Thriving Kids Program: Start Date, Eligibility and What It Covers

What Is the Thriving Kids Program?

Thriving Kids is the first phase of the Foundational Supports reform, with the Commonwealth, states and territories jointly committing $4 billion over five years. It will support children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs, and their families, carers and kin (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). Supports are to be delivered predominantly in the everyday settings children already interact with, where they live, learn and play, and they fall into two groups: general supports such as information, advice and programs that help families and carers support their child’s development, and targeted supports such as group and one-on-one allied health and low-cost assistive technology related to development (National Agreement on Foundational Supports 2026-2031).

Nothing is operating yet. As at September 2026 there is no Thriving Kids service, no provider list, no portal and no phone line. The first state services start from 1 October 2026, so a family in Australia looking for help with a young child today still uses the existing pathways described further down this page.

Who it is for and how access will work

Access is based on a child’s developmental support needs, not on a diagnosis, so no formal diagnosis will be required (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). States will decide who receives targeted supports using nationally consistent functional needs identification and triage arrangements (National Agreement on Foundational Supports 2026-2031). The assessment tool and the threshold that separates low to moderate support needs from higher needs have not been published, so nobody can tell you today whether a particular child will qualify.

Children with permanent and significant disability, and children aged 8 and under whose developmental delay and/or autism substantially reduces functional capacity, remain eligible for the NDIS under the usual arrangements (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).

Dates, and what is still not law

Thriving Kids begins rollout of state services from 1 October 2026 and is expected to be at scale from 1 January 2028 (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). What starts in October varies by jurisdiction. In NSW, October 2026 delivers general supports only, with allied health beginning in January 2027 and access through a central intake run by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (NSW Department of Communities and Justice, 2026). Families in other states should check their own government’s published rollout rather than assume the same mix of services on day one.

Changes to NDIS access are a separate step. Governments have agreed that access will change from 1 January 2028 for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, and that children already enrolled before that date will be reassessed under the eligibility criteria in place beforehand (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). The legislation for those changes, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, passed the Parliament on 19 August 2026 and received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026 (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, 2026). The access provisions commence on the dates set out in the Act, so until 1 January 2028 the current NDIS access arrangements for children are unchanged.

One related change does not depend on that legislation. From 1 November 2026 a Medicare-funded health assessment becomes available for all Medicare-eligible three-year-olds through a GP or prescribed medical practitioner (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).

What supports will Thriving Kids actually provide?

The National Agreement on Foundational Supports 2026-2031 splits the program into two streams, and the difference matters because only one of them involves a clinician working with your child.

General supports are information, advice, peer connection and structured programs that help parents, carers and kin support a child’s development. They are open to families without an individual assessment, and they are what most states are starting with in October 2026.

Targeted supports are the clinical layer: group and one-on-one allied health, and low-cost assistive technology related to development. These require the functional needs assessment described above, and they are the part that will replace what some families currently receive through an NDIS plan.

Both are to be delivered predominantly in the settings children already use, where they live, learn and play, rather than in a clinic (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). In practice that points to early learning centres, schools, playgroups and homes.

Thriving Kids and the NDIS: what actually changes

This is the question most families ask, and the honest answer has two parts: what is decided, and what is not.

Children with permanent and significant disability, and children aged 8 and under whose developmental delay or autism substantially reduces functional capacity, remain eligible for the NDIS under the usual arrangements (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). The change from 1 January 2028 applies to the low to moderate support needs group, and children already enrolled before that date are to be reassessed under the eligibility criteria in place beforehand.

What is still unpublished

Being specific about the gaps is more useful than filling them with guesses. As at September 2026 the following are not published:

• The functional needs assessment tool the states will use, and who administers it.
• The threshold that separates low to moderate support needs from higher needs. This single number decides which children move to Thriving Kids and which stay on the NDIS.
• Any fee or contribution policy for families.
• Rollout detail for most states and territories beyond the national start date.
• The list of commissioned organisations in any region.

Until the threshold is published, no organisation, including Carevo, can tell you whether a particular child will qualify. Treat anyone who says otherwise with caution.

State by state: what is actually published

Thriving Kids is jointly funded but state-delivered, so the start date is national and the service mix is not. Only NSW has published detail.

New South Wales. October 2026 delivers general supports only. Allied health begins in January 2027, with access through a central intake run by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (NSW Department of Communities and Justice, 2026).

Every other state and territory. No rollout detail published as at September 2026. Families should check their own state government’s announcements rather than assume the NSW sequence applies. The national start date of 1 October 2026 does not mean every service exists in every state on that day.

This is worth knowing before you plan around it: a family in Victoria or Queensland has no published basis for expecting allied health through Thriving Kids in 2026 or 2027.

Four things families are getting wrong

“We should wait for Thriving Kids.” No service is running. Waiting costs you months of intervention during the years it matters most, and it does not improve your position when the program does start.

“My child will be kicked off the NDIS in 2026.” Access provisions commence from 1 January 2028, not 2026, and children already enrolled are to be reassessed under the criteria in place beforehand (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).

“We need an autism diagnosis to get in.” Access is based on developmental support needs, not diagnosis. A diagnosis is not required, though it remains useful for other pathways.

“I can sign up with a Thriving Kids provider now.” There is no provider register and no organisation can be engaged as a Thriving Kids provider today, because governments have not finished commissioning. Any provider marketing itself as a Thriving Kids provider in 2026 is ahead of the facts.

What to do now, by your child’s age

Nothing about Thriving Kids requires you to wait, and the existing pathways are unchanged.

Under 3. Raise concerns with your GP or child health nurse. Children under 9 with developmental concerns generally enter through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach rather than a standard plan, where a key worker coordinates the disciplines involved. See early childhood early intervention.

Turning 3 from 1 November 2026. A Medicare-funded health assessment becomes available for all Medicare-eligible three-year-olds through a GP or prescribed medical practitioner (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026). This is separate from the Thriving Kids legislation and is a practical way to get a developmental concern documented.

4 to 8. If your child already has an NDIS plan, it continues, and current access arrangements are unchanged until the 2028 provisions commence. If they do not, a GP Chronic Condition Management plan gives up to five rebated allied health visits a year, and private engagement has no waiting list for access decisions.

Matching the discipline to the concern saves time: speech pathology for language and communication, occupational therapy for daily living skills and sensory needs, physiotherapy for movement and gross motor delay, and psychology for behaviour and emotional regulation. Carevo lists 1,578 speech pathologists, 1,927 occupational therapists, 1,796 physiotherapists and 1,795 psychologists nationally, all of whom can be engaged today through the NDIS, Medicare or privately.

Thriving Kids is commissioned, so there is no provider to choose

Thriving Kids is a commissioned program. Governments fund organisations to deliver defined supports in each area and connect families to them. Families will not hold a budget to buy supports from a provider of their choice, which is the core difference from an NDIS plan (National Agreement on Foundational Supports 2026-2031).

That has a direct consequence for anyone comparing providers now. There is no Thriving Kids provider register, and no allied health practice can be engaged as a Thriving Kids provider today. Carevo does not list Thriving Kids services and cannot connect you to them. The providers on this page are allied health and support providers you can reach now through the NDIS, Medicare or private payment, which is a different thing.

Getting support for your child in Australia

Early help tends to work best when it starts young, which is why Thriving Kids is built around developmental need rather than a diagnosis. Some families have been told to wait for Thriving Kids before seeking help. There is no need to wait, because current NDIS access arrangements have not changed and no Thriving Kids service is running yet.

For a family in Australia, the practical first step is usually a conversation with a GP, child health nurse or your child’s educator, who can point you to what is available locally. It also helps to know which disciplines match your concerns: speech pathology for language, occupational therapy for daily skills and sensory needs, physiotherapy for movement, or psychology for behaviour and emotional regulation. The providers below can be engaged now through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach, a Medicare plan, or privately.

Availability on Carevo

Carevo lists 1,578 speech pathologists and 1,927 occupational therapists across its network who work with children on early intervention pathways today. For ongoing NDIS-funded early childhood support, see early childhood early intervention.

How this page is compiled

The provider rankings and figures on this page come from Carevo platform records, including provider registrations, measured response times and coverage, together with the cited official sources. Carevo is an Australian platform that connects families with NDIS and aged care providers. Carevo does not deliver care itself, and it does not deliver or arrange Thriving Kids services.

Funding sources and checks

Check the current NDIA pricing arrangements and Support at Home program rules for the proposed service. Funding depends on the approved support and available budget; a Carevo listing is not approval. Confirm availability and a start date directly with the provider.