Supported Independent Living (SIL) is an NDIS-funded service that provides assistance with daily tasks to help participants live independently while developing their skills. This type of support typically involves 24/7 care in shared housing environments with multiple participants.
Note: If you are invoicing using the weekly SIL code, we highly recommend using our new Recurring Billing feature instead of the complex rostering methods below.
Recurring Billing lets you set up fixed weekly charges automatically so you don't have to create placeholder shifts in the Scheduler.
SIL shifts require special consideration to ensure:
Proper care coverage for each client
Accurate billing and invoicing
Clean and clear rosters for staff and management
This full guide will cover:
SIL Setup: Preparation Before Rostering
Here are the steps to follow in preparation for rostering a SIL shift.
Set Up Necessary Price Books
You will need to create a No Charge price book, with prices set to 0. This price book will be used to roster staff without triggering an invoice to the client.
You'll also need to create a dedicated night rate price book that applies a flat 'night rate' no matter the time of day (used for sleepover shifts).
If you charge a flat rate to your clients, you will need to create a Fixed Price price book and assign that pricing to one of your shifts for the week.
Add a Dedicated SIL Staff Member
Create a No Access staff member that you can use as a placeholder for the invoicing shifts.
Give this staff member an easy-to-remember and functional name, such as "SIL No Access Staff" or "SIL Billing 1".
Create a SIL Invoicing Shift Type
Navigate to Account > Settings > Shift Types.
Create a new shift type (e.g., "SIL Invoicing") to tag SIL shifts for easy identification for invoicing.
Set Up Teams (Pro & Premium Plans Only)
Go to Staff > Teams > New.
Create a team named after your SIL facility.
Add staff who will work at that SIL location.
Assign the team to each client living in the facility.
Teams help group clients and staff by location for easier scheduling and filtering.
Add a Facility (Premium Plans Only)
Facilities are containers for grouping shifts under a shared physical location. This step is optional.
Navigate to Facilities in the sidebar menu.
Create a facility for your SIL house/centre.
Assign shifts to the facility when creating them.
Facilities allow better visibility and filtering of shifts across shared accommodations.
Creating SIL Shifts in the Scheduler
You will have to roster two sets of shifts for this purpose: one set for care coverage and the other for invoicing.
Rostering Shifts for Care Coverage
To ensure staff coverage and proper timesheet records:
Create individual shifts for each carer on duty, separated by time blocks.
Assign your No Charge price book to these shifts.
Include details such as facility, team, and all clients involved.
These shifts allow staff to clock in/out, add notes, and track care, without affecting invoices.
Here is an example of a 24-hour shift from 6 AM to 6 AM the following day. Separate shifts are created for each time block, with the no charge price book applied to all shifts:
6 AM to 8 AM
8 AM to 6 PM
6 PM to 10 PM
10 PM to 6 AM
Rostering Shifts for Invoicing
For each client, create a second shift dedicated to billing/invoicing:
Create a 24-hour shift (e.g. 6AM to 6 AM the next day) for each client.
Assign your placeholder no access staff member (e.g. SIL Billing 1).
Use 'Advanced Edit' to split the shift into time blocks.
Apply the correct price books to each block:
Morning: Night Rate (custom price book)
Day: Standard Day Rate
Evening: Night Rate (custom price book)
Sleepover: Sleepover Rate
Apply the appropriate funds and ratios to each time block as needed.
These shifts are for billing/invoicing purposes only. Label them with a custom shift type like "SIL Invoicing" for easy identification.
Here is the same 24-hour shift. The shift is split into appropriate time blocks, with the correct price book applied to each section:
6 AM to 8 AM: Night Rate (part of sleepover shift)
8 AM to 6 PM: Regular Day Rate
6 PM to 10 PM: Night Rate (part of sleepover shift)
10 PM to 6 AM: Sleepover Rate
Filtering and Managing SIL Rosters
Scheduler Filters
Filter by Facility
Filter by Shift Type (e.g., SIL Invoicing)
View by Staff or Client as needed
Practical Tips
Use placeholder staff names like "Z_SIL Billing" to push invoicing shifts to the bottom of the Scheduler.
Avoid clutter by separating billing/invoicing shifts from care shifts using Teams or Shift Types.
For further assistance with Rostering and Managing SIL Shifts, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare, or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.