Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

Delegates will gain a detailed understanding of how this legislation enhances the NDIS Commission’s regulatory powers and strengthens the integrity of SIL services.

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The presentation will cover:

• Expanded banning powers for auditors, consultants, and providers posing risks to participants.

• Strengthened civil and criminal penalties to support compliance enforcement.

• Anti-promotion and marketing measures to protect participants from predatory practices.

• Enhanced investigation and information-gathering powers to support effective oversight.

• Practical implications for SIL providers will be explored, including risk management strategies, operational adjustments, and embedding proactive compliance into daily service delivery.

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Outcome: Providers will leave with actionable guidance to strengthen safeguards, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, high-quality SIL operations.

The 2026 NDIS reform agenda announced by Mark Butler , marks a fundamental shift from a demand-driven scheme to a controlled, outcomes-based model…

​With the introduction of standardised functional assessments, tighter eligibility thresholds, and a planned transition toward commissioned SIL services from July 2028, the traditional SIL operating model is being reshaped in real time.

Growth is being deliberately constrained, high-cost supports are under intensified scrutiny, and funding is increasingly tied to demonstrable functional need and measurable outcomes.

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These reforms are expected to reduce participant inflows, recalibrate funding intensity, and shift individuals with lower needs into foundational or mainstream supports -placing pressure on occupancy, rostering models, and long-term service viability.

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At the same time, SIL providers must navigate increased audit activity, tighter plan management controls, and reduced flexibility in reassessments, all while maintaining quality, workforce stability, and participant outcomes.

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This session will take a system-level view of what the “SIL reset” truly means -exploring the transition from block-funded growth to commissioned service delivery, the evolving SIL–SDA interdependency, and the strategic decisions providers must make now to remain viable in a capped, compliance-driven market.

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Attendees will gain critical insight into how to reposition their services, manage funding risk, and adapt operating models in a future where SIL is no longer guaranteed—but earned through evidence, performance, and alignment with government priorities.

Q & A 

Morning tea 

This session provides SIL providers with an in-depth understanding of the framework and how it affects operational delivery.

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Key focus areas include:

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• Transition from functional impairment-based plans to support needs-focused planning.

• Integration of participant daily requirements into funding and support arrangements.

• Phased implementation guidance and organisational preparation strategies.

• Implications for SIL service delivery, staffing models, and rostering.

• Strategies for aligning operational planning with plan flexibility and budget allocations.

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Providers will leave with clear strategies to adapt operations, align staffing and service delivery, and ensure seamless integration with new planning processes.

With new SIL Practice Standards and increased NDIS Commission enforcement, providers face elevated expectations in governance, workforce capability, and operational compliance.

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This session will cover:

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• The upcoming SIL Practice Standards: participant-centred, human-rights aligned, and workforce-focused.

• Enforcement trends, including corrective actions, registration reviews, and banning orders.

• Strategies for integrating compliance into daily operations, including governance and reporting frameworks.

• Practical approaches for mitigating regulatory risks while maintaining service quality.​

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Panel and Q & A  

Lunch 

As SDA vacancies continue to present challenges for providers and investors across Australia, many SIL operators are increasingly adopting head lease models to activate underutilised housing stock and scale Supported Independent Living services more efficiently.
Under a head lease arrangement, SIL providers lease properties directly from SDA owners, developers, or private landlords, and then deliver and manage participant supports within those homes. This approach is being used to reduce vacancy exposure, improve participant matching, and expand SIL capacity without the significant capital requirements associated with property ownership.

Across the sector, there is a clear move toward more agile housing solutions that enable providers to maintain continuity of care, facilitate faster participant placement while funding approvals are finalised, and reduce the risk of housing instability for some of the most vulnerable participants in the system.

The session will also examine the increasing preference among participants and families for SIL arrangements outside traditional SDA settings, particularly where individuals do not meet SDA eligibility criteria but still require high levels of daily support.

Recent sector analysis and discussion further highlight growing concerns around SDA oversupply, underutilised assets, and the need for more sustainable occupancy strategies that better align housing supply with actual participant demand and operational realities across the market.

This session steps back from individual dispute processes to examine the broader redesign of review, planning, and funding governance mechanisms across the NDIS in 2026, including SIL, SDA, and related disability support services.

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As the system transitions from traditional external merits review pathways toward more structured internal decision-making and the reconfigured Administrative Review Tribunal framework, providers are increasingly required to operate within a more staged, rules-based funding environment.

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Rather than focusing on individual appeal cases, this session explores how system architecture is changing the way disputes, funding certainty, and service continuity are managed at a structural level.

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Key Considerations include:

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• The changing role of Tribunal review within a more structured planning and staged funding environment

• How internal review pathways and decision frameworks are reshaping escalation points and dispute resolution strategy

• The impact of reform on SIL and SDA service continuity, particularly under staged or reassessed funding models

• Provider governance challenges in managing contested or transitioning plans across multiple support types

• Downstream implications for cashflow stability, workforce planning, accommodation viability, and organisational risk

• Strategic Focus

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This session shifts the conversation from individual advocacy and appeals to system-level governance, planning design, and provider strategy under reform conditions.

Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs) have become a critical gateway in the NDIS housing and support ecosystem -but in 2026 they are increasingly acting as a system bottleneck rather than a seamless planning tool, particularly across South Australia’s SIL and SDA markets.

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In Adelaide and surrounding regions, providers are experiencing growing delays in the completion of assessments, driven by allied health workforce shortages, rising demand for complex NDIS participants, and increasing administrative burden on clinicians. These delays are now directly impacting SIL admissions, SDA vacancy rates, and hospital discharge pathways, creating flow-on effects across the entire housing continuum.

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At the same time, the quality and consistency of functional evidence is highly variable. Incomplete or poorly structured FCAs are leading to funding mismatches, plan rework, and extended approval timeframes, increasing operational pressure on SIL providers and reducing system efficiency at a time when demand for supported housing is rising.

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Compounding this, upcoming NDIS reforms are shifting toward more standardised and structured assessment frameworks, reducing flexibility in how functional evidence is interpreted and increasing the importance of upfront accuracy and alignment between clinicians, providers, and planners.

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This session will explore how FCA delays and evidence gaps are no longer isolated clinical issues, but structural challenges affecting:

• SIL vacancy management and admission flow

• SDA occupancy and participant matching hospital discharge and transitional housing coordination

• Funding accuracy and support intensity planning

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Attendees will gain practical insights into how providers can better align assessment processes, improve cross-sector communication, and reduce avoidable delays in participant pathways.

The session will also outline emerging opportunities to strengthen collaboration between SIL providers, allied health professionals, and SDA stakeholders to improve system flow and participant outcomes.

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As Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers continue expanding within Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) environments, operators are facing increasing pressure to balance participant outcomes, compliance obligations, financial sustainability, and occupancy performance.
This session explores the operational and commercial foundations required to successfully scale SIL services within SDA housing models.

Topics include:
•    Structuring effective partnership agreements between SIL providers, SDA owners, and developers 
•    Understanding lease arrangements, head lease models, and operational responsibilities 
•    Governance structures that support sustainable growth and compliance 
•    Managing participant service agreements and safeguarding operational risk 
•    Financial reporting obligations, including ACNC considerations for not-for-profit providers 
•    Insurance, maintenance responsibilities, and property risk management 
•    Strategies to reduce SDA vacancy periods and improve participant matching outcomes 
•    Building provider credibility through references, industry memberships, and operational transparency 
•    Planning for participant compatibility, support complexity, and long-term tenancy sustainability 

Designed for SIL providers, SDA operators, investors, developers, support coordinators, and executive leaders, this session provides practical insight into building scalable, compliant, and financially resilient SIL operations within Australia’s evolving SDA landscape.

Q & A and Panel 

Networking and Depart