Overnight disability support: active vs sleepover (AWDO)
The difference between a sleepover, active overnight support and AWDO — and which one your Roster of Care should fund
What is a sleepover shift?
What is active (awake) overnight support?
What is AWDO?
Which overnight support do you need?
How to get the right overnight support funded
How each overnight type is claimed and priced
Keeping an overnight diary that proves your needs
Overnight support at home, in a shared home, and OOA
Moving from a sleepover to active overnight as needs change
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a sleepover and active overnight support?
In a sleepover the worker sleeps and is available if needed, so it's the cheaper option for people who are mostly safe overnight. Active overnight support means the worker is awake and working all night, for people who need regular help — it's charged per hour and costs more.
What does AWDO mean?
AWDO stands for Assistance With Daily Overnight — overnight support where the person's disability means the worker is regularly disturbed to provide help. It sits between a quiet sleepover and full active overnight support.
How do I know which overnight support I need?
Match the support to how often you genuinely need help at night. Rare help suggests a sleepover; frequent disturbances suggest AWDO; regular all-night help or constant safety monitoring suggests active overnight support. An overnight diary is strong evidence.
Is overnight support cheaper in a shared home?
Often, yes. In shared Supported Independent Living, one overnight worker can cover several residents at a shared ratio, which lowers the per-person cost compared with one-to-one active overnight support in your own home.
How do I get overnight support added to my plan?
Provide evidence — an overnight diary, an occupational therapist's assessment, and a Roster of Care that reflects your typical night. Bring this to your planning meeting or reassessment and ask for the specific overnight support type you need.
How many times woken a night means I need active overnight instead of a sleepover?
There is no fixed number, but a sleepover assumes only occasional, brief help. If you are woken most nights, need help every couple of hours, or the worker is regularly awake and working, that points to AWDO or active overnight support. An overnight diary showing the pattern is the best evidence.
Can a support worker be made to stay awake all night on a sleepover shift?
No. A sleepover is paid on the basis that the worker mostly sleeps and is available for occasional help. If a person genuinely needs someone awake and working through the night, that is active overnight support and must be funded and rostered as such, for the worker's safety as well as yours.
What is onsite overnight assistance (OOA)?
OOA is overnight support delivered by a worker based on site in some SDA settings, who can respond to more than one resident across the night. It can keep several people safe overnight without funding one-to-one active support for each, which is why it often appears in SDA homes rather than private rentals.