The Albanese government has unveiled the model for its new program to move children under nine years old with mild developmental delays and autism off the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Called Thriving Kids, the program will be run with the states and territories from October this year.
Here’s everything you need to know about the changes.
What is Thriving Kids?
Instead of being enrolled on the NDIS, children with low to moderate needs will be given early intervention services through Thriving Kids, designed by an advisory group.
New services will be delivered to kids in settings including schools and childcare centres. Acting early is expected to address problems more quickly, helping children grow and develop fully sooner.
Unlike the NDIS, participation in Thriving Kids won’t require a formal diagnosis, potentially speeding up services and saving families money.
The federal government and the states have agreed to spend $4bn on Thriving Kids, with a 50/50 split. About $1.4bn of the federal contribution is set to go directly to pay for services.
How will it work?
The health minister, Mark Butler, and advisory panel chair, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute professor Frank Oberklaid, say the program will have four pillars.
The first is about awareness and early identification of children’s issues.
The second is providing ready access to information, advice and navigation for parents.
Building the skills of parents is the third pillar, while the fourth is speedy access to targeted support from trained allied health workers, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, audiologists and psychologists.
The program is designed to help families build their child’s strengths and navigate key transition points, like entering school.
While the NDIS provides annual funding packages for participants to spend on services, Thriving Kids will be linked to developmental goals and will be time limited.
Why is it necessary?
Labor is working to stem dramatically rising costs in the NDIS. Last year cost growth was about 10%, down from about 22% in 2022. National cabinet has agreed to reduce it to 8% this year, before going to 5-6%.
About 750,000 people are enrolled on the NDIS, which costs nearly $50bn a year. Figures from the NDIS show about 11% of all five-to-seven-year-olds were receiving services last year. About 40% of participants of all ages had a primary diagnosis of autism, and 11% a developmental delay.
Experts warned the government soaring demand was causing disruption in the health workforce, including affecting hospitals, aged care and other services.
Oberklaid said the NDIS model was also distorting clinical practice by focusing on a child’s weaknesses, while Thriving Kids will be better placed to recognise individual differences and needs.
When will it start?
First announced in August last year, Thriving Kids is due to begin operations on 1 October, after national cabinet agreed last week to push back its start date by three months. Once the new program is ramped up, full implementation is expected by January 2028.
Children already enrolled on the NDIS can stay there.
Until 2028, children under nine will continue to be enrolled on to the NDIS, while children with permanent and significant disability will continue to be eligible for the NDIS permanently, subject to the usual conditions.
What has the reaction been?
The shadow minister for disability and the NDIS, Anne Ruston, said Labor had been too slow to explain Thriving Kids.
“The minister still cannot explain how this program will actually work in practice, how support will be delivered on the ground, or what impact it will have on the budget and the government’s commitments to manage NDIS growth,” she said.
The Independent Education Union – which represents staff in independent and religious schools, and early childhood education centres – said Thriving Kids should ease the workload burden on teachers and better support children and families.
