Foundational Supports in Australia

Foundational Supports is a new $10 billion, five-year program jointly funded by the Australian Government and the states and territories. It strengthens disability support outside the NDIS, for all people with disability, including people who are not eligible for the NDIS. The National Agreement on Foundational Supports commenced on 2 February 2026, and services are being rolled out in stages from 2026. Carevo’s network already includes more than 18,000 home, community and allied health providers across the support types foundational supports will fund.

Governments are still finalising the specific services and how to access them. This page explains what is confirmed so far, who the program is intended to help, and how families in Australia can connect with the kinds of providers foundational supports will fund.

What foundational supports are

Foundational supports are disability supports that sit outside the NDIS. The idea came out of the review of the NDIS, which found that many people with disability had no support pathway unless they entered the NDIS, even when their needs did not match a scheme built for people with permanent and significant disability.

Foundational supports fill that gap. They are available to all people with disability, including people who are not eligible for the NDIS, and they are funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the states and territories. The program does not replace the NDIS. It runs alongside it, giving more people a way to get support without an NDIS plan.

A new role called a navigator is being created to help people find and use the support system. NDIS navigators and the broader navigator function are being co-designed and piloted between 2026 and 2028, so the way people are connected to supports will keep developing over that period.

The two streams: general and targeted

Foundational supports are organised into two streams.

General foundational supports are for all people with disability. These include:

• Information and advice
• Individual and family capacity building
• Peer support
• Self-advocacy
• Disability employment supports

Targeted foundational supports are for people under 65 with lower support needs who are not eligible for the NDIS. These include home and community supports such as:

• Shopping
• Cleaning
• Aids and equipment

The exact services within each stream, and how people will access them, are still being finalised by governments. If you are not eligible for the NDIS, the page on disability support without the NDIS sets out the home and community supports you can arrange now and how many providers offer each. You can also go straight to a specific support, such as personal care, domestic help, social support, or community access.

Conditions foundational supports most often help with

Foundational supports, and its first phase Thriving Kids, focus on developmental and lower-intensity disability needs. These are conditions many providers on Carevo already support. The numbers below reflect providers with a real track record for each, based on referrals they have actively supported:

• Autism: 85 providers with experience
• ADHD: 25 providers
• Speech delay and language disorder: 18 providers
• Intellectual disability: 15 providers
• Down syndrome: 13 providers
• Developmental delay: a core Thriving Kids focus, with capacity growing as the program rolls out

Thriving Kids supports children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism, so these conditions sit at the centre of the program’s early phase.

Carevo connects you with the providers who deliver these supports. It is not the program and it is not a government body.

Who can access foundational supports

The general stream is intended for all people with disability. The targeted stream is intended for people under 65 with lower support needs who are not eligible for the NDIS.

Beyond that, detailed eligibility rules, including how needs are assessed and how people apply, are still being finalised by governments as the program rolls out. We will not guess at specifics that have not been confirmed. If you want to understand where you or a family member might fit, it is worth keeping an eye on official Australian Government updates and speaking with a navigator once that role is available in your area.

For people who are unsure whether the NDIS or foundational supports will suit their situation, an NDIS functional capacity assessment looks at how disability affects daily life and can help clarify which level of support fits.

Thriving Kids: the first phase

Thriving Kids is the first phase of foundational supports. It is backed by $4 billion for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs.

Thriving Kids starts on 1 October 2026 and is to be fully rolled out by 1 January 2028. It creates a publicly funded pathway for young children with developmental delay and autism who need early childhood early intervention but whose needs fall below the NDIS threshold.

Because Thriving Kids is the first part of foundational supports to begin, families with young children in Australia are likely to see this stream become available before the broader targeted and general supports.

How this works with the NDIS

Foundational supports do not replace the NDIS. The NDIS continues for people with permanent and significant disability who need that level of support. Foundational supports add a layer below and beside the NDIS for people whose needs are lower or who are not eligible for the scheme.

If you are working out which pathway suits your situation, two things can help. An NDIS functional capacity assessment gives an evidence based picture of how disability affects everyday life. And the new navigator role, including NDIS navigators, is being designed to guide people through whichever supports are right for them. Navigators are being co-designed and piloted between 2026 and 2028, so this help will expand over the rollout period.

Some people may use more than one pathway over time, moving between foundational supports and the NDIS as their needs change. The two are intended to work together rather than block movement between them.

How Carevo helps

Carevo is a connection platform. We do not deliver care, and we are not the government or the foundational supports program. Carevo connects you with vetted providers in Australia across the support types foundational supports will fund, including support workers, personal care, domestic help and cleaning, social and community participation, transport, allied health and therapy, and respite.

Because foundational supports are still rolling out, the way you access government funded supports will keep changing through 2026 to 2028. What does not change is that the providers who deliver these supports are available now. If you need help with shopping, cleaning, getting out into the community, allied health, or respite in Australia, providers through Carevo can support you today, whether you fund it privately, through the NDIS, through Support at Home, or through foundational supports as that program becomes available.

When foundational supports services open in your area, the same kinds of providers in Carevo’s network will be among those delivering them.

Frequently asked questions

What are foundational supports?

Foundational supports are a new $10 billion, five-year disability support program jointly funded by the Australian Government and the states and territories. They sit outside the NDIS and are available to all people with disability, including people who are not eligible for the NDIS. The National Agreement on Foundational Supports commenced on 2 February 2026.

How are foundational supports different from the NDIS?

The NDIS is for people with permanent and significant disability. Foundational supports add a layer alongside the NDIS for people with lower support needs or who are not eligible for the scheme. They do not replace the NDIS. The two are intended to work together.

What is the difference between general and targeted foundational supports?

General foundational supports are for all people with disability and include information and advice, individual and family capacity building, peer support, self-advocacy, and disability employment supports. Targeted foundational supports are for people under 65 with lower support needs who are not eligible for the NDIS, and include home and community supports such as shopping, cleaning, and aids and equipment.

Can I get foundational supports if I am not on the NDIS?

Yes. A central purpose of the program is to support people with disability who are not eligible for the NDIS. The general stream is for all people with disability, and the targeted stream is specifically for people under 65 with lower support needs who are not on the NDIS.

When do foundational supports start?

The program is rolling out in stages from 2026. Thriving Kids, the first phase, starts on 1 October 2026 and is to be fully rolled out by 1 January 2028. The broader rollout continues across 2026 to 2028. Specific services and how to access them are still being finalised by governments.

What is a navigator?

A navigator is a new role being created to help people find and use the support system. Navigators are being co-designed and piloted between 2026 and 2028, so this support will expand as the program rolls out.

Is Carevo a government body or a foundational supports provider?

No. Carevo is a connection platform. Foundational Supports is a government funded program. Carevo connects you with vetted providers who deliver the support types the program is designed to fund. It does not deliver care and it is not part of government.

---

Carevo connects people in Australia with vetted providers across the home, community and allied health supports that foundational supports will fund. The program is government funded and still rolling out, but the providers who deliver these supports are available now.

Speak with a provider today to find out who is accepting new clients in Australia and how they can support you, whether you fund it through the NDIS, Support at Home, privately, or through foundational supports as it becomes available.