Step 1: Understand your responsibilities
Onsite shared support (OSS) is unplanned support for participants who live alone in specialist disability accommodation (SDA) apartments.
Onsite overnight assistance (OOA) space must be available
An onsite overnight assistance (OOA) apartment must be available so OSS workers can be onsite and available when needed.
We pay SDA providers to supply an OOA apartment. This amount is for the expected costs of maintenance, property and tenancy management. SDA providers can’t charge rent for using the OOA.
As an OSS provider, you need an agreement with the SDA provider so you can use the OOA apartment.
This agreement should make clear that you must:
- pay utility bills when using the OOA apartment
- pay for damage that goes beyond normal wear and tear
- not use the OOA as a business’ headquarters, office or other administrative space.
The OOA apartment may be used by assistance with daily living (ADL) providers with the SDA provider’s agreement. This is because the SDA and OOA apartments are their property. We recommend that the SDA provider consults with you when giving their consent.
The agreement will need to be changed if another provider is going to use the OOA apartment as well.
The SDA provider will also need to make sure they don’t stop OSS or other providers from accessing the OOA or a participant’s apartment to provide support. This may be a breach of Section 37 of the SDA rules .
Participant numbers
OSS pricing is based on providing support to 10 participants. Each SDA site will have different needs and requirements. It’s important to work out how many participants you need for your OSS arrangement to be viable.
The NDIS pricing schedule has information about what we consider to be the appropriate and reasonable maximum prices for all NDIS supports.
Multiple sites
You can provide OSS at multiple SDA sites. However, you must make sure there’s always an OSS worker at each site.
Participants can only share an OSS worker within the same apartment building. One OSS worker can’t support multiple sites at the same time.
Step 2: Get ready to provide the support
Space, participants and workers
As an OSS provider, you need to have the space and enough participants and workers to support an OSS arrangement.
Participants can use OSS funding for this support. They can also use their core and home and living funding flexibly to get OSS support, even if they’re not eligible for OSS funding.
Working with other providers
Participants with SDA and OSS may have multiple providers supporting them. It can be helpful to consider these relationships when you talk with participants. This’ll help you give participants clear information and manage expectations about what each provider offers and how OSS will be delivered.
Service agreements
Service agreements help set expectations and make sure supports are delivered correctly. We recommend you have a service agreement with each participant.
Learn how to make a service agreement.
Step 3: Onboard with the participant
A clear and established onboarding process is important to help participants feel confident and informed. This process should include:
- discussions about the support that can be provided
- how the participant can contact the OSS worker
- the wait times they might expect.
It’s important to know participants can choose to change OSS providers if they experience issues. All participants getting OSS support in the apartment building will have to agree to the change.
Emergency plan
We strongly encourage participants to have an emergency plan in place. You should ask them to talk to you about it.
You should also remind them that OSS cannot provide emergency services. The participant should call triple zero (000).
Step 4: Claim for supports
OSS pricing is based on the support being shared among up to 10 people.
OSS is funded as a weekly amount. Use the (01_066_0115_1_1) support item number to claim OSS services.
You must be a registered provider to claim if a participant’s funding is NDIA-managed. NDIA-managed participants will also need to record you as a my provider.