Supported Independent Living in Sydney

Moving into your own place, or staying in the home you already know, shouldn’t mean losing the support that keeps you safe and connected. Supported Independent Living, or SIL, is NDIS-funded support that helps you build the daily skills to live independently, at your own pace, with people around you who actually pay attention to what helps. At Maru Care Solutions, we don’t work from a script. We get to know you first, then shape support around what your day actually needs, not what a generic plan says it should look like.

What Supported Independent Living Actually Means

SIL is funding built into your NDIS plan that pays for support workers to help you with everyday life in your home. Not therapy sessions. Not a one-off appointment. The everyday stuff: getting up and ready, cooking dinner, remembering to pay a bill, getting to the shops safely.

It’s for people who want to build independence, or hold onto the independence they’ve already got. Some participants are learning new skills for the first time. Others already know how to do most things but need someone there for safety, or for the tasks that are harder on a bad day.

Here’s where it’s different from other supports you might have used:

• Short-term support – covers a specific window, like recovering after a hospital stay. SIL is ongoing.
• Drop-in support – means a worker visits for set hours, then leaves. SIL can include this, or it can mean someone is there around the clock.
• Community access supports – get you out and about. SIL covers what happens at home, and often the trips out too.

If you’re trying to work out whether SIL is the right fit, the honest answer is: it depends on how much support you need day to day, not on a label in your plan.

What Day-to-Day SIL Support Looks Like With Maru Care Solutions

We’re not here to manage anyone. We’re here to be present, notice what’s actually going on, and help where it counts.

On an average week, that might look like:

• Cooking dinner together on Tuesday, then cooking it solo by yourself in a month once you’ve got the hang of it
• Working through a budget so bills get paid before they’re due, not after
• Getting to a medical appointment on public transport, with a support worker riding along until you’re confident doing it alone
• Heading to a community group, a gym class, or just the local café, because independence includes having a life, not just managing a household

None of this comes from a template. We sit down with you first, find out what your week actually looks like, then build support around that. If Thursday mornings are hard because that’s shift-change day at your old group home and it still throws you off, we work with that, not against it.

24/7 support means exactly what it says. Someone is there overnight if you need it, on weekends, on public holidays. For some participants that’s a support worker sleeping over. For others it’s someone available on call. Either way, the point is you’re not left without support just because it’s outside business hours.

Who We Support

We work with people at very different points in life, and the support looks different for each of them.

• Life stage transitions.  Leaving school and moving toward adult life. Ageing out of pediatric care and into adult services. Moving out of the family home for the first time. These are big shifts, and they usually come with a lot of unknowns for the participant and the family.
• Participants moving out of group homes or hospital. Some people come to us straight from a group home setting that never quite felt like home. Others are moving into their own place after a hospital stay, and need support to make that transition safely.
• Families who want reassurance. A lot of parents and carers come to us not because they’ve given up on hands-on involvement, but because they want to know their loved one is genuinely looked after when they’re not in the room. We understand that. We keep families in the loop, and we’re upfront if something isn’t working, not just when it’s convenient.
  
  

How SIL Is Funded Under the NDIS

SIL funding sits inside your NDIS plan under core supports, specifically for daily activities. It’s not a separate scheme you apply for on top of your plan. It’s built in, based on the support needs identified during your planning process or plan review.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) decides eligibility and funding levels, based on evidence about your support needs, usually gathered through a functional assessment or reports from allied health professionals. If your current plan doesn’t include SIL and you think it should, that conversation happens at your next plan review, or through a change of circumstances request if your needs have shifted since your last review.

At Maru Care Solutions, when a new participant comes to us with SIL funding already in their plan, we start by reviewing what’s there with you, so you understand exactly what it covers and how it translates into hours and support types. If you’re not sure whether your plan has enough SIL funding for what you actually need, we’ll help you work out the gap and talk through what evidence might support a review request. We don’t complete plan reviews on your behalf, that decision sits with the NDIA, but we’ll help you prepare for that conversation.

What Getting Started With Maru Care Solutions Looks Like

The first conversation isn’t about your plan. It’s about you: what your goals are, what a good day looks like, what’s been frustrating about support in the past.

From there, we match you with a support worker based on personality fit and lived experience, not just availability. If you need someone who understands sensory needs, or someone who’s worked with people transitioning out of hospital, we look for that specifically.

In the first few weeks, expect:

• A getting-to-know-you period where the worker learns your routines, not the other way around
• Regular check-ins with you and your family to see what’s working
• Adjustments made quickly if something isn’t right, rather than waiting for a formal review

Families can expect honest updates, not polished reports designed to look good on paper.

Frequently Asked Questions About Supported Independent Living

1. How much does SIL cost?

SIL is funded through your NDIS plan, so you’re not paying out of pocket for the support itself. Costs are calculated based on your support ratio (how many participants share a worker) and the hours you need. We’ll walk through your specific funding with you before support starts.

2. Am I eligible for SIL?

Eligibility comes down to your assessed support needs, decided by the NDIA. If you’re already an NDIS participant and need regular, ongoing help with daily living, it’s worth raising SIL at your next plan review.

3. How long does the transition into SIL take?

It varies. Some participants move in within a few weeks of funding being approved. Others take longer, especially if you’re moving from a hospital or group home and want time to find the right home and the right support worker fit. We’d rather get the match right than rush it.

4. Can the NDIS help if I’m not sure what I need?

Yes. If you’re unsure whether SIL, or a different type of support, fits your situation, your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or Support Coordinator can help clarify that. We’re also happy to talk it through with you directly.

If you’re looking into supported independent living in Sydney and want to talk to someone who’ll actually listen before offering a plan, get in touch with Maru Care Solutions. We’ll have a real conversation about what your days look like now, and what independence could look like with the right support around you.