NDIS & Foundational Supports

Clean&Personal
Aug 25
4 min read

Updated: Sep 4

Children coming together and drawing in a group setting.

It is no secret that Australia deeply values equity, inclusion, and social support. Resulting from these accepted cultural values, the Australian government developed the National Disability Insurance Scheme ('NDIS') and began its rollout in 2013. This great change brought much-needed assistance for people with a disability in Australia.

However, when the NDIS was rolled out, the States and Territories began winding up their own funded schemes. This resulted in the NDIS becoming, more and more over time, the 'only port in the storm'.

In response, the federal government listened to the NDIS review and in 2024 announced that they will begin working with the various State and Territory governments around Australia to formulate a new scheme to work alongside the NDIS, so that the States provide more assistance and support to people with a disability - this new scheme has been called Foundational Supports.

So, what are Foundational Supports?

These supports are designed to work alongside the NDIS, not to replace it. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing defines Foundational Supports as:

"... specific supports outside the NDIS that are offered in addition to services offered by mainstream systems, like education and health. Foundational Supports will help people with disability, their families, carers and kin. They will include general and targeted supports."

Foundational supports will be funded by the Federal government and State governments, a departure from the fully Federally funded NDIS, and will be comprised of two forms of supports: General supports and Targeted supports. According to the Australian Government's NDIS Review, this is what these will look like:

General supports will be those supports that improve access for people with disability to:

Evidence-based information and advice.
Supports that help individuals and care givers build skills, improve confidence and independence.
Supports that will develop connections between peers and within the community.
Supports to find other services and resources (outside of NDIS and Foundational Supports, such as community supports) to support better self-advocacy.
Disability employment supports.
Advice that helps Community Organisations to be more inclusive and accessible.

Targeted Supports will be supports for people with a disability under 65 who are not eligible for the NDIS, but still have extra support needs, such as children with emerging mild-moderate developmental delays, those with chronic health conditions, and others who need early intervention or less intensive supports. A few examples of what these will include are:

Home and community supports (e.g. shopping and cleaning).
Aids and assistive technology outside of the NDIS, which are currently fragmented and complex. This will help people get the equipment that they need.
Targeted supports for adults with a psychosocial disability to build their capacity, independence, and daily living skills. This will give an estimated 154,000 people the supports that they need. The NDIS will continue to be available for this people with psychosocial disabilities who have higher support needs.
Early intervention supports for families and children with emerging developmental concerns who are not eligible for the NDIS to help them build their skills and participate in everyday activities.
Transitional supports to help teenagers and young adults with disability prepare for employment and independent living. This will be achieved by assisting with key life transitions, such as going to school, moving to higher education, or entering the workforce.

A pyramid incorporating Foundational Supports. Beginning with Mainstream Supports, then General Foundational Supports, then Targeted Foundational Supports, then Individual Supports. — NDIS Review (2023), 'Fact Sheet 1 For people with disability and their families'

Importantly, the NDIS Review have also stated that targeted supports should be matched to people's level of need.

Finally, 'Navigators' will play an important role. These navigators will help people access foundational supports, refer them to the NDIA, Disability Representative Organisations, Carer Organisations, Mainstream Service Providers (like schools, hospitals, and childcare) or Community Organisations. They will act similarly to a Support Coordinator, but will have the goal of helping people access a broader range of supports, not just the NDIS. It has also been stressed that people with a disability should still have ease of access, even without a Navigator.

BIG NEWS! ... What is 'Thriving Kids'?

On 20 August 2025, the NDIS minister Mark Butler faced the National Press Club to announce a new scheme, called 'Thriving Kids', which they will kick-start with an initial $2 billion investment. This looks like the beginning of the implementation of Targeted Foundational Supports (as seen in the above diagram). While no one currently knows the specifics of exactly what this new scheme will look like, we do know what Mark Butler said during his speech.

Thriving Kids is going to be designed for early intervention and other supports for children with mild to moderate developmental delay, as well as mild-moderate ASD. They will receive targeted support to assist with various therapies and transitions with life stages. It is going to be designed for children who need support, but do not meet the NDIS threshold.

Children thriving and playing with a ball in a field in the forest.

You can view the minister's full speech below.

Mark Butler announces 'Thriving Kids' at the National Press Club on 20 August 2025

When is this all going to happen?

With the announcement of Thriving Kids, in some ways, it has already begun. However, it is very important to point out that nothing is yet to be finalised, with Mark Butler stating on 20/08/2025 at the National Press Club in Canberra that the establishment of this new scheme with the States has slowed. However, in the same speech, the Minister also stated that Foundational Supports will be one of the core focuses of the Economic Roundtable discussion, which took place in Canberra on 19/08/2025 - 21/08/2025. This roundtable discussion included all State and Territory Ministers, alongside Senior Ministers of the current Federal Labor Government, Unions, the Business Council of Australia, and more. This means that governments and other groups from all around Australia are again ramping up their efforts to create and structure this new scheme.

We welcome any new programs that further help people with a disability, their families, their carers, and their community. We hope that this is achieved and look forward to positive outcomes.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this new scheme will provide positive outcomes for people who may not have access to the NDIS. We recognise that recent announcements have raised questions within the community, and we encourage the government to ensure that every child continues to receive the invididualised support that they need under this new approach.

Disclaimer: This area of Foundational Supports is continuing to evolve and change. As of 25/08/2025, this is where things stand. However, there may be changes going forward. Further blog posts will be published to keep you informed.

For further reading, please see below:

NDIS & Foundational Supports

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