NDIS Documentation for SIL Accommodation: The Per-House Checklist

Most providers we've worked with come into the on-site audit thinking the documentation work is done. The corporate policy manual is the polished artefact — version-controlled, Practice-Standard-cited, sitting in a binder on the office shelf. Then the auditor walks into the SIL house at 10am, opens the medication trolley, and asks for the current MAR book. If the MAR is the same template that's in the corporate manual rather than a filled-in operational record, the auditor flags a non-conformance on the spot.

The on-site visit is where policies meet practice. Per-house documentation is the operational record that proves the policy was actually implemented. For the cornerstone view of where each kit document sits in the audit architecture, see our SIL audit survival guide. This article zooms specifically into the documentation that lives at the house itself.

Why per-house documentation is different from the corporate manual

The corporate policy manual answers the question "how does this organisation operate?" The per-house documentation answers a different question: "is this particular house operating that way today?"

That difference matters because the certification audit checks both. The desktop review tests the manual. The on-site visit tests the house. If you operate three SIL houses, you need three sets of per-house documentation — and the auditor will spot-check at least one of them. Generic site-agnostic documentation that doesn't reflect this specific address, this specific cohort of participants, and this specific staff team is the most common on-site finding.

The on-site SIL house folder: 8 sections

Most providers we work with maintain a master on-site folder at each SIL house, indexed and accessible to support workers on every shift. The 8 sections we use are:

Section 8 is where the corporate manual meets the operational record. Some providers keep the full manual at each house; we prefer house-relevant excerpts to keep the binder navigable for support workers at 11pm. Both work; the auditor checks that the relevant policies are accessible to the staff who need them.

Participant files: what each one must contain

Each participant in the SIL house has their own file. Auditors will pick at least one participant file during the on-site visit and read it cover to cover. Every file must contain:

• Signed SIL Service Agreement (current, dated, both parties signed)
• Individual support plan (current, reviewed within last 12 months)
• Participant rights statement (signed acknowledgement)
• Consent forms (information sharing, photography if relevant, treatment if relevant)
• Risk assessment specific to this participant
• Behaviour support plan if applicable (with current restrictive practice authorisation if relevant)
• Emergency contacts and medical information
• Goal-linked progress notes from the last 3-6 months
• Plan review records (annual or as required)
• Incident records (if any) with linkage to the house-level incident register

The most-flagged finding here is "template support plans not individualised" — the plan is the kit template with the participant's name added but nothing else. Each support plan must reflect this participant's actual goals, actual support arrangements, and actual risk profile. Our participant support plan template guide walks through what individualised actually looks like.

Live operational registers at the house

Some registers belong to the corporate manual (governance-level: organisation-wide incident, complaint, worker screening, training, risk, CI registers). Others are house-level operational records:

The Participant Money Register is one auditors check carefully — they will sample petty-cash balances against the recorded transactions. Discrepancies of even small amounts trigger detailed investigation. Our participant money policy guide covers the reconciliation discipline auditors expect.

Emergency, evacuation, and safety documentation

This is the area Paperbark NDIS and other industry sources consistently flag as the most-failed on-site documentation cluster. Each SIL house must hold:

• Site-specific fire safety and evacuation plan (with floor plan, exit routes, assembly point)
• Per-participant evacuation needs assessment (mobility, communication, comprehension)
• Fire drill records (typically twice yearly at minimum, with participant participation)
• Smoke alarm inspection records
• Fire extinguisher / fire blanket inspection records (annually by certified inspector)
• Emergency contact list (police, ambulance, NDIS Commission notification line, on-call manager)
• Site-specific hazard register
• House safety inspection schedule (we use the 20-item SIL House Safety Inspection Checklist quarterly)

The most common finding is "evacuation plan exists but doesn't reflect the actual building." A plan dated 2023 referring to a property the provider no longer operates from is an instant non-conformance. Our emergency management policy guide covers what the site-specific plan must include.

Medication documentation: MAR books and PRN protocols

Auditors open the medication trolley. They check that:

• Each participant has a current MAR sheet (Medication Administration Record) showing prescribed medications, doses, administration times, and a column for each administration with staff initials and signatures.
• The MAR sheet matches the medications in the trolley. No medication in the trolley that isn't on the MAR; no MAR entry without the corresponding medication present.
• PRN (as-needed) medications have a protocol — when each PRN can be given, by whom, with what observations, and what follow-up is required.
• Medication errors are recorded in a medication error log and linked to the incident register.
• Schedule 8 medications (if applicable) have additional controlled-drug register entries with two-person witnessing.

The MAR is one of the most common audit failure points. The fix is operational: print fresh MAR sheets weekly, have a designated medication officer per shift, and audit the MAR against the actual medications quarterly. Our medication management policy guide and MAR guide walk through both sides.

Shift-by-shift records: handover, progress notes, sleepover logs

Auditors sample shift records. They want to see:

• Handover record at the start and end of each shift — incoming/outgoing worker, key events from the previous shift, anything pending.
• Progress notes per participant per shift, written in NDIS-compliant language (factual, goal-linked, non-judgemental).
• Sleepover register if applicable — overnight worker name, active vs sleep cycles, any wake-ups.
• Communication book — running log for general house notes, family communication summaries, GP appointments.

Progress notes are the auditor's window into your shift-by-shift practice. Subjective language ("had a good day"), missing goal links, late entries (written days after the shift) all flag practice gaps. The free Notes Rewriter rewrites support-worker notes into Practice-Standards-aligned form — we recommend it as the staff-training tool for Outcome 3.2 because most support workers learn to write better notes by watching their own notes get rewritten three or four times. Our progress notes audit requirements article covers what auditors look for.

What the auditor walks through on the on-site visit

A typical SIL on-site audit walks through the documentation in roughly this order:

1. Arrival. Auditor signs the visitor register. Manager hands over the master on-site folder index.
2. House overview. Auditor reads house information (Section 1) — who lives here, who's on shift, key personnel arrangements.
3. Walk-through. Physical inspection of the house — fire exits, smoke alarms, medication trolley, kitchen, participant bedrooms (with consent), communal areas. Auditor checks safety against the documented safety inspection.
4. Participant file deep-dive. Auditor picks 1-3 participant files (you can't choose which). Reads service agreement, support plan, recent progress notes, any incident records, consent forms.
5. Medication audit. MAR sheets opened, medications counted, PRN protocols reviewed.
6. Staff interviews. 2-3 support workers interviewed privately. Auditor asks operational questions: what would you do if X happened, where do you find the policy on Y, how do you record Z.
7. Participant interviews (with consent). Private conversations with participants. Auditor checks whether participant experience matches documented policy.
8. Wrap-up. Auditor summarises findings, identifies any non-conformances, schedules follow-up.

The whole on-site visit takes 1-2 days for a small SIL provider. For more on what to expect on the day, our audit-day checklist walks through the operational prep. And for the broader picture of where each per-house document sits in the audit architecture, our SIL audit survival guide is the cornerstone reference — print it and tick documents off as you customise them for your specific houses.