Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a physical disability that affects movement across different parts of the body. This is due to damage to the brain, occurring either during pregnancy, at birth or shortly after birth.

Cerebral Palsy and SIL

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy may mean that you can live your life fairly independently, or you have complex support needs. This may be the case if you also have a co-occuring disabilities or conditions. Examples include:

• Intellectual disability
• Epilepsy
• Sleep disorders
• Hearing impairment
• Vision impairment

There are 25% of NDIS participants who are diagnosed with cerebral palsy currently accessing Supported Independent Living (SIL) due to their moderate or high support needs

SIL is typically funded for those who require support for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including overnight support.

For further information, review this detailed resource Cerebral Palsy and SIL which will help you to understand:

• Cerebral Palsy and Complex Needs
• Cerebral Palsy and Functional Capacity
• Supports provided by SIL for Cerebral Palsy
• Cerebral Palsy and High Physical Support Needs in SIL
• Cerebral Palsy and Assistive Technology in SIL

The Logistics of SIL

Whether you are applying for SIL, or are already accessing SIL services, it is important to understand how SIL is funded in your NDIS plan and what is included and excluded when it comes to SIL supports. 

There is often confusion about how SIL can be funded in your home or a home you share with others.

Continue reading to learn more...

Where is SIL funded in my NDIS plan?

Home and Living (Category 16) is a new category which appears under the CORE SUPPORTS BUDGET in your NDIS plan.

This budget is allocated for support for living in line with your disability needs.
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This funding can ONLY be used flexibly WITHIN this category, not across the remaining CORE budgets.

Within this budget, funding may be available in your NDIS plan for the following:

• Short-term accommodation (STA)
• Medium-term accommodation (MTA)
• Supported Independent Living (SIL)
• Independent Living Options (ILO)

SIL is considered a longer term option, with the primary purpose of supporting you in your home to live alone or with others. SIL funding includes at-home support or supervision to build skills in self-care, independence and maintaining a safe home for NDIS participants with higher support needs.

Does SIL include accommodation?

SIL involves the funding for support provided to you in the home environment.

It does NOT include funding for the accomodation where you live.

This means, SIL does not cover the cost of rent, board or lodging costs.

If you require disability-specific accommodation, you may be eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).

See further details here: What is SDA and SIL?
 

The NDIS do not generally provide funding for housing, except for SDA. If you do not meet the criteria for SDA eligibility, you will be required to cover the cost of your accommodation. If you need affordable housing or are at risk of homelessness, there are state or territory government programs that can help you.

Learn more about Housing and Community Infrastructure outlined by from the NDIS.
 

Does SIL include groceries and other day-to-day expenses?

SIL does not include day-to-day living costs that are not related to your disability support needs.

The cost of groceries are not included in SIL. This is a cost you are required to cover. If you live with others, you may arrange to contribute towards shared groceries. In some SIL arrangements, the staff may assist by facilitating online orders and monitoring household supplies. Payments for orders are provided by participants.

The cost of utilities such as gas, electricity, water, telephone, and internet bills are also not included in SIL. 

Expenses related to holidays, including travel costs, are not funded by SIL.

What happens to SIL if I am in hospital?

SIL is not responsible for providing you with personal support while you are admitted to hospital.

The health system is responsible for meeting your support needs while you are under hospital care.

You will need to discuss ongoing payment for SIL with your SIL provider if you are not home to receive it. Check your service agreement if you are unclear.

Is staff training required for Cerebral Palsy in the NDIS?

Undertaking training specific to cerebral palsy is not a requirement for service providers of SIL in the NDIS.

Some providers may be more familiar with supporting individuals with cerebral palsy than others.

Before engaging with a service provider, if you are after quality care that aligns with your needs, it is important for you to determine the staff’s understanding of cerebral palsy. You can do this by asking about their existing participants with cerebral palsy and how their model of care looks.

What assistive technology the staff are familiar with operating?

Do the staff have any manual handling training? When was training last completed?

Are they familiar with supporting any other co-occurring conditions with cerebral palsy, such as epilepsy?

Receiving supports from a SIL provider who has the skills and capabilities is an important factor in maintaining your safety and ensuring your support needs will be met.

Does SIL = shared supports?

SIL can be provided across a variety of settings. SIL can be individual or shared.

Individual Support

SIL can be provided individually to you in your own home. This means the roster of care is built around you alone, and may include a combination of 1:1 or 2:1 support depending on your functional capacity and related support needs.

Concierge Support

SIL can be provided to you in a shared capacity while you live in your own home. This model of care is described as Concierge Support. Concierge support involves on-site support shared between several participants, however this is not live-in support. An office is set up nearby the residences and is typically staffed 24/7. Drop in support is available to residents on a needs basis and/or for scheduled check ins.

Shared Living

SIL can also be provided in a shared living setting, where services are shared across two or more participants. It is not necessary for all participants to have cerebral palsy. However, all participants are likely to have the same or similar support needs to ensure the support can be shared appropriately.

Do I get SIL if I don’t need support all of the time?

If you don’t need some level of support all of the time when you are at home, it is unlikely that you will be considered eligible for SIL finding.

There are other options available to you for your support needs to be met. This may be through personal care supports, where drop in support is available as you require it.

How do I choose a SIL provider?

When SIL is approved in your plan, you will be provided with a sum of funding for SIL in your Core Support budget.

You are not automatically allocated to a provider, and have choice and control over which provider you engage with for SIL.

The SIL provider you select will assist in preparing a roster of care, utlising the funding allocated in your plan, to cater to your needs across your week.

Need help finding a SIL provider? Get in touch with the MyCareSpace Connections Team to speak to someone about finding a SIL provider in your area.

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