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The Australian Government has announced further details about Thriving Kids, a new early childhood initiative that will affect some Autistic children and families. This article explains what has been announced so far, the concerns raised by the disability community, and what this could mean for children currently supported through the NDIS.
Thriving Kids is a $4-billion initiative announced in August 2025. It is intended to provide supports outside the NDIS for Autistic children eight and under described as having ‘low to moderate support needs’ (their words, not ours). It is described as building on existing community and mainstream services. To support the design of Thriving Kids, the Government set up the Thriving Kids Advisory Group, co-chaired by Minister Butler (Minister for Disability and the NDIS) and Professor Frank Oberklaid from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
The announcement of Thriving Kids raised concerns across the disability community, including the lack of detail, the language used, how supports would be delivered, and the risk that children could be moved away from the NDIS before appropriate alternatives are in place.
In late 2025, a parliamentary committee held a public inquiry into the initiative and received over 400 submissions, including Amaze’s submission Building Trust and Driving Change: A Community Led Vision For Thriving Kids. On 22 December 2025, the committee released its report, No Child Left Behind. The report reflected many of the concerns raised by Amaze and others, including the need for genuine co-design, strong safeguards, evidence-based supports, and a careful, staged approach so no child loses access to support. The report didn’t touch on eligibility and language as these issues weren’t part of the inquiry’s terms of reference (scope).
On 3 February 2026, the Australian Government released further detail on the Thriving Kids model, based on advice contained in the final report of the Thriving Kids Advisory Group. The model aims to provide pathways to support for eligible children and their families, including by providing parent support and programs, information and advice services and varying levels of targeted allied health supports like speech and occupational therapy for children, based on level of support need.
The Government has also announced that the roll-out of Thriving Kids will be slightly delayed. It will start rolling out on 1 October 2026, with full implementation by 1 January 2028.
Read the Thriving Kids Fact Sheet, and the Thriving Kids Advisory Group advisory report for more details.
Our advocacy prioritises protecting NDIS access for Autistic children and outlines what Thriving kids must deliver for Autistic children and families. The report recognises the importance of autism-specific programs and services, and that they are informed by lived experience and a diversity of perspectives.
But significant questions remain, and Amaze will continue to advocate for clear, enforceable commitments from the Australian Government, including the following:
That no child will be removed from the NDIS, and no changes will be made to access criteria until Thriving Kids is fully rolled out, operational, tested, and proven capable of meeting children’s needs.
That clear eligibility criteria will be developed through genuine engagement with Autistic people, families and the broader disability community (in alignment with the National Autism Strategy).
That the Thriving Kids roll-out includes pilots and sufficient time to build workforce, delivery, and navigation capacity, consistent with the Inquiry’s recommendations. This includes a guaranteed overlap in which Thriving Kids and the NDIS operate concurrently until Foundational Supports are fully rolled out.
That adequate upfront investment will be secured to build a neuro-affirming, evidence-informed workforce to deliver the program. This includes navigation supports (including peer support) before full implementation.
That all Thriving Kids services and programs will be free for families, with no co-payment and no caps.