Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

From 1 July 2026, all Supported Independent Living providers, including traditional service providers, digital platforms, and third-party workforce marketplaces, will be subject to mandatory registration and enhanced regulatory oversight under the NDIS.

This session provides an in-depth examination of these changes, outlining the implications for governance, compliance, workforce management, and service delivery.

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Delegates will gain clarity on which providers must register, the obligations that apply, and strategies to integrate workforce marketplaces while ensuring participant safety, quality outcomes, and operational continuity.

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Key Topics Covered

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Mandatory Registration Requirements
Understanding who must register — traditional SIL providers, platform-based services, and third-party workforce models 

Governance, Compliance & Operational Obligations
Aligning organisational policies, risk management, and reporting frameworks with the updated SIL regulatory environment.

Workforce Management & Supervision
Best practice strategies for rostering, supervision, and accountability when employing digital platforms, labour-hire arrangements, or contractor-based models.

Participant Safety & Quality Standards
Implementing SIL Practice Standards in multi-provider and platform-based environments to maintain high-quality, safe supports.

Transition Strategies for Unregistered Providers
Practical approaches for smaller or previously unregistered providers to achieve compliance and sustain operations within the new regulatory landscape.

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Outcomes for Attendees

• Delegates will leave with actionable guidance to:

• Navigate mandatory registration and platform obligations.

• Implement robust governance frameworks for compliance and risk mitigation.

• Deliver safe, high-quality SIL services using diverse workforce models.

• Protect participant outcomes while adapting operations for 2026 SIL reforms.

This session provides an in-depth examination of the mandatory independent audit requirements for all SIL providers and their implications for operational compliance and quality assurance.

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Delegates will explore the key areas auditors will examine, understand the risks of non-compliance, and learn how to implement systems to meet rigorous audit standards.

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Topics covered include:

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• Preparing for regular, third-party independent audits and inspection processes.

• Key audit focus areas: safety, service delivery, participant outcomes, and documentation.

• Risk management strategies to address gaps and strengthen internal controls.

• Integrating continuous quality improvement practices into daily operations.

• Aligning operational practices with national regulatory standards.

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Outcomes for Attendees:
Providers will leave with practical strategies to prepare for audits, embed quality assurance processes, and demonstrate compliance with the 2026 NDIS SIL requirements.

Q & A with panel 

Morning tea 

This session provides an in-depth examination of the PACE IT system and the transition to participant-nominated “My Provider” arrangements, and their implications for SIL providers in 2026.

Delegates will explore the operational, financial, and governance implications of this shift, and understand strategies to ensure seamless service continuity.

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Topics covered include:

• Overview of the PACE IT system and participant-nominated provider arrangements.

• Changes to payment processes and accountability requirements.

• Impacts on service planning, scheduling, and operational workflows.

• Supporting participants to exercise choice while maintaining organisational compliance.

• Aligning systems, staff, and governance frameworks with PACE requirements.

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Outcomes for Attendees:
Providers will leave with actionable strategies to manage the transition to PACE, ensure participant choice is respected, and maintain compliant, high-quality SIL service delivery.

This session provides an in-depth examination of the NDIS Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Bill 2025 and its implications for SIL providers in 2026.

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The presentation focuses on the macro-level regulatory context, exploring how legislative changes translate into sector-wide compliance expectations.

Attendees will examine the Bill’s key provisions, understand the risks of non-compliance, and consider strategic responses to embed proactive safeguards into organisational governance and operations.

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Topics covered include:

• Expanded banning powers for providers, auditors, and consultants 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, including risk management strategies and operational adjustments to align with 2026 requirements.

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Outcomes for Attendees:
Providers will leave with actionable guidance to strengthen organisational safeguards, ensure regulatory compliance, and implement proactive, high-level strategies to maintain safe and high-quality SIL operations under the 2026 reforms.

From mid-2026, the NDIA will implement a new planning framework designed to enhance transparency, simplify planning, and focus on Participant support needs.

This session provides SIL providers with operational strategies to integrate these changes effectively.

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Topics covered include:

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

• Integrating Participant daily requirements into funding and support arrangements.

• Phased implementation guidance and organisational preparation strategies.

• Aligning SIL service delivery, staffing, and rostering with the new planning framework.

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Outcomes for Attendees:
Providers will gain clear strategies to adapt operations, align staffing, and integrate support plans, ensuring seamless transitions under the new 2026 planning framework.

This session provides a practical, operational focus on how SIL providers can meet strengthened regulatory expectations in daily service delivery. With the 2026 SIL Practice Standards in effect, the NDIS Commission is increasingly focused on incident identification, reporting, escalation, and governance oversight, particularly in shared living environments.

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Attendees will explore how these regulatory expectations translate into frontline practice, learning how to manage restrictive practices, behaviours of concern, psychosocial hazards, and cumulative risk while embedding robust governance and compliance processes.

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Topics covered include:

• Understanding evolving regulatory expectations for incident management in SIL.

• Identifying, reporting, and escalating incidents effectively in shared living settings.

• Managing restrictive practices, psychosocial hazards, and behaviours of concern.

• Strengthening governance oversight and executive accountability for incident response.

Audience Q & A and Panel 

Lunch 

This session provides an in-depth analysis of workforce requirements under the 2026 regulatory framework. Providers will learn how to embed compliance, competency, and safety into daily operations.

Topics include:

• Mandatory worker screening, including national criminal history checks.

• Competency-based training for staff in shared living settings.

• Workforce planning for high-risk environments.

• Ongoing professional development and governance oversight.

Outcome: Providers will leave with actionable strategies to maintain a skilled, compliant, and capable workforce.

As SIL providers continue to operate in an increasingly competitive and cost constrained environment, the growing impact of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award has become one of the most significant workforce and financial challenges facing the sector. With wage rates rising, minimum conditions tightening, and compliance scrutiny intensifying, providers must understand how SCHADS requirements intersect with funded SIL models and shape service viability.

This session will unpack the complex relationship between the SCHADS Award and SIL operations in 2026, exploring how:
•    Award wage increases and conditions directly influence staffing costs and care models within SIL services.
•    Participant ratios and rostering models translate into real labour expenses, and why funded SIL amounts often lag behind true workforce costs.
•    Compliance expectations under the SCHADS Award (including penalty rates, overtime, leave entitlements and mandatory qualifications) increase operational risk for providers.
•    Financial viability challenges emerge when funding allocations are misaligned with weighted wage burdens — and how this can threaten service continuity or quality.
•    Risk mitigation strategies can protect both participants and providers, including contract design, rostering optimisation, workforce planning, and transparent financial modelling.

Delegates will gain practical insights into how to proactively plan for workforce sustainability, balance award compliance with NDIS funding realities, and safeguard service quality and participant outcomes amid changing workforce expectations. This session is essential for SIL managers, finance and operations leaders, HR professionals, and policy advisors aiming to strengthen their organisational resilience in 2026 and beyond.

Afternoon Tea 

In 2026, Supported Independent Living  and Specialist Disability Accommodation  providers in Sydney and across NSW are navigating a period of significant structural change.

While traditional group homes continue to operate, national policy, regulatory guidance, and NDIS funding frameworks are increasingly encouraging a transition away from large shared living settings toward smaller, more flexible, community-integrated housing options.

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A key element of this reform is the management of legacy SDA stock. Legacy dwellings—typically older group homes housing 6–11+ residents—are gradually being phased out through time-limited SDA payments under the NDIS pricing framework.

While Participants are not being forced to move solely due to legacy status, providers are required to plan for redevelopment or alignment with modern SDA Design Standards.

This ensures that housing meets current accessibility, safety, and participant-centred expectations.

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This session examines how these reforms affect SIL and SDA providers, focusing on operational, strategic, and financial implications of phasing down legacy group homes and moving toward modern, participant-centred housing solutions.

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Key Areas covered

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Policy and Funding Signals
Understanding Royal Commission recommendations and NDIS pricing rules that reduce reliance on large group homes and incentivize modern, smaller-scale SDA developments.

Impacts on SIL Providers
How legacy and non-preferred SDA housing affects participant placement, support delivery, revenue stability, and workforce planning. Challenges arise when participants remain on SIL packages without suitable SDA housing.

Quality, Compliance, and Governance
Regulatory expectations now emphasize separation of housing and support, increased compliance, and stronger governance. SIL providers must adapt operations, particularly when working in or alongside legacy group homes.

Strategic Planning for the Transition
Practical approaches for aligning SIL services with compliant SDA dwellings, reconfiguring support models, and improving participant matching to reduce vacancies and ensure continuity of care.

Future-Focused Opportunities
Leveraging policy and funding signals to modernize housing stock, enhance participant outcomes, and position organisations for long-term sustainability in a rapidly evolving sector.

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Outcome for Attendees:
Delegates will gain a clear understanding of how group home reforms and legacy SDA phase-out are reshaping SIL and SDA operations in NSW, along with actionable strategies to manage risk, optimise support delivery, and plan strategically for a participant-centred future.

Across NSW, prolonged hospital stays for people with disability and complex mental health needs are placing increasing pressure on acute health services, contributing to bed block, delayed discharges, and escalating system costs

. At the same time, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers are experiencing persistent vacancies, revealing a critical disconnect between hospital discharge pathways, NDIS planning processes, housing availability, and support readiness.

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This session examines the structural, operational, and policy barriers preventing timely transitions from hospital to appropriate SDA and SIL environments. It explores how delays in NDIS decision-making, funding approvals, support coordination, and service matching are resulting in participants remaining in hospital settings despite the availability of suitable housing and supports.

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With a strong NSW focus, the session will also consider the impact of workforce shortages, risk aversion, interface gaps between Health and Disability systems, and limited early engagement between hospitals, SIL providers, and SDA developers.

Particular attention will be given to individuals with psychosocial disability and complex behaviours of concern, for whom the lack of coordinated housing and support pathways often leads to extended hospitalisation.

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Key discussion areas include:

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• Why people remain in hospital despite available SDA and SIL vacancies

• The impact of delayed discharge on hospitals, participants, providers, and investors

• NDIS planning, funding, and decision-making challenges affecting hospital-to-home transitions

• SIL readiness, risk management, and support alignment for complex participants

• SDA suitability, location, and design considerations impacting discharge outcomes

• Mental health interfaces and the absence of integrated housing pathways

• Opportunities for earlier collaboration between hospitals, SDA providers, SIL providers, and planners

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Outcome:
Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how misalignment across Health, NDIS planning, SDA supply, and SIL service delivery is driving both hospital bed block and housing vacancies in NSW. The session will highlight practical, cross-sector strategies to strengthen hospital-to-home pathways, reduce system inefficiencies, improve participant outcomes, and better utilise existing SDA and SIL capacity.

Audience Q & and Panel 

Networking and Depart