The intricate landscape of the NDIS Supported Independent Living (SIL) continues to present complex challenges for many disability providers. Since the inception of the Roster of Care (RoC) Tool, dealing with non-compliance, financial uncertainty and the dynamics of a participants care program are prevalent across the industry.

Unpacking the Roster of Care Tool

In any conversation around SIL, the RoC Tool inevitably emerges as a central topic. Conceptualised by the NDIS, the RoC Tool was intended as a quoting mechanism to ascertain an individual’s contribution in a group support model. With the mammoth task of transitioning thousands of individuals from a block or grant funding model, the RoC Tool was a pragmatic approach to supporting SIL providers. By facilitating multiple quotes for SIL funding per household and allowing for NDIS to tweak and fine-tune them, it helped to streamline the transition.

Fundamentally, the RoC Tool is a user-centric, bespoke Excel spreadsheet for NDIS SIL Providers – built-in formulas designed to generate quotes for NDIS participants transitioning to SIL. Importantly, the RoC was primarily envisioned as a concise quoting aid for the broader approval process. The complexities of whether these quotes would be approved or require post-approval adjustments were unknown challenges that disability providers faced during the early stages of the Scheme’s introduction.

The Initial Phase: Adaptation and Assumptions

During the initial roll out of SIL, the areas of concern in the RoC Tool were not evident. Providers grappled with one of Australia’s most monumental overhauls in disability support, and amidst the tumult, the Tool’s shortcomings were easily overlooked.

On a singular level, the RoC Tool is quite effective at coming up with a quote for services for an individual who requires a mixture of support. However, once you begin using the RoC Tool at a collective level, the major shortfalls emerge, becoming increasingly obvious to industry professionals how a separate, robust process is required to manage the complexity of SIL services.

Long-term SIL service providers may recall [as part of the SIL approval process] being a recipient of a “Recommended Amended” Rosters of Care. The effort required to retrofit these together, can be likened to combining 3 separate puzzles into one. With these issues inherent since the inception of the RoC Tool, no effective change has come about to support and better enable SIL providers.

Additionally, misuse of the Tool led to many non-compliances and incorrect care delivery, as well as a miss-understanding of the requirements for a SIL participant’s RoC to transition them into their services. These and other misconceptions began to spread, creating poor practices and laid the foundation for many of the problems providers face today. In particular, the gaps aligning what a person is funded for on an individual level versus the support they receive on a group level.

Current Day Challenges – The Mismatch Dilemma

The fundamental question posed to providers is:

How do you design a group model of support that’s based on the individuals’ circumstances?

Further reform and new trial approaches in Home and Living demonstration projects are likely to continue as improvement options; however attention should be focused on designing innovative, practical solutions to address real world scenarios providers and SIL participants face daily.

Over the years, the Tool’s structural issues have become increasingly apparent:

• Static Nature of RoC: The rigid nature of the RoC Tool, doesn’t account for the dynamic needs and changes that often occur within the SIL community.

• Lack of Customisation: Each SIL participant comes with their goals and needs. The RoC often struggles to cater to this diversity, attempting to fit participants into predefined categories creating an inflexible approach to delivering person-centred care..

• Complexity in Managing Budgets: The RoC Tool often falls short when it comes to seamlessly managing diverse budgets, leading to disparities in resource allocation.

• Inefficiencies in Roster Creation: Crafting a working roster that truly serves the diverse needs of participants is a challenge the RoC hasn’t fully addressed.

• Individual Funding: As every SIL participant’s funding is individualised, providers are faced with aligning the disparate rosters of care into one group roster of care.

Using the RoC Tool for shared support amplifies its shortcomings, especially in dynamic scenarios where participant presence or budget disparities affect service delivery.

Consider a “1:3” ratio SIL home – if two participants are away, and one is home, how is the support cost managed? Charging for a 1:1 support in a situation where the participant isn’t at fault for being the only one home can swiftly deplete their budget.

Example of a 1:3 ratio SIL home

This common problem played out in larger scenarios only increases in complexity. As a result, the limitations of the Tool are reached. The static, spreadsheet-based model isn’t designed for the dynamism and specificity of care required across multiple individuals living in supported accommodation .

A Sustainable Future Beyond Simple Fixes

Archiving the RoC Tool, devising an independent quoting system, or even purchasing generic staff rostering software, may seem tempting in the hope of a magic fix. But these are likely to create more problems and lead to greater disparity in managing SIL and a participant’s personalised roster of care.

Contrary to common belief, we have seen firsthand that vacancy costs aren’t the primary culprits inducing financial strain in SIL delivery. It’s far more complex and requires a deeper understanding of ratio analysis for group funding, individual care circumstances and rosters of care.

You may think that the future of SIL looks pretty bleak and wondering whether there is anything that can be done to solve these problems.

The answer is yes! That’s where we can help.

At Resolv, we guide you seamlessly through these intricacies. Based on our industry expertise and experience in navigating the RoC Tool, we have identified its gaps and crafted tailored solutions that enable better outcomes for SIL providers and their clients.

The Road Ahead

Envision a future where your SIL process aligns seamlessly with the unique operations of your organisation; from client intake to funding management and claiming. A solution that spares you CRM overhauls or multiple software changes. An approach that adjusts to your participants and walks alongside you in seeking person-centred care programs for your clients. A partnership where you’re always in the know, from financial variances to actionable insights, whilst giving you the time to concentrate on delivering high quality care.

Whether you’re a SIL provider beginning your journey in delivering support or you’ve been in the industry since the inception of the NDIS, we’re here to help solve your SIL challenges.

Visit our website www.resolv.com.au to find out how you can set a new path to enable better outcomes for your NDIS business.