For many people with disability, eating safely and well takes planning, the right preparation and help on the day. Supported Independent Living (SIL) can include that help. This guide covers NDIS meal preparation support in SIL, what SIL and the NDIS do not pay for, where dietitians and speech pathologists fit, and how to approach SIL providers.
What SIL is
SIL is funding for a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with help for at least 8 of those hours. It is for participants with high support needs. Since 1 July 2026, SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission, and only providers that were registered or had applied before 1 October 2026 can keep delivering SIL. The NDIA explains the support on its SIL page, and the Commission covers mandatory registration.
SIL is often confused with Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). SIL is the support, while SDA is the housing. SDA does not include personal care or SIL, so if you have both, they are separate arrangements. The Provider24 guide to Specialist Disability Accommodation covers the housing side.
What SIL can help with at mealtimes
Complex dietary needs might come from a disability that affects swallowing, a condition that needs a set diet, allergies, or a mix of these alongside other daily support needs. Managing them is more than avoiding certain foods. In a SIL arrangement, support workers can help in six practical ways.
1. Meal planning
Support workers can help you plan meals that follow your dietary requirements and your preferences, for example finding other ways to add flavour when salt has to be limited.
2. Food preparation and cooking
Some diets need particular preparation methods, separate equipment or care to avoid cross-contamination. Support workers can help you prepare and cook food the way your mealtime plan sets out.
3. Shopping
Support workers can help you write a shopping list, go to the shops with you and find items that are harder to track down. The help is funded; the food is not (see below).
4. Building your own skills
Where it is one of your goals, support workers can help you learn to read food labels, follow food safety practices and make your own food choices, so you can do more of it yourself over time.
5. Noticing changes
Needs and preferences change. Support workers who see you every day are well placed to notice when something about eating or drinking is different and to raise it with you and the people who support your health.
6. Working with your other supports
If you work with a dietitian or a speech pathologist, SIL support workers can follow the plans they write, so mealtime support at home matches the advice you have been given.
What SIL and the NDIS do not pay for
SIL cannot be used for rent or day-to-day expenses such as groceries. More broadly, the NDIS Supports Transitional Rules 2024 say groceries, including all food, beverage, cleaning, household and health products, are generally not NDIS supports.
What can be funded is the support around food. Development of daily care and life skills, including meal preparation and shopping, is on the list of NDIS supports. Meal preparation and delivery support may be funded where the cost of the food itself is kept separate. In short, the NDIS can pay for help with meals, but you pay for what goes on the plate.
Dietitians, swallowing and mealtime plans
A support worker helps carry out a mealtime plan. Writing it is a job for qualified professionals.
- Dietitians. Dietitian support is usually funded under Improved health and wellbeing, a capacity building category.
- Swallowing and nutrition. Disability-related health supports, including those for dysphagia and nutrition, are NDIS supports. NDIS mealtime management can involve a speech pathologist assessing swallowing and writing a plan your support workers follow.
The Provider24 guide to NDIS funding for speech therapy explains how swallowing therapy is funded. You can also compare providers in the dietitian category.
Getting SIL in your plan and choosing a provider
SIL has to be in your plan before a provider can deliver it. Start with your my NDIS contact, and if you have a support coordinator, ask them to help you look at providers. The Government has also consulted on how SIL is arranged for participants who need 24/7 support; that consultation closed on 13 September 2026, so check ndis.gov.au for the current position.
When you compare SIL providers, ask about mealtimes directly:
- Do your support workers have experience with diets like mine, or with mealtime plans for swallowing difficulty?
- How will you follow the plans my dietitian or speech pathologist writes?
- How will meal planning, cooking and shopping be set out in my support plan?
- How do I give feedback or ask for changes if something is not working?
- Can you confirm your registration with the NDIS Commission?
Provider24 lists SIL providers, and NDIS accommodation listings sit separately under accommodation.
You can compare SIL providers on Provider24 by state and ask each one how they support mealtimes before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
What does SIL mean in the NDIS?
SIL stands for Supported Independent Living. It funds a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with help for at least 8 of those hours.
What is the difference between SIL and SDA?
SIL is support from workers in your home. SDA, or Specialist Disability Accommodation, is housing for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA does not include SIL, so the two are arranged and funded separately.
Am I eligible for SIL support?
SIL is for NDIS participants with high support needs who need help or supervision across the day and night. A dietary condition on its own is not a reason for SIL. Your my NDIS contact can explain whether it could be considered for your plan.
Does SIL funding pay for food?
No. SIL cannot be used for groceries or other day-to-day expenses, and food is generally not an NDIS support. SIL can fund the support worker who helps you plan, shop for and prepare meals.
Last updated October 2026.
General information, not advice. NDIS rules are changing on a published timeline, so check ndis.gov.au or speak with your my NDIS contact about your own plan.