Thriving Kids 2026: A Parent's Guide to the New Program

Disclaimer: This article reflects publicly available information about the Thriving Kids program as at 2 July 2026. Program details — including specific services, eligibility processes, and state-by-state rollout — are still being finalised by governments. This article is for general information only and does not constitute disability support, legal, or financial advice. Always check the official Thriving Kids page for the latest information.

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Thriving Kids officially began its phased rollout on 1 October 2026. If you have a child aged 8 or under with developmental delay or autism, you have probably heard the words "Thriving Kids" for months — possibly with a mix of concern, confusion, and not quite enough detail to know what to think.

Here is a clear account of what Thriving Kids actually is, who it applies to, and what — if anything — you should do right now.

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What Is Thriving Kids?

Thriving Kids is a new national program for children aged 8 years and under with developmental delay and/or autism who are assessed as having low-to-moderate support needs.

It is the first stage of a broader reform known as Foundational Supports — a jointly funded commitment by the Australian Government and all state and territory governments to build a system of community-based supports for children who need early help but do not need the intensive, lifelong individualised funding of the NDIS.

The program is funded to the tune of $4 billion over five years — at least $1.4 billion of the Australian Government's $2 billion contribution going directly to states for service delivery.

What Thriving Kids is designed to do:

• Identify developmental concerns earlier, before they become entrenched
• Connect families to community-based support quickly — without needing an NDIS plan
• Deliver targeted support including developmental therapies (speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology) through local services
• Provide low-cost assistive technology and equipment where needed

What Thriving Kids is not:

• It is not the NDIS
• It does not replace the NDIS for children with high, complex, or profound support needs
• It does not apply to children already on the NDIS (at least not until 2028 — see below)

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Who Does It Apply To?

Thriving Kids is specifically for children who meet all three of the following:

1. Aged 8 years or under
2. Have developmental delay and/or autism
3. Have low-to-moderate support needs (not high, complex, or profound)

Children who fall outside this group — including those with permanent and significant disability, and those with substantially reduced functional capacity (high support needs) — will continue to be eligible for the NDIS under the same arrangements as now.

The language "low-to-moderate support needs" is doing a lot of work in this definition, and it is the part that is causing the most anxiety among families. The exact criteria for determining support need levels are still being finalised by governments. What is confirmed is:

• Children with Level 1 autism (formerly "mild") are the group most likely to be affected
• Children with developmental delay who might previously have entered the NDIS will be redirected to Thriving Kids
• Children with complex physical, intellectual, or behavioural needs are not the target of this program — the NDIS remains the appropriate system for them

Important: "Low-to-moderate support needs" is not the same as "low-to-moderate challenges." Many families with children who have significant daily difficulties are concerned — rightly — that brief assessments may underestimate what their child actually needs. Documenting your child's needs carefully remains important regardless of which system ultimately applies.

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When Does It Start?

Thriving Kids will commence rollout of state services from 1 October 2026 and is expected to be at scale from 1 January 2028.

The rollout is phased because individual state and territory governments are responsible for designing and delivering their own services. The specific services available, how to access them, and which local hubs or providers are involved will vary by state — and most of this detail has not yet been confirmed.

The NDIS access change — where children aged 8 and under with low-to-moderate needs can no longer enter the NDIS through the previous pathways — does not take effect until 1 January 2028.

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Queensland Families: What Is Different

If you are in Queensland, there is an important complication that does not apply to the rest of the country.

As of 1 October 2026, Queensland is the only state that has not signed the Thriving Kids bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth. Every other state and territory has signed on; Queensland's local delivery arrangements and access pathway have not been confirmed.

The two governments disagree about why. The Commonwealth's position is that Queensland already agreed to the broader foundational supports arrangement under the National Health Reform Agreement and a heads of agreement covering Thriving Kids, and argues Queensland has received funding without yet preparing the family support services it committed to. Queensland's position is that it has not been given enough detail to know what it would actually be responsible for delivering — including basic definitions, such as what counts as "developmental delay" or which level of autism qualifies. Greens MP Michael Berkman has described the standoff as "a cruel mess."

What this means practically for Queensland families from 1 October 2026:

• You can access the national components that are launching everywhere this week — a new online information hub, general public resources, and the Thriving Kids Autism Helpline
• A confirmed local access pathway — where you actually go to receive services in Queensland — is not yet available, and there is no public timeline for when one will be
• Do not assume a local service or intake point will be ready in Queensland simply because the national program has launched

What this does not mean:

• Your child's existing NDIS eligibility or plan is not affected by this dispute
• The 1 January 2028 timeline for NDIS access changes has not changed

If you are in Queensland and affected by this gap, the most useful thing you can do is keep thorough documentation of your child's support needs regardless of which system eventually applies, and watch for updates from both the Queensland Government and the federal Thriving Kids page — this is a live political dispute, not a finalised policy gap, and it may be resolved with little notice.

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What About My Child Who Is Already on the NDIS?

This is the most common question — and the answer is reassuring, at least for now.

Children aged 8 and under enrolled in the NDIS prior to 1 January 2028 with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs will be subject to reassessment under the eligibility criteria in place prior to 1 January 2028.

In plain language: if your child is already on the NDIS, nothing changes for them under Thriving Kids before 1 January 2028. Their plan stays in place. The Thriving Kids rollout does not trigger any changes to existing NDIS plans.

What does change from 1 January 2028 is who can newly access the NDIS — children with low-to-moderate needs who apply after that date will be directed to Thriving Kids instead. Existing participants are assessed under the old criteria.

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What Thriving Kids Does Not Cover

Several things are explicitly outside the scope of Thriving Kids:

• Children with permanent and significant disability — they remain NDIS-eligible
• Children with high, complex, or profound support needs — NDIS remains the appropriate system
• Children aged over 8 — Thriving Kids does not apply to this group
• Support coordination, specialist disability accommodation, or intensive supports — Thriving Kids is designed for early, community-based support, not complex disability management

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What Should Families Do Right Now?

The honest answer is that there is not much you need to do right now — but there is a lot worth knowing.

If your child is already on the NDIS:

• Nothing about your child's plan or eligibility changes before 2028
• Focus on preparing well for any upcoming plan reviews — your best protection is thorough, specific documentation of your child's support needs
• If your child's next review falls close to 2028 or later, speak with your Support Coordinator about what the transition might mean

If your child is not yet on the NDIS and you have been considering applying:

• The window to apply under current eligibility rules is open until 1 January 2028
• If you believe your child has significant disability support needs that go beyond what Thriving Kids is designed to provide, getting an NDIS access request in before 2028 may be worth considering with advice from your child's allied health team or a disability advocate
• There is no requirement to rush — but understanding the timeline helps

If you are not sure whether your child would be "low-to-moderate" or "high" needs:

• This is a genuine concern shared by many families, and the criteria are not fully public yet
• Document your child's daily challenges specifically and in detail — across areas like communication, behaviour, self-care, learning, and social participation — regardless of which program ultimately applies
• Contact Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) or your state or territory disability advocacy service if you want independent guidance about your child's situation

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The Concern Families Have — And Why It Is Legitimate

It would be dishonest to write about Thriving Kids without acknowledging the anxiety it has generated.

The concern is not that early childhood support is a bad idea — most families, advocates, and clinicians agree that getting children support early, in community settings, is genuinely valuable. The concern is about what happens if the program is not funded adequately, is implemented inconsistently, or if "low-to-moderate" is defined in a way that misses children with real needs.

Autism Awareness Australia and other advocacy organisations have called for the rollout to slow down until the detail is right. The tension between the government's timeline and the sector's readiness is real.

What families can do in that context is the same thing that has always helped in the NDIS: document clearly, advocate specifically, and get independent advice when decisions do not match your child's reality.

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How This Connects to the I-CAN v6 Assessment

Thriving Kids and the I-CAN v6 are completely separate programs — they do not overlap and are not connected.

• I-CAN v6 is the assessment tool the NDIA will use within the NDIS for participants aged 16 and over, starting from April 2027. It measures support needs across 12 functional domains.
• Thriving Kids is a community-based program for children aged 8 and under with low-to-moderate needs, outside the NDIS entirely.

If your child is an NDIS participant aged between 7 and 16, their assessment will eventually use the I-CAN v6 framework — but the rollout for children under 16 does not begin until July 2027 at the earliest.

For children who are NDIS participants and will go through an I-CAN v6 assessment, read: NDIS I-CAN v6 for Children: What Parents Need to Know

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Related Reading

• NDIS I-CAN v6 for Children: What Parents Need to Know — for NDIS participants aged under 16 preparing for the I-CAN v6 assessment
• NDIS New Framework Planning: What Actually Happened on 1 July 2026
• NDIS 2026 Changes Explained
• What is the NDIS I-CAN v6 Assessment?

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Sources: Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Thriving Kids, NDIS — Thriving Kids, Autism Awareness Australia — Thriving Kids, ABC News and Brisbane Times reporting on the Queensland bilateral agreement dispute (September 2026). For the most current information, visit the official Thriving Kids page or contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.