Practical in-home assistance that keeps routines steady and builds real independence — not dependence — over time.
Daily living support is hands-on assistance with the practical activities that make everyday life function — personal care, meal preparation, household management, appointments, and the dozens of small tasks that most people manage automatically but that can become significant obstacles for people with disability.
Under the NDIS, this support is funded through Core Supports — Assistance with Daily Life. It can cover both assistance (doing tasks with or for someone) and capacity building in a daily living context (coaching someone to do more tasks independently over time). The most effective daily living support does both — reducing immediate burden while consistently working toward less assistance being needed in the future.
Our support workers are matched to participants based on experience, communication style, and the specific activities required. We do not just send someone to tick boxes; we send people who understand the goal of building confidence and independence and who know how to support — not take over.
Support workers provide structured, goal-oriented daily living assistance that is reviewed regularly to match changing needs and build participant independence over time.
The most important distinction in daily living support is whether a support worker does a task for a participant, or supports the participant to do it themselves. Both are valid at different times, but the goal should always be moving toward the latter where possible.
Appropriate when fatigue, pain, or complexity makes participation unsafe or counterproductive — but should be the exception, not the default.
The long-term goal for most participants — reducing support hours needed by increasing participant capability and confidence over time.
Our support workers are trained to assess which approach is right in the moment and shift between them — responding to a participant's energy, mood, and progress rather than defaulting to doing everything regardless of capacity.
Every participant's support plan is different. This example shows how daily living support might be structured across a week for an adult participant focused on building independence in personal care and home management:
Support hours, days, and focus areas are set in the participant's service agreement and reviewed every 4–6 weeks to ensure they remain relevant and appropriately challenging.
Our support workers use a structured approach to progressively reduce the level of assistance needed for each task. This is called prompt fading — starting with more intensive support and systematically removing prompts as the participant's confidence and competence grow.
| Support Level | What the Worker Does | What the Participant Does | When It's Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Assistance | Completes task fully, participant watches and observes steps | Observes, asks questions, becomes familiar with the process | New tasks, complex procedures, low energy or high anxiety days |
| Physical Guidance | Guides participant's hands or body through the task | Performs the physical action with direct support | Motor skill tasks being learned for the first time |
| Verbal Prompting | Gives step-by-step verbal instructions throughout | Performs all actions independently, following verbal cues | Task is understood but sequencing or initiation is a barrier |
| Gestural Prompting | Uses pointing, nodding, or gestures as reminders | Initiates and performs most steps without verbal instruction | Building toward full independence; reducing verbal dependence |
| Minimal Prompt | Present in the room; available if needed | Completes the task independently; asks for help if needed | Well-learned tasks; monitoring safety and confidence |
| Independence | Not present; task complete before next support session | Completes task fully without any worker presence | Goal achieved — this task may be removed from the support plan |
Most participants move through four broad phases during their daily living support journey:
Weeks 1–2. Mapping current routines, identifying stress points and strengths, and setting realistic short-term goals with the participant.
Weeks 3–6. Introducing practical systems, checklists, and consistent routines. High support, building familiarity and confidence.
Ongoing. Active prompt fading across tasks. Participant leads more, worker supports less. Progress tracked against goals.
Every 4–6 weeks. Progress reviewed, goals updated, support hours adjusted. Tasks achieved become independent; new goals added.
Contact us directly or through your support coordinator. We confirm your NDIS plan includes Core Supports — Assistance with Daily Life funding, and identify how many hours are available and what the plan goals state.
A senior team member visits your home — with you and any relevant family members — to complete a baseline assessment. We map your current routines, identify what is working and what is not, and understand your goals and preferences for the support worker relationship.
We match you with a support worker based on your specific activities, communication preferences, personality, and any specialist requirements (e.g., experience with ASD, behaviour support plans, or specific physical care needs). You have input into this process.
A written service agreement confirms the hours, days, activities, rates, and cancellation policy. A separate support plan details the specific goals for each activity area and the current level of prompting being used.
Support sessions begin on the agreed schedule. Workers complete session notes after each visit, recording what was done, any concerns, and progress toward goals. These are available to you and your support coordinator.
Regular review sessions with you (and family or support coordinator where helpful) to assess progress, update goals, adjust support intensity, and address any concerns about the worker relationship or service delivery.
Worker greets participant, checks how they are feeling, notes any changes since the last session, and confirms the planned activities for today.
The session's main focus activity begins with the participant leading where possible. Worker provides the appropriate level of prompt based on the current phase.
Additional tasks on the day's plan are addressed — household tasks, organisation, preparation activities — balancing skill-building and assistance as needed.
At least one moment per session focused on teaching or reinforcing a specific skill — a new step in a task, a strategy for overcoming a barrier, or reviewing what worked last time.
Worker completes session notes before leaving — recording what was done, the participant's mood and engagement, any safety concerns, and progress toward goals.
Worker and participant briefly confirm what to practise independently before the next session and set the focus for the next visit.
Daily living support draws from Core Supports — the most flexible budget in most NDIS plans. Here is how it breaks down:
The primary funding category for in-home personal care, household assistance, meal preparation, and routine support. Charged at NDIS Price Guide rates (Standard weekday, evening, weekend, and public holiday rates apply depending on when support is delivered).
Core Supports budgets can generally be used flexibly across sub-categories (Daily Life, Community Participation, Transport) unless the plan specifies otherwise. This flexibility means daily living hours can sometimes be redirected to community activities when that better serves participant goals.
When an OT or other allied health professional provides capacity building within daily living contexts (e.g., teaching a specific ADL technique), this is funded under Capacity Building — not Core. Both can run simultaneously for the same participant.
Your support coordinator helps set up your service agreement, manage provider changes, handle issues with service delivery, and ensure your Core Supports hours are being used in alignment with your NDIS plan goals.
People living alone or with minimal informal support who need structured assistance to manage home routines safely and consistently.
Participants with physical disability, chronic illness, or fatigue conditions who need support with hygiene, dressing, or mobility through the day.
People with ABI, ASD, ADHD, or intellectual disability who struggle with sequencing, initiating tasks, or maintaining routines without structured support.
Young adults moving out of home or leaving school who are developing the daily living skills needed to live more independently.
People whose mental health significantly affects their ability to maintain personal care, household functioning, and daily routine during difficult periods.
Families where informal carers are managing daily living tasks and need formal support to reduce their load and maintain their own wellbeing.
Call or email. You can refer yourself or ask your support coordinator, GP, or OT to refer on your behalf.
We confirm your NDIS plan includes Core Supports funding and identify how many hours are available for daily living activities.
A team member visits to complete a baseline assessment and understand your goals, routine, and preferences.
We match you with a suitable support worker and arrange a meet-and-greet before regular sessions begin.
Written agreement signed, support plan established, and sessions scheduled at times that work for you.
Regular sessions start with your matched worker, notes recorded after each visit, and review scheduled at 4–6 weeks.
Yes — within the scope of what your NDIS plan funds under Core Supports — Assistance with Daily Life, you have significant say over which tasks are prioritised. We develop your support plan collaboratively and review it regularly. You can adjust focus areas at any review. There are limits — support workers cannot provide medical care, administer medication, or perform tasks that require clinical training. But within the broad scope of daily living, your goals and preferences guide the support.
We aim to provide consistent workers and will always try to assign a primary worker for your regular sessions. Consistency is important — it builds trust, reduces the cognitive load of re-explaining preferences every time, and allows the worker to track progress effectively. However, illness, leave, and workforce changes mean we cannot guarantee the same worker every session. When a different worker fills in, they receive a full briefing on your support plan and preferences before the session.
Daily living support is billed from your NDIS Core Supports budget at the rates specified in the current NDIS Price Guide. Standard weekday rates apply Monday to Friday during standard hours. Higher rates apply for evenings (after 8pm), Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays — these are set by the NDIS and apply across all providers. Your service agreement will specify the exact rates that apply to your support schedule. Your plan manager or support coordinator can advise on how many hours your budget covers.
Daily living support is hands-on practical assistance delivered by a support worker in your home — helping with actual tasks. Support coordination is a planning and management service where a coordinator helps you set up, manage, and review all your NDIS supports — including your daily living service agreement. They do different things. Most participants with regular daily living support also benefit from having a support coordinator to manage the administrative side, handle issues, and prepare for plan reviews.
It depends entirely on your goals and disability type. For some participants, the goal is to develop skills and reduce support hours over time — daily living support might be intensive for 6–12 months, then reduced as independence builds. For others with permanent, significant disability, ongoing daily living support is a long-term part of their care plan with goals focused on quality and safety rather than reduction. We never create unnecessary dependence, and our reviews always assess whether the current hours remain necessary — but we also never push participants toward independence faster than is safe or appropriate.
Yes — Core Supports budgets are generally flexible between sub-categories, meaning that support funded under Assistance with Daily Life can often be used for community activities where the activity relates to daily living goals (e.g., grocery shopping, attending an appointment, practising public transport). Activities primarily focused on social participation or recreation may draw from the Community Participation sub-category instead. Your support coordinator can advise on how your specific plan funding is structured and what flexibility is available.
All our support workers hold at minimum a Certificate III in Individual Support or equivalent, and have current NDIS Worker Screening Clearance, Working with Children Check (where relevant), and First Aid certification. Workers supporting participants with specific needs — behaviour support plans, complex physical care, or AAC use — receive additional training relevant to those contexts before beginning. We do not use workers who have not completed a relevant orientation and briefing on the participant's individual support plan.
If your needs increase significantly (e.g., after a hospitalisation, a significant health change, or a major life event), contact us immediately. We can often increase hours on short notice within your existing plan budget. If your current plan does not have sufficient funding for the increased need, we can help you document the change and support a request to the NDIS for an unscheduled plan review. Your support coordinator should also be informed as soon as possible — they can initiate the review process and advocate on your behalf.
Whether you need a few hours of assistance or a structured daily program, we will create support that actually fits your life.