your rules where you have genuine control over your living space and decisions
The key difference between SIL and other supports is the intensity and constancy of the relationship. SIL providers aren’t managing a group facility—they’re supporting you, in your home, on your terms.
Module 5A: The Four Core Standards
Module 5A sets four mandatory standards that SIL providers must meet. Understanding these helps you know what to expect and what your provider should be delivering.
Standard 1: Supported Decision-Making
What It Means: Participants must be supported to make decisions about their lives, their supports, and their living arrangements. This isn’t about the provider deciding what’s best for you—it’s about you deciding, with support.
In Practice:
- You have information about your options and choices
- Support workers help you understand consequences of decisions
- Your preferences are genuinely considered
- Decisions reflect what you want, not what’s convenient for the provider
- Your decision-making capacity is presumed, not questioned
- You’re supported to express your views, even if others disagree
Example: You want to try cooking your own meals rather than having staff prepare them. Module 5A requires your provider to support this decision, even if it’s riskier or takes longer. The support worker’s role is to teach and supervise, not to take over because it’s easier.
Standard 2: Safeguarding
What It Means: Providers must protect you from harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation while respecting your independence.
In Practice:
- Systems are in place to identify and respond to safety concerns
- You have access to reporting mechanisms that feel safe
- Your privacy and dignity are protected
- Visitors and personal relationships are respected (not controlled)
- Incidents are properly documented and reviewed
- Your access to house keys, possessions, and mail isn’t restricted without good reason
- Any restrictions are part of a documented behaviour support plan, not arbitrary
Example: You want to invite friends over. Safeguarding doesn’t mean the provider decides who visits or monitors everything. It means your provider supports you to make safe choices while respecting your autonomy.
Standard 3: Practice Governance
What It Means: The provider has clear systems, processes, and leadership that ensure quality, safety, and continuous improvement.
In Practice:
- Clear policies and procedures guide how support is delivered
- Staff are trained in SIL-specific practice
- Participant feedback drives improvement
- Incidents and risks are managed systematically
- There’s accountability if standards aren’t met
- Regular review ensures services remain person-centred and effective
Example: Your provider doesn’t just respond to problems—they have systems to prevent them, regular supervision of staff, and clear processes for improvement.
Standard 4: Agreements About Tenancy, Housing, and Support Arrangements
What It Means: Everything about your housing and support must be clear, documented, and agreed to by you.
In Practice:
- You have a separate agreement for your tenancy (housing) and a separate agreement for your support services
- If your provider manages both, conflicts of interest are documented and managed
- Consultation happens before new people move into shared living arrangements
- Your rights as a tenant are protected
- Support arrangements can be changed, but only with your agreement
- Key decisions are documented and transparent
Example: If you’re in a shared house, your provider consults with you before a new housemate moves in. You’re not surprised or excluded from decisions affecting your home.
What Supported Independent Living Actually Requires
Module 5A defines SIL specifically as support for people who:
- Require constant, or immediately available, person-to-person support at all times during a day or for a substantial portion of a day
- Need assistance with the tasks of daily life—personal care, meals, cleaning, health management, community access, etc.
- Want to live as autonomously as possible in their own home and access their community
- Benefit from a coordinated support package managed by a provider working with you toward greater independence
This definition is important. It’s not about supervision or control—it’s about enabling independence through tailored, responsive support.
The New Requirements: What’s Changed
Module 5A introduced stricter requirements than previous standards. Here’s what providers now must do:
Separate Agreements
If a provider manages both your housing (tenancy) and your support:
- You must have a separate agreement for each
- Conflicts of interest must be documented and managed
- This prevents situations where the provider controls both your home and your support, which can create power imbalances
What this means for you: You understand exactly what’s being paid for and what rights you have as a tenant versus as a support participant.
Consultation on Shared Living
If you live in a shared house with other SIL participants:
- Existing residents must be consulted before new people move in
- Your preferences and concerns are genuinely considered
- Changes to housemates aren’t imposed without your input
What this means for you: You have a voice in who shares your home. You’re not just told, “A new person is moving in next week.”
Key Access and Possessions
- You have access to house keys (not locked away by staff)
- You can keep possessions in your home without unreasonable restrictions
- Limits on access or possessions only exist if there’s a documented behaviour support plan
- Even with a plan, restrictions must be necessary and proportionate
What this means for you: Your home is genuinely your home. Reasonable independence is assumed, not restricted without cause.
Your Voice in Decision-Making
- Your preferences about your support workers, schedules, and activities are genuinely considered
- Decisions affecting your life are made with you, not for you
- You have mechanisms to raise concerns and have them taken seriously
What this means for you: You’re not a passive recipient of services—you’re the person directing your own support.
Why Module 5A Matters
Module 5A represents a shift in how the NDIS approaches supported living. It moves from a model where providers might manage participants’ lives toward a model where providers genuinely support participant autonomy.
For Participants: Module 5A strengthens your rights and your voice. It ensures that SIL support respects your independence and dignity.
For Providers: Module 5A requires more intentional practice. It’s not enough to provide support—providers must actively promote participant autonomy, document agreements clearly, and ensure safeguarding systems are robust.
For Quality: Module 5A improves the overall quality of SIL services by setting clear expectations and holding providers accountable.
How Quality SIL Providers Approach Module 5A
Excellent SIL providers have made significant changes to align with Module 5A. They:
Invest in Staff Training: Support workers receive training in person-centred practice, supported decision-making, safeguarding, and tenancy rights. They understand their role is to support independence, not to control.
Create Clear Documentation: Separate agreements for housing and support are standard. Behaviour support plans (if needed) are documented and regularly reviewed. Conflict of interest processes are transparent.
Build Genuine Partnerships: Providers work with participants, not for them. Regular consultation, feedback mechanisms, and participant involvement in service design are standard practice.
Manage Safeguarding Systematically: Comprehensive incident management, staff supervision, and continuous improvement processes ensure participants are safe while maintaining independence.
Respect the Home: Your home is your home. Providers support you to maintain it, access it fully, and control what happens in it.
The Deadline: What Providers Need to Know
Module 5A commenced on 1 July 2026. For existing registered SIL providers, the standard applies from the date the Commissioner decides whether to vary their registration. For providers applying to register in SIL:
- Applications by 1 October 2026: Providers are bound from the decision date
- Applications after 1 October 2026: Providers must comply from 1 October 2026
This is a real deadline. Unregistered SIL providers cannot lawfully provide SIL services after 1 October 2026 without registration.
What This Means for Current SIL Participants
If you’re currently receiving SIL support:
Your provider should be:
- Explaining Module 5A and how it affects your services
- Updating agreements to comply with the new standards
- Ensuring safeguarding and governance systems are robust
- Supporting your voice and autonomy
You can expect:
- Clearer agreements about your housing and support
- Genuine consultation on decisions affecting you
- More intentional focus on your independence
- Stronger safeguarding and complaint mechanisms
If your provider isn’t doing these things: Raise it with them. Module 5A is now law. Quality SIL providers are proactively implementing it.
If You’re Considering SIL
Module 5A means you can expect higher standards from SIL providers. When exploring SIL options:
- Ask about their Module 5A compliance: Do they have separate agreements? Clear safeguarding processes? Support for your decision-making?
- Ask about independence: How do they support you to do more, not less? What’s their approach to helping you build skills?
- Ask about your voice: How is participant feedback used? How are decisions made with you?
- Ask about training: Are staff trained in person-centred practice and supported decision-making?
Key Points: What Module 5A Requires
| Aspect | What It Means |
| Supported Decision-Making | Your choices matter. Support workers help you decide, not decide for you. |
| Safeguarding | You’re protected from harm while maintaining independence and autonomy. |
| Practice Governance | Providers have clear systems, trained staff, and accountability. |
| Agreements | Housing and support are separate. Consultation happens. Your home is yours. |
| Independence | You have keys, possessions, and control. Restrictions only with documented plans. |
| Your Voice | You direct your support. Your preferences are genuinely considered. |
Conclusion
Module 5A represents a significant step forward in how the NDIS approaches supported living. It strengthens participant rights, promotes genuine independence, and sets clear expectations for provider practice.
If you’re receiving SIL support, Module 5A means your provider should be delivering services that respect your autonomy, protect your safety, and support you to live as independently as possible in your own home. Your voice matters. Your home is yours. Your choices are valid.
Quality SIL providers are already implementing these standards thoughtfully—because good practice isn’t about compliance, it’s about genuinely supporting people to live the lives they choose.
If you’re exploring SIL or have questions about how Module 5A affects your supports, talk to your planner, your LAC, or your provider. Understanding these standards helps you know what to expect and what to ask for.
📞 Let’s Stay Connected
Looking for guidance on SIL services or understanding your NDIS support options?
📞 08 6118 9090
✉️ info@pdswa.com.au
FAQs
Q: What exactly is the difference between SIL and other disability support?
A: SIL is person-to-person support in your own home, available constantly or for substantial parts of the day. It’s designed to support your independence in your own space, not in a group facility. Module 5A sets the standards for this specific service type.
Q: Does Module 5A mean my provider has to do everything I ask?
A: No. Supported decision-making means you’re involved in decisions and your preferences are genuinely considered but providers still have a responsibility to keep you safe. It’s about partnership, not control in either direction.
Q: What if my current SIL provider isn’t following Module 5A yet?
A: Providers are required to comply. If you’re concerned about compliance, raise it with your provider directly, or contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission if you believe standards aren’t being met.
Q: Can my provider limit my access to my house or possessions?
A: Generally no, unless there’s a documented behaviour support plan in place that justifies it. Even then, restrictions must be necessary and proportionate. Your home should feel like your home, not a controlled environment.
Q: Does Module 5A mean I have more control over my support arrangements?
A: Yes. Supported decision-making is a core standard. Your preferences about support workers, schedules, activities, and how support is delivered should genuinely influence how your plan works.
