When you receive support in your home every day, the people around you become an important part of your life. Feeling comfortable and safe matters. So does knowing your support workers have the qualifications, skills and systems in place to give you professional and high quality support.
By 1 October 2026, providers delivering Supported Independent Living (SIL) must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. This change is about making sure the right professional standards and safeguards sit behind the supports you receive.
In this this article we explain how SIL registration works, and why we believe it’s a good thing.
Becoming a registered SIL provider is about so much more than just completing an application. Registered providers are approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and must meet clear standards for quality, safety and accountability.
This includes taking part in regular, independent audits and showing they have the right people and systems to provide reliable, around the clock support.
Currently, there is more regulation needed to pour a beer than to deliver some of the most intimate supports to people with disability.
Mandatory SIL registration may sound formal, but it has your best interests at heart because it provides:
You should feel confident that the people entering your home have the right qualifications, skills and knowledge.
When a provider is registered, support workers employed by them need to complete screening checks, so you have peace of mind knowing they have a clean history. Providers must also have clear processes for training their support workers, responding to complaints and incidents, keeping appropriate records, and managing risks.
Registration isn’t simply a one off check. Providers must continue to meet the required standards and can be held accountable if they don’t.
Unfortunately, we still hear too many stories of people having to fit their lives around their provider, when support should always be shaped around your needs.
The new SIL Practice Standards place a strong focus on your voice, rights and freedoms to ensure you have control over your life. This includes your right to:
If something doesn’t feel right, you should always speak up.
With a registered provider, there are clear processes for raising a complaint and making sure it’s heard and dealt with. Providers must record and manage incidents, and serious incidents must be reported to the NDIS Commission.
This means there are proper pathways for your concerns to be heard. The NDIS Commission will investigate complaints or take action when a registered provider fails to meet its obligations.
Truly reliable support involves more than someone showing up for a shift. It’s having systems and people working in the background to ensure consistency. This includes:
With an established, registered provider like Melba, your support doesn’t depend on one person alone. If your regular worker is unavailable for any reason, we have a team and rostering systems to arrange a suitable replacement.
This continuity can be especially important when you need support for most or all of the day.
Some unregistered providers may offer a low hourly price or arrangements that initially appear more flexible. But price is only one part of the picture and shouldn’t come at the expense of consistency and reliability.
When researching providers, it’s useful to ask:
Melba is an experienced registered NDIS disability support provider. This means you can rely on screened and well trained workers, strong safety systems, regular supervision and a team that takes responsibility for the support you receive.
But registration is only one part of our commitment to you. We also take the time to listen to you, respect your choices and make sure your support feels right for your everyday life.
Information about the new requirements and transition arrangements is available from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Share
The NDIS uses two levels of Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding: standard intensity and high intensity.
Standard intensity SIL covers everyday support, such as personal care, preparing meals and household tasks. High intensity SIL is for people with higher support needs who require workers with additional skills or expertise.
Your funding is mostly based on your approved Roster of Care, which sets out how much shared, one to one and overnight support you need, including sleepover or active night support.
Supported Independent Living funding covers the support you receive at home to manage everyday tasks and to do the things that matter to you. This can include things like taking care of yourself, cooking, doing daily tasks and overnight support or supervision.
SIL funding doesn’t cover the cost of your house itself or everyday living expenses, such as rent, groceries and utility bills.
To get Supported Independent Living funding in your NDIS plan, the NDIS requires you to show why you need regular support at home.
If you’re exploring SIL in Victoria, Melba can organise a Functional Capacity Assessment and help you gather evidence to support your application.
This evidence then needs to be submitted to the NDIA who will decide if SIL is a reasonable and necessary support for you.
The new Supported Independent Living Practice Standards set clear expectations for safe, respectful and high quality support at home. Introduced on 1 July 2026, they focus on four core domains: supported decision making, safeguarding, practice governance, and clear separation between housing and support services.
For you, this means more choice and control over your everyday life, stronger safeguards, appropriately trained and supervised workers, and clearer tenancy and service agreements.
SIL providers must demonstrate they meet these standards as part of mandatory registration with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
