Supported Independent Living for complex mental health and psychosocial disability in Melbourne.

It is the NDIS term for a disability that arises from a mental health condition. It describes the lasting effect on day-to-day life, such as managing self-care, a home, relationships, safety or routine, rather than the diagnosis. Not everyone with a mental illness has a psychosocial disability. To become a participant the effect must be significant and likely permanent, even though symptoms come and go.

Yes, often. The sooner the ward involves us the better: SIL funding needs evidence and NDIA approval, which takes time. We meet you on the ward, work with the social worker and your coordinator on the evidence, and get staff, housemates and the relapse plan ready for the discharge date. If approval will not arrive in time, medium-term accommodation can bridge the gap.

It means you set the goals and we support them, symptoms are only part of the picture, and setbacks are expected and planned for rather than punished. Staff talk with you about what a good day looks like, not just about risk. We measure progress by what you can do and how you feel about your life, and a relapse the plan was written to handle does not end a placement.

Residential rehabilitation and prevention and recovery care (PARC) units are clinical services run by the health system, usually for a fixed period. SIL is NDIS-funded disability support in an ordinary home, for as long as it is in your plan, with treatment continuing from your mental health service and GP. Many people come to SIL after a stay in one, and we work with them on the handover.

Yes. Mental illness alongside substance use is common among the people we support, and so is mental illness alongside intellectual disability or acquired brain injury. We ask about all of it openly, plan for all of it, and involve the drug and alcohol service or disability clinicians as well as the mental health team. We do not require abstinence, but we agree house rules that keep everyone safe.

Usually one or two other people with similar support needs, matched on age, gender, lifestyle and what each person wants from the home. You meet potential housemates before anything is agreed, and you can say no. A poor match undermines everyone's recovery, so we would rather wait for the right vacancy than fill one quickly. Individual arrangements are possible where your plan funds them.

Your relapse plan sets out early warning signs, what helps, and who to call. Staff follow it: more support, a call to your case manager or the crisis team, a GP review, and if needed an admission arranged with you rather than around you. Your room stays yours while you are in hospital. A relapse is not a reason to lose your placement.

As much as you want. With your consent we keep family informed, invite them to planning meetings and listen to what they know about your early warning signs, which is often more than any file. We also respect it when you want distance. Where family have been your only support for years, we talk with them about their role now that staff are in place.