Thriving Kids: What the New Program Means for Young Children

If you are the parent of a young child who is on, or being assessed for, the NDIS, you have probably heard the words Thriving Kids by now. It is the Federal Government's new $2 billion early-intervention initiative, designed to support children with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism outside the NDIS rather than inside it.

At 4titude, we work with families across NSW whose lives have been shaped by their child's early years. We want to set out, calmly and clearly, what the Thriving Kids program actually is, who it will affect, when it starts, and what families can do now to be ready.

What is Thriving Kids?

Announced by Health and NDIS Minister Mark Butler in 2025 and confirmed in the 2026 federal budget, Thriving Kids is a jointly funded Commonwealth-and-state program. It will provide developmental and early-intervention supports for children under nine with mild to moderate autism or developmental delays. Critically, it is designed to deliver those supports through everyday environments (schools, playgroups, community health services) rather than through individual NDIS plans.

The Commonwealth has committed $2 billion to the program, with state and territory funding still being negotiated. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has publicly said NSW wants the issue resolved quickly, but also wants confidence the model is sustainable for state budgets. You can read the Commonwealth's most recent update on the NDIS website.

Why is the Government making this change?

The Minister has been frank about the reasoning. Government figures show that children under 15 now make up nearly half of new NDIS entrants, and around 16 per cent of six-year-old boys are now Scheme participants. According to ABC reporting, around seven in ten people who joined the NDIS in 2024-25 listed autism as their primary diagnosis.

The Government's argument is that the NDIS has become the only available option for families seeking early support. That is a position no insurance scheme was designed to hold. The policy intent of Thriving Kids is to rebuild a community-services layer that, for many parents, has simply not existed for years.

That intent is welcomed by many in the sector. The success of the program will depend almost entirely on how well the new supports are funded, staffed and delivered. A good idea that arrives without resources can become a worse outcome than what came before. The detail matters.

Who is affected, and when?

The Thriving Kids program is expected to begin rolling out from mid-2027. According to current Government statements, the changes will apply to children newly seeking NDIS support, while children already on a plan before the rollout will be exempt, although they will still be subject to reassessments from time to time.

For families across our NSW catchments (including Western Sydney, Macarthur, Wollondilly, Lake Macquarie and the Eurobodalla), that means three groups to think about.

If your child is already on the NDIS, your current plan continues. You are not being moved off the Scheme by default. Future reassessments will be conducted under whatever rules are in force at the time, so it is wise to keep good records of your child's supports and goals.

If your child is being assessed now, the current rules still apply. We would still encourage families with a clear diagnosis and demonstrated need to progress their application before any new arrangements take effect.

If your child has developmental concerns but is not yet engaging with the NDIS, you are exactly the cohort Thriving Kids is being designed for. In the meantime, existing mainstream supports (paediatricians, child and family health nurses, school learning support teams) remain your best starting point.

What kind of supports will Thriving Kids actually provide?

This is the question we are hearing most. The honest answer is that the full detail isn't public yet. The framework calls for supports delivered through schools, playgroups, child and maternal health services and community settings. In practice, that could mean group-based speech and occupational therapy, peer-led playgroups, classroom-embedded support, and family training.

For many families used to one-to-one NDIS-funded therapy, that's a different model. It raises fair questions about how children with quieter or less visible needs will fare in group settings. We are watching the rollout closely and will update this article as more detail emerges.

What families can do now

First, don't panic. If you are mid-assessment, mid-plan, or mid-therapy, nothing has stopped. The current rules still govern current plans, and the changes are at least twelve to eighteen months away.

Second, keep records. Every therapy report, every school observation and every paediatrician letter is part of your child's developmental story. Those records support better decisions later, whether under the NDIS, Thriving Kids, or both.

Third, build your village. Whatever the Scheme looks like in 2028, the people who matter most are the educators, clinicians and providers who actually know your child. Our team works alongside therapists and schools across NSW, and we are happy to be one part of that village.

Finally, look ahead with realism rather than fear. Thriving Kids has the potential to reach children the NDIS was never designed to serve, and to ease the burden on families currently chasing a diagnosis just to access basic support. It will only work if it is properly funded and properly delivered. Both major parties, state governments and the disability community will need to keep that pressure on.

If you'd like to talk through your own family's situation, or simply meet our team in a no-pressure environment, book a free visit with 4titude. We run programs for children, teens and adults across three NSW hubs, and the first conversation is always on us.