SIL Staffing Ratios Template and Example (2026)

What is a SIL staffing ratio and why does it matter?

A Supported Independent Living (SIL) staffing ratio describes the number of funded support workers available to participants living in a shared or individual supported arrangement at any given time — for example, 1:2 overnight (one worker to two participants) or 1:1 during morning personal care routines.

Under the NDIS Practice Standards, registered SIL providers must demonstrate that their staffing is sufficient to safely deliver the supports described in each participant's plan. The NDIS Commission does not publish a universal minimum ratio applicable to all settings. Instead, providers are accountable for individually justifying their ratios based on participant need, risk, and documented evidence. Getting this wrong is a common finding at quality audits and can expose providers to non-conformance notices or, in serious cases, suspension of registration.

With the strengthened NDIS Practice Standards taking effect from 2026, expectations around documentation, individualised assessment, and worker competency evidence have increased significantly. Providers who relied on informal rostering practices need to move to a structured, auditable approach now.

What auditors look for in a SIL staffing ratio

An NDIS-approved quality auditor examining your SIL staffing arrangements will typically seek evidence of:

• A documented ratio for each shift type (active night, sleepover, day, peak-care periods) linked to individual participant needs.
• The source of the ratio decision — specifically the support needs assessment, behavioural support plan, or risk assessment that drove the number.
• Roster records demonstrating the ratio was actually maintained, not just planned.
• A process for reviewing and adjusting ratios when participant needs change.
• Evidence that workers rostered for a given ratio hold the competencies required (first aid, medication administration, behavioural support) relevant to the participants they support.
• How unplanned absences are managed without dropping below the safe minimum ratio.

The strengthened Practice Standards place heightened emphasis on person-centred evidence — auditors want to see the ratio grounded in what each individual actually needs, not a blanket house policy.

How to build your staffing ratio document: step by step

1. Identify each participant's assessed support needs. Pull from the current NDIS plan, support needs assessment, and any behavioural support or complex needs documentation. Note peak-care tasks (morning routines, medication, transfers) that require a higher staffing ratio than general supervision periods.
2. Map shift types to those needs. Common shift types are: active night duty, sleepover, AM (typically 6 am – 2 pm), PM (2 pm – 10 pm), and weekend/public holiday. For each shift, record the minimum ratio needed to safely support the residents in that house at that time.
3. Conduct a risk assessment for low-ratio periods. If you run a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio overnight, you must demonstrate via risk assessment that this is safe for the specific combination of people living there. Document mitigating controls (intercom, alert systems, emergency protocols).
4. Cross-check against funding. Confirm that the ratio is actually funded in participant plans. Where a participant's plan does not fund the ratio your risk assessment requires, you have an obligation to raise this with the NDIA — document that communication.
5. Build the ratio into your roster template. Each shift row should record: shift type, site/house, minimum ratio, workers scheduled, and workers actually attended (completed retrospectively).
6. Record the review trigger and review date. Ratios must be reviewed when a participant's needs change, following a serious incident, or at minimum in line with plan review cycles.
7. File supporting evidence together. The ratio document should be stored alongside the support needs assessment, risk assessment, and relevant plan excerpts so an auditor can trace the decision in a single folder or document set.

SIL staffing ratio template — filled example

The following is a realistic, filled-in example for a four-person SIL house. Adapt it to your own setting, participant count, and assessed needs. This is illustrative only and does not constitute funded support advice.

Below the table, your document should include the following fields:

• Site address: [Insert]
• Date approved: [Insert]
• Approved by (role and name): [Insert]
• Supporting documents on file: Support needs assessment [ref], Risk assessment [ref], Participant plans [plan numbers], Behavioural support plans [ref if applicable]
• Next scheduled review: [Insert date — at minimum aligned with earliest plan review cycle]
• Version: [e.g., v1.2]

Common non-conformances to avoid

Based on the pattern of findings reported in NDIS Commission enforcement actions and audit outcomes, these are the mistakes providers most frequently make with SIL staffing ratios:

• Ratio decided by cost, not need. Auditors look for the assessment evidence first. If the trail leads only to budget conversations, not participant risk profiles, that is a non-conformance.
• No review after a serious incident. Serious incidents involving participant harm must trigger a review of whether staffing ratios contributed. Failure to document that review is a consistent finding.
• Roster records not retained. The planned ratio means little without completed timesheets or electronic roster records showing who actually worked. Retain these for the period required under your record-keeping obligations.
• Generic house policy applied to all residents. A blanket "1:3 for all PM shifts" policy without individual assessment is not sufficient under the strengthened standards.
• No contingency for unplanned absences. Your policy should state how the provider maintains the minimum ratio when a worker calls in sick — casual pool, on-call arrangements, or temporary ratio reduction with documented risk assessment sign-off.

Linking ratios to the NDIS Practice Standards

SIL staffing ratios sit at the intersection of several Practice Standard modules. Providers registered under the High Intensity Daily Personal Activities and/or Assistance with Daily Life support classes should map their ratio documentation to the Human Resources, Risk Management, and Service Delivery modules of the NDIS Practice Standards. The strengthened framework introduced in 2026 brings additional specificity around workforce capability evidence — which means your ratio document should link to worker competency records, not just headcount.

If you are building or reviewing your SIL compliance documentation suite, ndiscompliant.com.au offers a 136-document SIL compliance kit that includes pre-built ratio templates, risk assessment forms, and roster record formats aligned to the strengthened Practice Standards — a practical starting point if you are building these documents from scratch.