Dietitian Consultancy for NDIS & SIL Providers

Beyond Dietetics supports NDIS Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers to deliver practical, nutritious and participant-centred meals across their homes.

Food in SIL settings is more than a menu. It impacts participant choice, independence, health, routine, mealtime enjoyment, staff confidence and quality of life. Our consultancy services help SIL providers create food systems that work in real homes, with real staff and real participant needs.

Our SIL Consultancy Services May Include

• Menu audits for SIL homes
• Review of meal variety, nutrition balance and serving sizes
• Menu planning tailored to participant needs, preferences and budgets
• Review of special diets, allergies, intolerances and texture-modified meals
• Support for diabetes, weight concerns, constipation, malnutrition risk and poor dietary variety
• Guidance for participants with ASD, ARFID, intellectual disability, sensory food preferences or complex health needs
• Practical mealtime strategies for support workers
• Review of food-related policies, procedures and documentation
• Development of shopping lists, recipe folders and easy meal guides
• Staff training and tailored education sessions
• Ongoing dietitian support for SIL providers

A SIL menu needs to consider more than nutrition. It also needs to consider participant preferences, cooking skills, staff capacity, household routines, food budget, cultural needs, food safety and NDIS goals.

Our assessment helps providers identify what is working well, where gaps exist and how meals can be improved in a practical and sustainable way.

This may include:

• Reviewing the current menu cycle, meal structure and snack options
• Assessing whether meals provide adequate protein, fibre, vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and healthy fats
• Checking whether serve sizes are suitable for participants
• Reviewing diabetes-friendly, low FODMAP, gluten-free, lactose-free, high energy high protein and texture-modified options
• Identifying nutrition-related risks such as malnutrition, unplanned weight change, constipation or limited food variety
• Reviewing how support workers are guided to prepare and serve meals
• Assessing whether the menu supports participant choice, independence and skill-building
• Providing practical recommendations that can be implemented by support staff

Following the assessment, we provide a written report with clear recommendations to support care planning, internal quality improvement and staff guidance.

We can develop practical menu plans that suit the needs of each SIL home. Our menus are designed to be realistic for everyday support workers to prepare, using ingredients that are affordable and easy to purchase from local supermarkets.

Menu planning can include:

• Weekly or fortnightly menu cycles
• Participant-preferred meals with healthier adjustments
• Easy recipes for support workers
• Shopping lists
• Budget-friendly meal options
• High-protein meal ideas
• Vegetable-boosting strategies
• Texture-modified meal guidance
• Cultural and familiar food options
• Simple breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas
• Visual meal plans for participants with low literacy or communication needs

Our goal is to make healthy eating easier for both participants and staff while respecting choice, routine and individual preferences.