The needs of people with disability using Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports are not being adequately met. Vital new research led by Flinders University’s Caring Futures Institute is helping to change that—paving the way for more effective, rights-based services that reflect the expectations of the people they are designed to support.
This project responds to key recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission and the Independent Review of the NDIS, addressing national concerns about reactive service models and the urgent need for person-centred practices that uphold and protect the rights of people with disability.
Over the past year, Dr Alinka Fisher has led a project funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) to develop practical service guidelines for SIL providers. These guidelines are now complete and are available via the DFFH website.
The guidelines were co-designed with people with disability using SIL, their families, and SIL providers—including support workers, team leaders, and service managers—ensuring alignment with both community and industry priorities.
“The co-design process was essential to ensuring we prioritised the voices of people with disability,” says Dr Fisher. “We held regular meetings with a flexible approach, enabling everyone to participate in ways they found comfortable and accessible, making sure we used their preferred communication methods.”
This collaborative process shaped guidelines informed by the rights and expectations of people with disability using SIL supports, affirming every person’s right to live a fulfilling, valued life with dignity and respect.
“By starting with rights and expectations, the guidelines help providers understand not only what to do, but why it matters,” Dr Fisher explains. “They support people’s right to a home in the community—and to make their own choices about how they live.”
The guidelines place strong emphasis on self-determination and decision-making, which emerged as a central theme in the co-design process—and a key gap in current practice.
“People want to be in charge of their lives,” Dr Fisher says. “These guidelines are about supporting SIL providers to make that possible.”
The release of these guidelines comes at a critical time, with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission also preparing to launch new SIL Practice Standards. Informed by best practice and current legislation, the guidelines will complement these standards by offering practical, actionable guidance for implementation.
Dr Fisher believes the guidelines will have national impact, supporting providers to improve services for people with disability. Academic outputs from the project are also in development and will contribute to global conversations around best practices and rights-based support.
“The development of these guidelines was also guided by an international advisory group, and it’s clear these challenges aren’t unique to Australia,” she notes. “There’s also been interest from the aged care sector, opening opportunities to explore universal standards across support services.”
Dr Fisher is now leading a new collaborative partnership to secure funding for the next phase of research—focused on identifying implementation enablers and barriers and supporting the translation of these guidelines into everyday practice.