Our Advocacy

In September, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, announced the Thriving Kids initiative as part of the Government’s NDIS reform. This will focus on identifying developmental concerns earlier and establishing a national system of supports for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and disability who have low to moderate support needs. Children with permanent and significant disability will continue to be supported through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The final program design will be settled between the Australian Government and state and territory governments. It will be informed by experts and the significant community input received through the Independent Review of the NDIS, the Thriving Kids Advisory Group and engagement with the community, including through the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative.

The Thriving Kids program is expected to have a phased rollout. The first services are expected to be available from 1 July 2026 and would continue to ramp up over 12 months. This will ensure national services are in place ahead of broader changes to NDIS access arrangements from mid-2027.

As part of the development of Thriving Kids, an inquiry into the initiative is being undertaken, allowing the sector to submit enquiry responses addressing the Thriving Kids terms of reference. Lifestart has submitted its own enquiry response that was developed by the Lifestart Executive team and has now been accepted by the Committee.