Thriving Kids and NDIS Updates
Updated: 1 hour ago
October is finally here. Those of us familiar with Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Thriving Kids program have all been waiting for further updates.
I can imagine that these changes can feel overwhelming to navigate.
I wanted to share my understanding of the major changes: what we know, what we don't know, where to go from here, and where you can find out more. This will probably require updating as my knowledge grows.
So, what do we know?
Thriving Kids
As of the 1st of October 2026, Thriving Kids began to roll out across the country, except for Queensland. Thriving Kids is a $4 billion support system planned to roll out over five years, funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the states of Australia.
This model is designed as an alternate pathway for children aged eight and under with so-called "low to moderate support needs". This means that, in theory, from the 1st of January 2028, these children will no longer be eligible to access the NDIS. For more information about this, I recommend reading this overview by SP David Kinnane.
Thriving Kids is currently being rolled out in stages. This means that children who are currently NDIS participants aged eight and under will gradually be re-evaluated. Some of the supports now available to families include the Thriving Kids National Digital Information Hub run by the Raising Children Network, a national phone line to talk with maternal and child health nurses, a Thriving Kids Autism Helpline run by Amaze, and the Thriving Kids website. I have added their contact numbers at the end of this article with some other resources.
General supports are reported to include peer support groups, supported playgroups, family programs, universal assessments, routine child development checks, and a "Medicare Healthy Kids Check" for General Practitioners (GPs) to evaluate children aged three. There is also supposed to be a new tool to guide GP-led annual health checks for children aged between three and 12 years, which is going to modify the Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).
It is reported that there will be targeted supports for children and families who require more assistance, with access determined by identifying developmental or functional delays. Some of the supports mentioned include one-to-one and group-based allied health services such as speech pathology, occupational therapy, and psychology, low-cost assistive technology (AT), and "more intensive" capacity-building support for families identified as needing additional support (Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).
NDIS Legislation Changes
Also, as of the 1st of October, there are new NDIS legislative instruments in force. As previously mentioned, Social, Economic, and Community Participation funding will be reduced by 50%, and Improved Daily Living (IDL) funding will be reduced by 10%.
Some supports are reported to be excluded or protected from these funding reductions. Under Social, Economic, and Community Participation, these currently include employment supports, high intensity supports, and intensive and complex behaviour supports. Under IDL, these are disability health supports, customised and wearable technology, and hearing services.
Another change is the new variation pathway specifically for participants with high support needs. This means that if a participant with high support needs wants to vary their plan, they must be receiving 24-hour funded NDIS supports directly associated with their recognised impairment for access to the NDIS and have at least $215,030 in total funding for Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation (National Disability Insurance Scheme [NDIS], 2026). This does not apply to general plan variations. As I am not an expert on the NDIS legislation, I encourage you to read this in-depth media release published by Intrepidus Law for more information.
What we don't know
Thriving Kids
We still don't know specifically how targeted supports will be provided or structured. For example, how funding will be approved, whether private practice clinicians and sole traders will be included, or whether there will be limitations on individual children. The currently available Thriving Kids resources are not new and are by no means a substitute for one-on-one and group-based allied health supports.
Co-design has been mentioned, but the way this will be implemented remains unclear. Many Disabled advocates and Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs) have expressed significant concerns about the rapid rollout of the Thriving Kids initiative.
There do not seem to be specific guidelines about how rural and regional communities will be supported with this transition, especially as many already struggle with accessing allied health services. I have also not seen information about how our children who are unable to engage in education settings will be able to access services through Thriving Kids. This is particularly worrying for states that are going to be establishing these supports in schools and early education centres.
I was interested to read about GPs leading the screenings for universal assessments and annual health checks. According to the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing (2026), the Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) has been adapted to use with children aged between three and 12 years with suspected or confirmed delays. I am curious to know who has modified this program and how. The tool was originally designed for adults with intellectual disabilities and was trialled subsequently with young people aged twelve and up. The support needs and profiles will be quite different across these age groups, and Thriving Kids does not require a formal diagnosis.
I am also wondering what supports will be available for children identified as requiring more in-depth assessment and diagnosis. The evaluation process can be complex, lengthy, and usually requires a multidisciplinary specialist allied health team to provide a formal diagnosis. How will clinicians be selected to administer these assessments?
NDIS Legislation Changes
At present, it seems that the whole IDL budget will be reduced. While we know that some supports under IDL are reported to be protected, such as hearing and nursing services, as a SP I am concerned that dysphagia (swallowing disorders) is not mentioned at this stage. A 10% funding cut could mean participants cannot access crucial ongoing swallow reviews, staff mealtime management training, and other related capacity building supports to maintain their safety.
So, what can we do for now?
As David Cameron wrote in his recent article on Thriving Kids, we therapists are going to have to approach therapy more creatively over the next couple of years. I feel we will benefit from working collaboratively and keeping these conversations going. It is likely we will need to explore ways of providing block-based therapy supports, group-based therapy sessions, and coaching families and caregivers beyond face-to-face services.
As for us Disabled and Neurodivergent people and our carers, I feel we need to continue to look out for each other where we can. With all these changes, I can understand that many of us will be feeling stressed and overwhelmed right now. At the same time, it has been incredibly heartwarming to see fellow community members lend a hand to someone in need of support. This is going to sound corny, but I truly feel we are stronger together.
I certainly do not have all the answers, but I will strive to keep informed and provide updates as we learn more.
If you have additional thoughts you would like to share with me, have questions about how we could move forward, or ways we could work together, I would love to hear from you.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly for a chat in a way that suits you:
Email: info@autismactually.com.au
Text/call: +61 459 080 248
Social media handle: @autismactuallyspeech
Readers, what questions do you have? What are you currently seeing in the community? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Resources
Thriving Kids resources
Thriving Kids website: https://www.thrivingkidsinfo.com.au/
Thriving Kids Digital National Information Hub: https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/thriving-kids
Talk to a maternal and child health nurse (available from 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM AEST, 7 days a week)
Phone: 1800 882 436
Video call: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/video-call
Thriving Kids Autism Helpline:
Phone: 1300 654 789 (available from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday to Friday, Australia-wide)
Submit an enquiry: https://www.amaze.org.au/thrivingkids/#enquiry
Autistic-led social groups and parent carer supports
Different Journeys (Victoria): https://www.differentjourneysautism.com/
The I CAN Network (Online and in-person): https://icannetwork.online/
Next Level Collaboration (Online and in-person): https://nextlevelcollaboration.com/
Information about NDIS and the Disability sector
Self Manager Hub (Information for NDIS self-managed participants): https://selfmanagerhub.org.au/
The Growing Space (General information about the NDIS): https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au/
The Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association: https://www.thisisanpa.org/
Every Australian Counts: https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/
Intrepidus Law: https://intrepiduslaw.com.au/
Banter Speech and Language: https://www.banterspeech.com.au/category/ndis/
Professionals Australia: https://ndis.professionalsaustralia.org.au/
References
Cameron, D. (2026, September 16). Thriving Kids: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown. Substack. https://thekeyworker.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. (2026, September 24). About the changes to the NDIS. Australian Government. https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/ndis-legislation-changes/amendments/ndis-amendment-securing-the-ndis-for-future-generations-bill-2026/about-the-changes-to-the-ndis
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. (2026, October 1). Supports being rolled out. Australian Government. https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/thriving-kids/supports-being-rolled-out?language=en
Kinnane, D. (2026, February 2). Thriving Kids is now a real thing. Get ready!. Banter Speech and Langauge. https://www.banterspeech.com.au/thriving-kids-is-now-a-real-thing-get-ready/
Kochanowska, B. (2026, September 30). Media release. LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/p/gXpBjcxS
National Disability Insurance Scheme [NDIS]. (2026, October 1). Changes to support budgets from 1 October. NDIS. http://ndis.gov.au/news/11695-changes-support-budgets-1-october
McAllister, J. (2026, September 28). National Disability Insurance Scheme (High Support Needs Participants) Determination 2026. Australian Government. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01331/latest/text
Schutz, L. (2026, September 30). NDIS SUPPORT DETERMINATIONS = PUBLISHED. LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/p/gDuYheBv
Comments