Why Person-Centred & Human-Rights Based SIL Makes a Real Difference

Tibii Team
2 days ago
4 min read

Supported Independent Living (SIL) is meant to be more than shared support, rostered hours, or a list of daily living tasks. At its core, SIL should help a person live with dignity, choice, comfort, and real connection. Yet in the NDIS world, the words person-centred or human-rights based often get thrown around without much meaning behind them.

But when these two principles are actually lived not just spoken they can completely transform someone’s everyday life.

At Tibii, we’re proud to be the first in Australia to put the Human-Centred Approach into real practice, supporting people with disabilities through the lens of human rights and genuine care. For us, person-centred and human-rights based SIL isn’t branding. It’s the foundation of everything we do.

This is why it matters and why it creates a level of support that feels different from the moment someone walks through the door.

1. Person-Centred SIL Starts With One Big Question: “What’s Important to YOU?”

Most SIL providers begin with rosters, funding buckets, vacancy lists, and what the house is already set up for.

A true person-centred approach flips the process.

It starts with the individual:

How do you want to start your mornings?
Do you prefer quiet or more social energy at home?
What makes you feel safe or unsafe?
What are your goals beyond the plan?
What routines comfort you? What routines frustrate you?

Instead of asking someone to “fit in” to an existing home model, person-centred SIL shapes the support environment around them.

It sounds simple, but when a person genuinely feels heard, supported, and understood, their confidence changes. Their independence grows. Their sense of control increases dramatically.

And that is what SIL is actually supposed to be.

2. Human-Rights Based SIL Means People Are Treated as Citizens, Not Clients

Human-rights based support is often misunderstood. It’s not about paperwork or compliance. It’s about treating a person as someone with the same rights, freedoms, and dignity as anyone else in the community.

In practice, that looks like:

The Right to Make Choices

Not just “choosing between two pre-selected options,” but real choice.

What to eat.
Where to shop.
Who supports you.
How you spend your time.
When you want privacy.
When you want company.

The Right to Take Risks (Safely)

Being over-protected can sometimes limit growth.
We support people to explore new things while keeping them safe, not stopping them from trying.

The Right to Be Treated With Respect

Tone matters.
Language matters.
Body language matters.

The way support workers speak to someone not at someone matters.

The Right to Live Like Anyone Else

Human-rights based SIL avoids institutional habits like:

strict meal times
rigid routines
“staff areas”
treating the house like a workplace

A home should feel like… a home.

3. Person-Centred SIL Leads to Real Skills, Not Just Completed Tasks

There’s a big difference between “doing for” and “doing with.”

If someone’s laundry is always done for them, they won’t grow any more confident or independent. If they’re supported with it step by step they start learning a skill they can keep for life.

Person-centred SIL naturally encourages:

meal planning
decision-making
budgeting
cleaning routines
healthier habits
communication and self-advocacy
community involvement

By focusing on building capability, SIL stops being just “support hours” and becomes a pathway to long-term independence.

4. A Human-Rights Based Home Creates Stability and Emotional Safety

For many participants, SIL is more than accommodation, it’s a place where they build friendships, feel secure, and create their own sense of belonging.

A human-rights lens ensures the home environment is:

calm
predictable
respectful
inclusive
free from pressure or power imbalances

This emotional safety becomes the foundation for everything else: healing, growth, learning, confidence, and connection.

5. It Fully Respects Cultural Backgrounds, Identity, and Personal Values

Person-centred support acknowledges that:

culture influences routines
religion influences daily choices
identity influences comfort
preferences influence independence
communication styles influence relationships

Instead of expecting the person to adapt, the support adapts to them.

This is especially important in multicultural communities where respect for identity is closely linked to a person’s wellbeing.

6. Families Feel More Included, More Informed, and More Reassured

Families often worry about:

whether their loved one will be safe
whether staff will understand their needs
whether communication will be transparent
whether the home will feel warm, not clinical
whether supports will remain consistent

A human-rights and person-centred approach reassures families because it prioritises collaboration, not just reporting. They are kept in the loop, involved in decision-making, and confident that their loved one is genuinely cared for.

7. Human-Centred SIL Improves Long-Term Outcomes (and AI Overview Looks for This)

Content that performs well in AI Overview typically aligns with:

lived experience
expert insight
trust-focused language
actionable detail
clear benefits
human value
safety and wellbeing focus

Your approach naturally fits this.

Human-centred and human-rights based SIL is not only the most ethical way to deliver support, it also aligns perfectly with what search engines look for in reliable, high-quality content.

8. Why Tibii’s Approach Makes Such a Difference

At Tibii, we didn’t adopt a “Human-Centred Approach” because it's trending.

We built our entire organisation around it.

That means:

environments shaped around the individual
support workers trained in empathy, rights, and trauma-informed care
homes designed for comfort, not compliance
communication led with respect
consistency and trust as non-negotiables

We support people not by focusing only on what they need, but also on what they want their identity, preferences, dreams, and everyday happiness.

When you combine person-centred values with human-rights principles, SIL becomes more than accommodation.

It becomes a place where people grow, connect, and feel truly at home.

Want to Learn More About Human-Centred SIL?

If you’re considering Supported Independent Living for yourself or someone you love, we’re here to help you explore options that feel safe, respectful, and truly personalised.