What we know so far about the Thriving Kids program

On 20 August 2025, Disability and NDIS Minister Mark Butler announced the Thriving Kids program at the National Press Club. It is designed to support children with developmental delays and autism through community-based services, sitting alongside the NDIS rather than inside it. Here is the picture as we understand it today, written for families weighing up what it means for them.

What was announced

Thriving Kids targets children aged zero to eight with developmental delays and mild-to-moderate autism. Rather than entering the NDIS, eligible children will receive support through community settings — early-childhood services, schools, and primary care — under a federally and state-funded model.

“Diverting this group of kids over time from the NDIS is an important element of making the scheme sustainable and returning it to its original intent.”

When does it start?

The Minister has flagged 1 July 2026 as the commencement date, with a phased rollout over the following year. The months leading up to launch are being used for community design work alongside service providers, state governments, and families.

Who is affected?

From 1 July 2026, children meeting Thriving Kids criteria will be supported through the new program rather than the NDIS. Two important carve-outs:

• Children who are already NDIS participants before 1 July 2026 will keep their NDIS plans.
• Children whose support needs are above the 'mild to moderate' threshold will continue to access the NDIS.

If your child is currently being assessed, or is on a plan today, the program does not change that. Families should still complete any in-flight reviews and assessments as normal.

Why the shift?

Two reasons sit at the centre of the announcement: a desire to refocus the NDIS on people with significant, permanent disability, and the need to return the scheme to financial sustainability. Annual NDIS growth is currently around 22% — Thriving Kids is part of a broader effort to bring that growth down to about 8% by next year.

Early intervention is also a key theme. A new Medicare item for bulk-billed three-year-old health checks will help identify developmental concerns earlier, when supports tend to have the biggest impact.

How will it be funded?

The Commonwealth and state governments will jointly fund the program, with the Federal Government committing an initial $2 billion. The exact split between jurisdictions, and the per-child investment, are still being worked out.

By the numbers

The most recent NDIS quarterly report (June 2025) gives a sense of why this matters: about 11% of children aged five to seven were NDIS participants — 13.7% of boys and 6.4% of girls — and autism accounts for around 40% of primary diagnoses in that group. Participation peaks at roughly 12% of all six-year-olds.

The Minister has acknowledged that some children are currently underserved while others receive more support than they need. The intent of Thriving Kids is to better match support to actual impact.

Concerns from the community

Plenty of legitimate questions sit alongside the announcement: will the program be ready by 1 July 2026? Will community services be properly resourced before children transition? And will families have enough information to make confident decisions?

Peak autism organisation Aspect cautiously welcomed the initiative, noting that community-based support — delivered where children live, learn, and play — can create excellent developmental outcomes when properly funded.

“Autism is a lifelong developmental condition, and it's vital that Autistic children get the right support as early as possible.”

What this means for SafeSpace families

If you currently access SafeSpace supports for a child under your plan, nothing changes today. We will continue to deliver every approved support exactly as planned. Once Thriving Kids design detail is published, we will publish a follow-up note that walks through the specific transition rules so you don't have to read the policy yourself.

If you are still navigating the diagnosis or pre-plan stage and want to talk through your options, get in touch. A coordinator can sit with you, in plain language, and map out what makes sense for your family across both pathways.