SIL funding covers in-home supports and essential daily living assistance, but not all transport needs by default.
Transport to routine community activities such as day programs, shopping, or haircuts is usually funded under:
• Core – Assistance with Social and Community Participation (community access hours), or
• The participant’s Transport funding in their NDIS plan.
SIL providers may assist with transport where it is incidental to daily living or essential appointments, for example, GP visits when no other arrangement exists, but they are not required to own a vehicle or provide regular transport unless it is specifically included in the SIL service agreement.
If you have been providing this transport as a complimentary service without separate funding, you can cease providing it, ideally with documented reasons. (Firstly, don’t do any favours, they always bite you in the ass.
The NDIS guideline confirms that while SIL can involve accompanying someone into the community, the actual transport costs and regular community access are separate supports and are not automatically included in SIL funding.
Recommendation
- Cease providing transport to the day program and other community activities for this participant until it can be delivered in a manner that is safe and consistent with the Behaviour Support Plan (BSP).
- Communicate this decision in writing to the support coordinator and care team, referencing the NDIS guidelines and the participant’s plan funding categories.
- Review the participant’s plan and BSP to ensure all safety recommendations have been identified and implemented, and confirm whether any transport obligation exists in the SIL service agreement.
- If it is found that the BSP already contained directions for safe transport and these were not followed, complete a root cause analysis, record the findings, and implement a corrective and continuous quality improvement action. Complimentary transport does not excuse unsafe practice, particularly where safety recommendations are documented. If the required equipment for safe transport was not available, this should have been communicated to the support coordinator so alternative arrangements could be made. Hence, the CQI action.
- Review your incident reporting process to determine whether the original aggression incident should have been reported to the NDIS Commission, and document the rationale for your decision either way. It probably should have been noted as an incident, but not a reportable incident. Taking these steps will protect your compliance standing, maintain your reputation, and ensure you are not pressured into providing unsafe or unfunded services.
NDIS Practice Standards Mapping
| Practice Standard & Indicator | How This Recommendation Aligns |
| Provision of Supports – Access to supports (Core Module, 2.1) | Confirms the scope of SIL supports, sets boundaries where supports are outside the plan, and ensures participants have access correct funding streams for community participation. |
| Provision of Supports – Support planning (Core Module, 2.2) | Recommends review of the participant’s plan and BSP to ensure all transport-related supports and safety measures are addressed. |
| Provision of Supports – Service agreements with participants (Core Module, 2.3) | Reinforces adherence to what is agreed in the SIL service agreement and prevents scope creep into unfunded services. |
| Provision of Supports – Safe environment (Core Module, 2.4) | Addresses the duty of care to workers and participants by ceasing unsafe transport until BSP requirements are met. |
| Provision of Supports – Incident management (Core Module, 2.5) | Advises reviewing incident reporting processes and documenting rationale, consistent with NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018. |
| Governance and Operational Management – Quality management (Core Module, 3.2) | Recommends root cause analysis and continuous quality improvement if BSP requirements were missed. |
| Governance and Operational Management – Risk management (Core Module, 3.3) | Supports proactive identification and management of transport-related safety risks. |
| Governance and Operational Management – Human resource management (Core Module, 3.4) | Ensures staff are not placed in unsafe situations without the required safety equipment. |