UPDATE: FOUNDATIONAL SUPPORTS

On 25 August 2025, I wrote an article explaining the new foundational supports program Thriving Kids. You can view that blog post here.

Below are updates to that article around Thriving Kids. So, what has changed or been announced in the past six months?

RECAP: $2 Billion Early-Intervention Program Confirmed

As a reminder, in August 2025, the Federal Government announced Thriving Kids, a $2 billion national early-intervention initiative aimed at children aged 0–8 with developmental delay or disability who are not eligible for the NDIS.

This represents the most significant new disability support investment outside the NDIS in over a decade.

Planned Start Date: 1 July 2026

Thriving Kids is scheduled to begin from 1 July 2026, with a phased rollout expected rather than an immediate nationwide launch. Program design and funding agreements with states and territories are still being finalised. At this stage, no services have commenced under Thriving Kids. Further, funding from the States and Territories is not yet concrete and has not been finalised, with the design still being negotiated between the Commonwealth and state/territory governments.

Who the Program Is Intended to Support

Thriving Kids is designed to support:

• children with developmental delay

• children with mild to moderate disability

• children who fall below the NDIS access threshold

• families who currently rely on short-term, fragmented, or out-of-pocket supports

The aim is to reduce delays in accessing help during early childhood, when early intervention has the greatest impact.

What Supports Are Expected

While final program details are still being developed, government statements indicate Thriving Kids will include:

• early developmental and allied health supports

• family and caregiver education

• community-based and locally delivered services

• pathways for reassessment if higher needs emerge later

  
  

Exact service types, funding caps, and access pathways have not yet been published.

Why Thriving Kids Matters

Thriving Kids responds directly to long-standing concerns that:

• many children need support but don’t qualify for the NDIS

• families face long waits, high costs, or inconsistent services

• the NDIS has become the default pathway even for lower-level needs

  
  

The program is intended to intervene earlier, reduce pressure on the NDIS, and provide more appropriate support for children with emerging or moderate needs.

Updates

1) Official inquiry by House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care, and Disability, with the report viewable here. In short, there is broad support for early intervention, but concerns around readiness and timing are apparent. The key recommendations are as follows:

• Guarantee continuity of support for children currently receiving services

• Clarify eligibility, assessment, and referral pathways well before rollout

• Phase implementation carefully, with pilots where possible, and an inspector-general appointed

• Publish transition safeguards for families moving between systems

• Strengthen workforce planning, particularly in regional areas

• Finalise funding and governance arrangements with states
  

2) 3-page fact sheet published in October 2025 by the department of Health, Aged Care, and Disability, outlining the programs' intent and structure. This can be viewed here. This document succinctly explains the programs purpose, objectives, the delivery model, the types of supports outlined, funding and timing, and more. It does not define eligibility assessments, application or referral processes, funding limits per child, how long supports will last, and how transitions between Thriving kids, NDIS, health, and education will work in practice.

3) Federal Government Engagement with an advisory group. More information here. They have been trying to shape eligibility concepts under the scheme, inform service models, advise on workforce and capacity, and support transition thinking. That is what the advisory group is working on.

4) A UNSW national survey of parents and carers was conducted, with the results available here. This is a good read about what families want from this program for their children. However, with 79% of parents showing concern around unrealistic implementation deadlines and concern about continuity of supports, there is a clear gap between government messaging and what is being received by families on the ground. Further, there is also a lot of fear around the changes, with around half of all respondents stating that they are confused or scared by the changes.

The survey's messages to government are clear. Parents are expecting: i) That no child is worse off under the new system compared with current supports ii) There needs to be more co-design and proper preparation before rollout iii) Supports should be evidence-based, flexible and tailored to diverse needs iv) To keep choice and continuity with trusted clinicians and existing support relationships where they work well already.

All of these updates have been to inform the creation of the scheme. Combined, they paint a picture of what the scheme will look like when it is fully rolled out, as well as providing some insight into the challenges the government faces in communicating effectively to the disability community.

What’s Still Unclear

As of early 2026, key details remain unresolved, including:

• how families will apply or be referred

• whether services will be means-tested

• how support levels will be determined

• how Thriving Kids will interact with mainstream health and education services

  
  

Further clarification is expected through 2026 federal and state budget announcements in May.

What to Watch Next

• detailed program guidelines and eligibility criteria

• state-by-state implementation plans

• provider registration or commissioning processes

• timelines for service availability in local areas

Thank you for reading and watch this space for further updates.