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The 4 NDIS SIL Practice Standards (Module 5A), who they apply to, and the evidence auditors expect. Includes key dates and a 6-step audit readiness plan.
Quick answer: The NDIS SIL Practice Standards are four extra standards, known in law as Module 5A, that apply to registered Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers from 1 July 2026. They cover supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and agreements about tenancy, housing and support. Auditors assess them alongside the Core Module, using quality indicators and evidence from your homes.
The NDIS SIL Practice Standards are four extra standards, known in law as Module 5A, that apply to registered Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers from 1 July 2026. They cover supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and agreements about tenancy, housing and support. Auditors assess them alongside the Core Module, using quality indicators and evidence from your homes.
In short:
Last reviewed: 14 October 2026. Written by Romina Torres, Marketing Manager, Wholii. General information only, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
The SIL Practice Standards started on 1 July 2026, and the transition window for unregistered providers closed on 1 October 2026.
| Date | What happens | Who it affects |
| 1 July 2026 | Mandatory registration for SIL and NDIS digital platform providers begins. Module 5A (Schedule 7A of the Registration Rules) and its quality indicators (Part 8A of the Quality Indicators Guidelines) take effect. | All SIL providers |
| 1 October 2026 | Unregistered providers already delivering SIL before 1 July must be registered or have applied. This was a three-month transition period. | Unregistered SIL providers |
| 1 January 2027 | Worker screening verification obligations start for digital platform providers. | Digital platform providers |
Providers already registered for SIL did not need to re-register. Module 5A attaches to the SIL registration group (0138), so the Commission varied existing SIL registrations rather than requiring a new application. Sources: NDIS Commission, SIL Practice Standards, NDIS Provider Registration and Practice Standards Rules 2018, Carevision.
Every provider registered to deliver SIL has to meet Module 5A, in addition to the Core Module. When the standards first apply to you depends on where you started.
| Your situation | Standards apply from | First audited against them |
| Already registered for SIL (previously group 0115) and delivering SIL before 1 July 2026 | 1 July 2026 | Your next mid-term or renewal audit after that date |
| Registered for other supports and adding SIL | When your registration variation is approved | Your next audit after the variation. The Commission or your auditor may require an out-of-cycle audit first. |
| Unregistered, delivering SIL, application lodged | Once you are registered | Your initial certification audit |
| New provider | From the day you are registered | Your initial certification audit |
Two points catch providers out:
Module 5A only applies if what you deliver meets the legal definition of SIL, which is broader than the old registration group. If you are unsure whether your supports are captured, check the definition in the Rules or ask the Commission.
If you use regulated restrictive practices, Module 2A (implementing behaviour support plans) applies as well, and your SIL audit will cover it.
The four standards are supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements. Each one is written from the participant’s point of view. Each has an intent, expectation statements for participants, workers and providers, an outcome statement that sets the compliance requirement, and quality indicators the auditor assesses.
What it asks: Participants make their own decisions about their home, routines and relationships, with support where they need it. You uphold their will and preferences, even when those differ from what you or a decision supporter would choose.
What auditors look for:
What it looks like in a house: Two housemates disagree about the weekly meal plan. Workers do not pick a side or default to the easiest option for the roster. They help each person say what they want and work out a shared arrangement, and the notes show whose choice it was.
What it asks: Participants are safe from violence, abuse, neglect and harm in a shared home, while still having choice and dignity of risk. This includes bullying, intimidation and conflict between people who live together.
What auditors look for:
What it looks like in a house: A resident repeatedly raises concerns about a housemate. There is a record of how it was reported, what was done, how the resident was involved, and whether it was reviewed afterwards. Patterns of conflict are visible, not buried in individual shift notes.
What it asks: Leadership and systems that make sure support is safe, high quality and consistent across workers and shifts, using evidence-informed practice.
What auditors look for:
What it looks like in a house: A supervisor observes a shift, records what they saw against the home’s practice approach, agrees actions with the worker, and books the next session. That cycle is dated and traceable.
What it asks: Where you provide both housing and SIL support to the same participant, the two agreements must be separate. The participant must understand that one does not depend on the other, and must be free to raise concerns about either without fear of retribution.
What auditors look for:
Auditors expect three layers of evidence for each standard: a written policy or procedure, records showing it is followed, and consistent answers from participants and workers on a home visit. The Commission’s Evidence Guide for Providers and Workers sets out what sits behind each standard, and you should apply it in a way that fits the size and approach of your service.
| Standard | Policy or procedure | Records that prove it is practised | What auditors may ask in a home |
| Supported decision-making | Decision-making procedure; communication and information access approach | Training and refresher records; support plan notes showing the participant’s own choices; dignity of risk assessments | Residents: “Do you get information in a way you understand? Can you change your mind?” Workers: “How do you support someone to decide?” |
| Safeguarding | Safeguarding policy balancing safety and dignity of risk; conflict between residents procedure | Incident and conflict records with outcomes; participant safeguarding reviews; de-escalation and trauma-informed training records | Residents: “Is there someone you trust to talk to if you feel unsafe? Do workers help when housemates disagree?” |
| Practice governance | Workforce training and supervision policy; emergency planning arrangements; tenant placement consultation process | Competency assessments; supervision and observation records with actions and next dates; emergency drill records; consultation records before a new resident moves in | Residents: “Do you have a say in who lives with you? Do you know what happens in an emergency?” |
| Tenancy, housing and support agreements | Conflict of interest policy; process for separating tenancy and support agreements | Separate signed agreements, or a recorded reason why a copy was not signed; accessible tenancy information provided to participants | Residents: “Do you know what to do if you want to move? Does your room feel like your own space?” |
The Commission also publishes Reflective Questions for Participants, including an Easy Read version. Using these in house meetings or one-to-one conversations, and recording what you change as a result, is a practical way to show an auditor that your practice is reviewed, not just documented.
The Commission ran a pilot of the supported decision-making standard in real audits in early 2026. It found that participants and workers reported greater confidence in decision-making rights, and that the quality indicators needed to be clearer for consistent measurement. Expect auditors to ask for concrete examples, not only policies.
The most common gaps are not missing policies. They are missing proof that policies are followed in each home. These are the five to check first:
1. Generic policies that ignore shared living. A safeguarding policy written for individual support does not address conflict, bullying or intimidation between housemates, or how you review it with each resident.
2. Training that happened but was never recorded or assessed. Supported decision-making, trauma-informed practice and de-escalation training need dates, who attended, how competence was assessed, and when the refresher is due.
3. Supervision that is informal. Practice governance expects leaders to observe workers and supervise practice. A chat in the kitchen does not count unless the topics, agreed actions and next session are recorded.
4. Tenancy and support agreements that are blurred together. If you provide both, they need to be separate and understood as separate. A single combined document, or no record of why a signed copy is missing, is a common finding.
5. No link between incidents and improvement. Conflict between residents, complaints and near misses should flow into your continuous improvement process with an owner and a due date. Many providers log the event and stop there.
A sixth gap sits underneath the rest: evidence scattered across spreadsheets, shared drives and shift notes. When an auditor asks to see how you consult residents before a new tenant moves in, you need to find it in minutes, not days.
Start with a gap analysis against both the Core Module and the four SIL standards, then close the gaps in order of audit risk. Here is a practical sequence.
1. Confirm your pathway. Check your registration status, which audit comes next, and whether your supports meet the legal definition of SIL. This tells you when you will be assessed against Module 5A.
2. Download the Commission’s materials. Get the SIL Practice Standards, the Evidence Guide for Providers and Workers, and the Reflective Questions for Participants from the NDIS Commission website.
3. Run a gap check, home by home. For each quality indicator, ask two questions: what would we show an auditor, and who in this house could explain it? Log every gap as a corrective action with an owner and a due date.
4. Fix the workforce evidence first. Training, competency assessments, supervision and worker screening records underpin most of Module 5A. They are also the quickest to organise.
5. Separate and review your agreements. Where you provide both housing and support, make sure the agreements are separate, signed, accessible and supported by a conflict of interest policy.
6. Talk to residents and record the outcome. Use the Reflective Questions in house meetings or one-to-ones, note what residents said, and record what you changed. Then repeat on a schedule so you are not rebuilding the evidence before each audit.
If you also use regulated restrictive practices, add Module 2A to your gap check. Auditors will assess it in the same visit.
Wholii is NDIS compliance software for registered providers. It keeps the evidence behind the SIL Practice Standards in one place, so you can show an auditor how your practice works across every home, not just describe it. For wider context, read what the 2026 NDIS reforms mean for registered providers.
Here is how Wholii’s modules line up with what Module 5A asks for:
| What Module 5A needs | Where Wholii fits |
| Workers who are trained, assessed and screened, with refreshers on time (practice governance, supported decision-making, safeguarding) | Staff & Credentials tracks every credential, so expiries and gaps are visible before an audit. |
| Incidents, conflict and medication events recorded and followed through (safeguarding, Core Module) | Medication & Incidents logs every dose and every incident through to resolution. See our guides on incident reporting and classifying reportable incidents. |
| One clear view of where you stand across the Practice Standards | Compliance Core gives you your whole compliance health in one place, so gaps surface before an auditor finds them. |
| Records kept for the required period | Our guide to NDIS record keeping requirements explains the seven-year rule. |
Want a starting point? Use the SIL compliance checklist to check where you stand, then start a free trial to see how Wholii keeps your SIL evidence audit-ready every day, not just in audit month.
When did the SIL Practice Standards start?
The SIL Practice Standards started on 1 July 2026, the same day mandatory registration for SIL providers began. Providers already registered for SIL had to comply from that date and are assessed at their next mid-term or renewal audit.
Is Module 5A the same as the SIL Practice Standards?
Yes. Module 5A is the legal name for the SIL Practice Standards. It sits at Schedule 7A of the NDIS (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018, and its quality indicators are in Part 8A of the Quality Indicators Guidelines. The Commission’s website mostly calls it the supplementary module for SIL.
Do the SIL Practice Standards replace the Core Module?
No. Registered SIL providers must meet both. The Core Module covers areas such as rights, governance, provision of supports and the support environment. Module 5A adds four standards specific to shared living.
Do registered SIL providers need to re-register?
No. Module 5A attaches to the SIL registration group, so providers already registered for SIL did not need to re-apply. Providers registered for other supports that want to deliver SIL need a variation to their registration.
How are the SIL standards audited?
There is no separate SIL audit. An approved quality auditor assesses Module 5A during your certification, mid-term or renewal audit. Expect home visits and interviews with participants and workers as well as a review of documents.
Where can I download the SIL Practice Standards and Evidence Guide?
The NDIS Commission’s SIL Practice Standards page has the standards and quality indicators, the Evidence Guide for Providers and Workers, the Reflective Questions for Participants (including Easy Read), and a glossary. The legal text is on the Federal Register of Legislation.
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal, compliance or professional advice. Dates, requirements and the wording of the standards reflect our understanding of the NDIS Practice Standards, the NDIS (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018 and NDIS Commission guidance at the time of writing (14 October 2026), and may change. Always check the current requirements directly with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and your approved quality auditor. References to Wholii products describe their general purpose only, and features and availability may change. Using Wholii does not guarantee compliance or a particular audit outcome.
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The 4 NDIS SIL Practice Standards (Module 5A), who they apply to, and the evidence auditors expect. Includes key dates and a 6-step audit readiness plan.
