Moving into a SIL home: the first 30 days

The short answer

A good move into a SIL home has three parts. Before the move, sign a service agreement, share the support plan and health documents, and confirm what your plan funds. In move-in week, learn the routines, the roster and the house rules. By weeks two to four, review what is working and raise anything that is not.

Supported Independent Living (SIL) is NDIS funding for support workers to help or supervise you in your home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, usually shared with housemates who also have NDIS funding. Moving into a SIL home is a bigger change than moving house. You are also starting a working relationship with a provider and a team of support workers who will be part of your daily life.

The first 30 days set the pattern for everything after. This guide walks through what to do before the move, what to expect in the first week, and what to check in weeks two to four.

Before the move: the documents that need to exist

The NDIA recommends a written service agreement with your SIL provider, and SIL providers are expected to have one. It should say what supports you will get, how, when and where they are delivered, what they cost, how the provider gets paid, the start and end dates, how to make a complaint, and how either side can end the agreement and with how much notice. The agreement cannot sign away the provider's duties under the NDIS Code of Conduct or Australian Consumer Law, and you can ask for changes before you sign.

If the provider also owns or leases the house, the NDIA says a separate tenancy or occupancy agreement should exist. This keeps your right to live in the home separate from the support arrangement.

The provider needs a support plan for you before the first shift. In practice this comes from your most recent assessments, your behaviour support plan if you have one, and conversations with you and your family. Gather the health paperwork too: a current medication list signed by your GP or pharmacist, any mealtime management plan, epilepsy or diabetes management plans, allergies, and contact details for your treating team. If someone else makes decisions on your behalf, bring evidence of the guardianship order or nominee arrangement.

Signed service agreement, with the schedule of supports and prices attached
Tenancy or occupancy agreement if the provider controls the house
Current medication chart and any clinical management plans
Behaviour support plan, where one exists, so staff can implement it from day one
Written consent for the provider to talk to your GP, pharmacist, therapists and family
Copy of your NDIS plan showing the home and living budget and its management type

Before the move: check what your plan actually funds

SIL funding is based on your disability support needs and is listed in your plan. It pays for support workers. It does not pay for rent, board, groceries, utilities, vehicle costs or holidays, and the NDIA is explicit about that. Write down the split between your own income and the SIL funding before you move.

The NDIA generally funds a small number of irregular support days each year (10 for standard needs, 15 for high intensity needs, as at October 2026) to cover days when you are home unexpectedly, such as when you are sick. Ask the provider how they track these days and what happens if you use them up.

Also confirm how your home and living budget is managed. If it is NDIA-managed the provider must be registered and claims against your plan directly. If it is plan-managed, your plan manager pays the invoices. Since 1 October 2026 all SIL providers must be registered or have applied to register, so ask to see the provider's registration certificate and check it on the NDIS Commission's provider register.

Move-in week: orientation, routines and meeting the roster

A good provider does not simply hand over keys. Expect a walk-through of the house, including where medication is stored, how the kitchen is shared, where your things go, how the locks and alarms work, and who to call overnight. You should be introduced to housemates with notice, not on the doorstep.

Ask for the roster for the coming fortnight with names on it. The NDIA describes a roster of care as a tool that breaks down weekly support needs and how they will be delivered; it is not compulsory but most providers use one. Ask how many different workers you will see in a typical week and whether a small core team is planned.

Agree your daily routine in writing in the first few days: wake and sleep times, meals, personal care, medication times, work or day program and transport. This becomes the working version of your support plan. Also ask for the house rules and the provider's policy on visitors, overnight guests and pets, and check that they match what the tenancy agreement says.

Weeks two to four: review, adjust, and raise concerns early

By the end of week two the provider should sit down with you (and your family or support coordinator if you want them there) to review how things are going. Bring a short list: what is working, what is not, any worker you would prefer not to have again, any part of the routine that needs to change. The NDIS Commission's new SIL Practice Standards, which apply from 1 July 2026, include supported decision-making and safeguarding, and this review is where those words become real.

Check the first invoices or claims. Compare the hours claimed with the roster that was actually delivered, and check the support item names against your service agreement. If you are plan-managed, your plan manager can send you a statement; if you are NDIA-managed, you can see claims in the my NDIS app or participant portal.

If something feels wrong and talking to the house supervisor does not fix it, go up the chain: the provider's complaints process, then your support coordinator, then the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. Providers must make it safe for you to complain and must not treat you worse for doing so.

Week 2: first review meeting; adjust the routine and the roster
Week 3: check the first claims against the roster and the service agreement
Week 4: confirm the support plan is written up and you have a copy

Who does what: the support coordinator, the family and the provider

If you have SIL funding you will usually have support coordination funding too. The NDIA describes the support coordinator's role as helping you understand your plan, find providers, set up service agreements, check that supports are working and plan for when things go wrong. In the first month that means attending the review meeting, chasing missing documents, and being the person you call if you do not want to call the provider.

Family and informal supporters know your history and your preferences. The most useful thing they can do in the first 30 days is hand that knowledge over in writing (a one-page profile of likes, dislikes, triggers and routines works well) and then step back far enough for the new team to learn directly from you.

The provider is responsible for the safety and quality of the supports, for following your behaviour support plan, for medication handling, for keeping records, and for reporting serious incidents to the NDIS Commission. ResicareSA, for example, employs its own support workers rather than using agency staff, which makes it easier to keep a consistent team in the first month; ask any provider how they will achieve that.

Moving into a SIL home in South Australia: local realities

In metropolitan Adelaide, a provider's office is usually within half an hour of the house, so a manager can attend quickly if the first days are rocky. In regional South Australia the picture is different. A house in Whyalla, Port Augusta, Kadina or Loxton may be several hours from the provider's head office, so ask who the on-the-ground supervisor is, where they live, and how overnight escalation works.

Regional moves also take longer to staff. Providers recruit locally, and a new house in a small town may open with a partly new team. Ask how many workers have completed your specific training (for example mealtime management or epilepsy response) before day one, and what the plan is if a worker calls in sick on a Sunday. Transfer prescriptions to a pharmacy near the new house and register with a local GP if the move is out of area.

What to do next: a 30-day checklist

Use this as the working list for the move. Keep a copy of everything you sign.

Two weeks before: sign the service agreement and tenancy agreement; hand over medication chart, clinical plans and behaviour support plan; confirm what you pay versus what SIL pays
One week before: visit the house again; meet housemates and the house supervisor; get the first fortnight's roster
Move-in day: walk-through of the house; agree the daily routine; confirm overnight contact numbers
Week 2: review meeting; adjust the roster and routine; raise any worker concerns
Week 3: check the first claims or invoices against the roster
Week 4: get your written support plan; agree how often reviews will happen from here on

Questions people ask

What should I have signed before moving into a SIL home?

At minimum a service agreement that lists your supports, prices, start and end dates, notice periods and complaints process. If the provider controls the house you should also have a separate tenancy or occupancy agreement. The NDIA recommends service agreements for SIL and says providers cannot use them to avoid their Code of Conduct obligations.

Does SIL funding pay for rent and groceries?

No. SIL funds support workers only. The NDIA states it cannot be used for rent, board or lodging, groceries, utilities, vehicle costs or holidays. You pay those from your own income, usually the Disability Support Pension and Commonwealth Rent Assistance. Work out this split with the provider before you move in.

How quickly should a SIL provider review my supports after I move in?

There is no legal timeframe, but a review in the first two weeks is reasonable and most good providers offer one. The NDIS Commission's SIL Practice Standards from 1 July 2026 require supported decision-making and safeguarding, which means your views on the roster, routine and workers should be sought early and acted on.

Can I say no to a particular support worker?

Yes. You have choice and control over who supports you. Tell the house supervisor or your support coordinator which worker you would prefer not to have and why. A provider should accommodate reasonable requests and cannot treat you worse for raising a concern. If they refuse without good reason, you can complain to the NDIS Commission.

What is a roster of care and do I get a copy?

A roster of care breaks down the weekly support hours in the home and how they are shared between housemates. The NDIA says it is not compulsory and does not need to be submitted, but most providers use one. You should be given a copy and the provider should agree it with you before claiming against your plan.

Who do I call if something goes wrong in the first month?

Start with the house supervisor, then the provider's complaints process. If that does not resolve it, call your support coordinator, then the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544. For anything involving immediate risk to safety, call 000 first. For billing mistakes, the NDIA asks you to contact the provider or plan manager first, then the NDIA on 1800 800 110.