Medicine:Thriving Kids
| Thriving Kids | |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of project | Government disability support program |
| Location | Australia |
| Owner | Australian Government |
| Established | October 2026 (planned) |
Thriving Kids is the Australian Government's planned partial replacement for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It is targeted at children aged eight and under who have developmental delays or autism.
Background
The government introduced Thriving Kids citing a need to reduce costs for the NDIS. In the August 2025 policy announcement, the government announced that they would seek to reduce growth of the NDIS to 5–6%.[1]
Thriving Kids was detailed in a speech by NDIS minister Mark Butler to the National Press Club on 20 August 2025. Butler announced that the federal government would spend $2 billion to start the scheme.[2]
The government revealed how Thriving Kids would operate on 3 February 2026. The program will begin from October 2026 followed by a full rollout in January 2028. The first part of the plan includes identification of support needs, the next involves connecting families to appropriate support, the last part of the plan involves how supports work in practice. The supports fall into three categories, these categories are known as "low need" that emphasise parent-led approaches, the next category is "moderate need" children would have access to more supports, children with a "significant permanent disability" include those with developmental delays or autism and will remain eligible for the NDIS.[3][4]
On 22 April, NDIS minister Mark Butler announced that the number of participants on the NDIS would be reduced from 760,000 to 600,000 by 2030 with some being diverted to Thriving Kids.[5]
The federal government injected $2 billion to get the program started in the 2026 Australian federal budget.[6]
Reception
Disability advocate Anthia Jacobson has expressed scepticism over Thriving Kids saying that "If this is to be a truly family-centred system, it needs to be designed with true family collaboration in mind and a structured approach to shared parental involvement in funding allocation and supporting choice."[7]
Following Butler's announcement that the government will reduce the number of NDIS participants, crossbench MPs warned that this should only be done once Thriving Kids is fully operational.[8]
References
- ↑ Chrysanthos, Natassia; Newling, Nick; Morgan, Cassandra (20 August 2025). "'Not the right fit': NDIS won't take children with autism, developmental delay in $2b shift". The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/not-the-right-fit-children-to-be-diverted-from-ndis-under-scheme-reboot-20250820-p5mob8.html.
- ↑ Young, Evan; Campanella, Nas (20 August 2025). "'Thriving Kids' and a fresh growth target: The new NDIS announcements explained". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-20/ndis-growth-thriving-kids-autism-mark-butler/105675484.
- ↑ Young, Evan; Campanella, Nas (3 February 2026). "Model revealed for Thriving Kids, the NDIS alternative for some children with developmental delay or autism". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-03/thriving-kids-model-released-autism-developmental-delay/106287786.
- ↑ Chrysanthos, Natassia (21 August 2025). "What's the government doing about autistic children? We explain the changes". The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/what-s-the-government-doing-about-autistic-children-we-explain-the-changes-20250821-p5momw.html.
- ↑ Truu, Maani (22 April 2026). "More than 160,000 people to be kicked off NDIS as government overhauls eligibility test". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-22/mark-butler-ndis-overhaul-eligibility-test/106592186.
- ↑ Tregenza, Holly; Dick, Samantha (12 May 2026). "Federal budget 2026: Winners and Losers". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-12/federal-budget-2026-winners-and-losers/106639966.
- ↑ Jacobson, Anthia (21 August 2025). "Thriving Kids will displace me and lead to poorer outcomes for my son". The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/thriving-kids-will-displace-me-and-lead-to-poorer-outcomes-for-my-son-20250821-p5motw.html.
- ↑ Chrysanthos, Natassia (7 April 2026). "Crossbench MPs warn Labor against slashing NDIS growth in budget". The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/crossbench-mps-warn-labor-against-slashing-ndis-growth-in-budget-20260407-p5zlvo.html.
Further reading
- Young, Evan; Campanella, Nas (21 April 2026). "From cost blowouts to fraud and benefits, here's everything you need to know about the NDIS". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-21/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ndis/106566022.
External links
- Fact sheet: Foundational Supports and Thriving Kids
- Thriving Kids | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Thriving Kids | NDIS
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