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The Thriving Kids started rolling out on 1 October.
We’ve been hearing lots of questions from families about Thriving Kids, what is available now and what happens next.
We know that when there are changes to the services that support your child it can feel worrying, especially when important details are still unknown. You are not alone.
That’s why we’ve pulled together factual information about what we know so far and what we’re still waiting to find out.
What is Thriving Kids?
Thriving Kids is a new program for children aged 8 and under who need extra support with their development, and for their families, helping them find information, advice and support that meets their child’s needs.
Can I access Thriving Kids yet?
Yes, some Thriving Kids supports are already available to families across Australia:
- Thriving Kids Information and Resources Hub
- A maternal and child health nurse you can speak to about your child’s development or behaviour
- Thriving Kids Autism Helpline for autism-specific information and support
We’ll share links in the comments on how you can access these supports.
It’s important to know that Thriving Kids won’t be fully available everywhere straight away. More supports will become available throughout 2026 and 2027, with Thriving Kids due to be fully rolled out by January 2028.
What help will families be able to get through Thriving Kids in NSW?
Alongside these Australia-wide supports, the NSW Government will be providing additional Thriving Kids supports for children and families across NSW.
There will be two types of supports.
General supports
These will start to gradually roll out from October 2026 and include:
- Information and advice about child development
- Peer support and parenting programs
- Supported playgroups for children aged 5 years and under
- Help finding and connecting with services and supports
The NSW Government will publish details of which services are available, where and how families can access them as they start.
Targeted supports
From January 2027, targeted supports will start becoming available for children who need extra help for a period of time.
These will include short-term, goal-focused allied health supports, such as speech pathology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Therapies may be provided individually or in small group sessions.
Access to targeted supports will be through a central intake managed by the NSW Government.
Who is Thriving Kids for?
Thriving Kids is for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, and their families, carers and kin.
A diagnosis is not required to access Thriving Kids services.
But there are still some important details we don’t know yet.
We don’t yet know how “low to moderate support needs” will be determined, how decisions will be determined, how decisions will be made about the support each child needs or which supports they will be able to access. These details are still being worked out by the Government.
What does this mean for children already on the NDIS?
Children aged 8 and under who are already on the NDIS, or who join the NDIS before 1 January 2028, will not automatically move to Thriving Kids.
Usual NDIS reassessments can still happen. But for children aged 8 and under who are part of the NDIS before 1 January 2028, those reassessments will use the current eligibility criteria.
Separate changes to the NDIS also started on 1 October 2026 and will be phased in over time. These changes are not part of Thriving Kids. We’ll explain more about them in a separate post.
Do I need to wait for Thriving Kids to get help?
No. If you’re concerned about your child’s development, you don’t need to wait for more Thriving Kids services to roll out.
You can talk to your GP, child and family health nurse, early childhood service, school or other trusted professionals.
You can also use the Thriving Kids information and phone supports that are already available.
Until the NDIS access changes begin on 1 January 2028, families can also continue to apply for NDIS access under the current arrangements.
Where can I find reliable information?
The Australian and NSW Governments will continue to release more information as Thriving Kids rolls out.
We’ll keep following the changes too and sharing what they mean for NSW families.
For more information
Thriving Kids Information and Resource Hub
Thriving Kids Child Development Phone Line
NSW Government Thriving Kids webpage
Australian Government Thriving Kids webpage