NDIS SIL Changes from July 2026: What Participants, Families and Support Coordinators in Victoria Need to Know

If you live in a Supported Independent Living home, have a family member who does, or coordinate supports for someone who relies on SIL, you have probably heard that big changes are coming in 2026. The most important one is this: from 1 July 2026, every SIL provider in Australia must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

This is the biggest shift in how SIL is regulated since the NDIS began. For participants and families it is genuinely good news because it means stronger oversight, safer homes and clearer accountability. But it also raises real questions. Is my provider ready? Do I need to do anything? Will my supports be disrupted?

At Hilda Care we are a registered NDIS provider delivering SIL across Melbourne and Victoria. We put this guide together so participants, families and Support Coordinators can understand what is changing, what is staying the same, and how to make sure the people you care about are with a provider that is ready.

Speak with an NDIS Specialist

What Is Actually Changing on 1 July 2026

The Australian Government has confirmed that from 1 July 2026, mandatory registration applies to:

Supported Independent Living providers, meaning every organisation delivering SIL supports in shared or individual homes
Platform providers, meaning online platforms that connect NDIS participants with support workers

Until now, many SIL providers in Victoria have operated without being registered. That ends from July 2026. Every SIL provider will need to be formally registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, meet the new NDIS Practice Standards for SIL, and pass independent audits.

One thing worth being clear about: 1 July 2026 is the start of the transition, not a hard deadline where everything changes overnight. The NDIS Commission has confirmed that unregistered providers do not all have to be fully registered on day one, but they must begin the registration process from that date and operate under tighter oversight in the meantime. In practice, this means:

Participants can keep receiving support during the transition period
Providers who have not started registration by mid-2026 will face growing pressure to either register or stop delivering SIL
Support Coordinators will be expected to check that participants are placed with providers who are either already registered or actively working toward registration

Why These Changes Are Happening

The changes came out of three major reviews:

The NDIS Review, which recommended stronger regulation of high-risk supports
The Disability Royal Commission, which found that people in shared accommodation often face higher safety and quality risks
The NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce, which recommended mandatory registration for SIL and platform providers

The reason behind all of this is straightforward. SIL is a high-risk support. Participants often live in shared homes, sometimes with limited capacity to advocate for themselves, and sometimes with workers they did not choose. The NDIS Commission wants every SIL provider held to the same baseline of quality, safety, governance, and worker screening. That is a reasonable thing to want.

What Registered SIL Providers Will Need to Do

Under the new rules, registered SIL providers must:

Comply with the new NDIS Practice Standards for SIL, which are being co-designed with people with disability and focus on safety in shared accommodation, daily supports, worker training and participant choice
Pass certified independent audits covering safety, risk management, staff capability and governance
Complete NDIS Worker Screening checks for all support workers
Pass suitability assessments of the organisation and its key personnel
Meet ongoing reporting obligations to the NDIS Commission
Renew registration every three years

If a provider cannot meet these standards, they will not be allowed to deliver SIL supports under the NDIS.

What This Means If You Are an NDIS Participant

If you are already living in a SIL home, the most important thing to know is that your supports will not stop overnight and you do not need to panic. But there are a few sensible things to do now.

Find out if your current SIL provider is registered

You can check the NDIS Provider Register on the NDIS website, ask your provider directly, or ask your Support Coordinator. Every registered provider has an NDIS registration number and should give it to you without hesitation.

Ask your provider what they are doing to prepare

A good provider should be able to explain in plain language how they are getting ready for the 2026 changes. This includes audits, staff training and how they are working toward the new Practice Standards. If they cannot explain this clearly, that is worth noting.

Know that you have the right to switch providers

You can change SIL providers at any time. You do not need to justify your reasons. Your Support Coordinator or Local Area Coordinator can help organise a smooth transition without your day-to-day supports being disrupted.

Know that your funding works the same way

The 2026 registration changes do not affect how much SIL funding you receive. It is also worth knowing that since 19 May 2025, SIL funding is released in monthly funding periods rather than as a lump sum upfront, and any unused monthly funds roll over into the next period.

What This Means If You Are a Family Member or Guardian

You are often the one asking the hard questions on someone else’s behalf. The 2026 changes give you a stronger position to do that. Here is what it means practically:

You can now reasonably expect your family member’s SIL provider to be registered, independently audited, and held to formal Practice Standards
If a provider cannot or will not show evidence of their registration pathway, that is a red flag worth raising with the Support Coordinator
You can request a planning meeting or an unscheduled plan reassessment to review accommodation and provider arrangements if you have concerns

What This Means If You Are a Support Coordinator

You will be the person fielding most of these questions through 2026. A few practical things worth knowing:

Your role is not being mandatorily registered right now. The Government has paused mandatory registration for support coordination while it considers further reform. You can keep operating as you do today.

You will need to review your caseload. Anyone you support who is currently with an unregistered SIL provider should be looked at. Is that provider on the registration pathway, or do you need to start looking at alternatives?

Keep a shortlist of registered, audit-ready SIL providers. Hilda Care is one of them. We work directly with Support Coordinators across Victoria and can take on participants who need to transition from an unregistered provider. You can refer participants to us directly through our Support Coordinator page and our team handles the transition with the existing provider so the participant does not have to manage it themselves.

Documentation matters. Keep a record of provider registration status, vacancy availability, and your conversations with families. This protects both you and the participant.

Can a Support Coordinator refer a participant to Hilda Care directly?

Yes. Support Coordinators can refer directly through our dedicated Support Coordinator page. Once a referral comes in, our team takes over the coordination with the existing provider so the participant does not need to manage the transition themselves. We make it as straightforward as possible.

How to Check If a SIL Provider Is Registered

Three quick checks you can do right now:

Ask for the provider’s NDIS registration number. Registered providers will give it to you without being asked twice
Search the public NDIS provider list on the NDIS website. Registration status is publicly available
Ask when their last audit was. Registered providers complete certified audits and should be able to tell you when it happened and which registration groups they hold

If a provider hesitates, deflects, or cannot answer these questions, that is information in itself.

What Is Not Changing

It is worth being specific about what stays the same, because a lot of people assume more is changing than actually is:

Your NDIS plan and the supports you are funded for do not change because of these reforms
Your right to choose your provider stays exactly the same
If you are in a SIL home, you do not have to move out because of these changes
Plan budgets are not affected by the reforms themselves. Only the registration of providers and the timing of funding payments has shifted

How Hilda Care Is Positioned for July 2026

Hilda Care is NDIS Registered Provider number 4050126032. We have been registered well before these reforms were announced, which means we already meet the NDIS Practice Standards and have completed independent audits. We are not scrambling to get ready. We are ready now.

Here is what that means in practical terms for anyone considering us:

All our support workers are NDIS Worker Screening cleared, police-checked, and trained in trauma-informed care. Trauma-informed care means our staff understand how past experiences of trauma can affect behaviour and communication. It shapes how they build trust with participants, how they handle difficult moments, and how they approach support without making assumptions
We have 200 or more Melbourne support workers available across the metropolitan area
We have received 53 or more Google reviews from participants and families
Our team is multilingual, with workers who speak Turkish, Italian, Filipino, Macedonian and Portuguese
We deliver SIL across Melbourne and all local government areas in Victoria, so Support Coordinators can refer participants to us regardless of which suburb or region they are based in
We are headquartered in Burnside Heights and have deep knowledge of the local services, transport options and community programs across Melbourne’s west and beyond
We can take on participants who need to move from an unregistered provider during the transition and we work directly with Support Coordinators to make that process smooth

If you, your family member, or someone you support needs a registered SIL provider you can rely on through the 2026 changes and beyond, we would like to hear from you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to switch providers by 1 July 2026?

No. That date is the start of the transition period, not a deadline by which all participants must change providers. Your supports continue as normal. But it is worth checking that your current provider is on the registration pathway rather than ignoring the changes.

What happens if my SIL provider does not register?

They will eventually not be allowed to deliver SIL supports under the NDIS. The NDIS Commission and your Support Coordinator will work to make sure participants are moved to registered providers without their support being disrupted.

Will my SIL costs go up because of registration?

Registration adds compliance costs for providers, but SIL pricing is regulated through the NDIS Pricing Arrangements. Your funded amount is set by your plan, not by your provider, so the registration changes do not directly change what you pay or receive.

Are Support Coordinators also being mandatorily registered?

Not currently. The Government paused that part of the reform while it considers further options. Support Coordinators can keep operating as they do today.

How do I switch SIL providers?

Speak to your Support Coordinator or Local Area Coordinator. You will sign a service agreement with the new provider and the transition is then organised between the providers with your input. You do not have to manage this alone.

Can a Support Coordinator refer a participant to Hilda Care directly?

Yes. Support Coordinators can refer directly through our Support Coordinator page. Our team handles the coordination with the existing provider so the participant does not need to manage the transition themselves. Get in touch and we will take it from there.

Is Hilda Care a registered NDIS provider?

Yes. Hilda Care is NDIS Registered Provider number 4050126032. We deliver SIL, SDA, community participation, household tasks, community nursing and behaviour support across Melbourne and Victoria.