Thriving Kids has launched: what NSW families need to know

After more than a year of announcements, Thriving Kids is now a real program. On 1 October 2026 the Commonwealth switched on the first national services, and seven of the eight states and territories, including New South Wales, have signed funding agreements to deliver the rest.

For families we support in Sydney and across NSW, the most common question is simple: does this change my child's NDIS plan? The short answer is no, not yet, and for many children not at all. Below is a plain-English summary of what has started, what is coming, and what we recommend you do now.

What is Thriving Kids?

Thriving Kids is a program that sits outside the NDIS. It is designed for children aged 8 and under who have developmental delay or autism with mild to moderate support needs. The model was released in February 2026 by an advisory group co-chaired by Minister Mark Butler and paediatrician Professor Frank Oberklaid, and it has four parts:

1. Early identification through routine child health checks.
2. Easy access points such as phone lines, playgroups and community hubs.
3. Universal parenting supports available to every family.
4. Targeted therapies for children who need more, delivered by allied health and early childhood professionals.

The program is jointly funded. The Commonwealth is contributing $2 billion over five years, matched by the states, for a total of about $4 billion. NSW will receive up to $1,074.3 million to 30 June 2031.

What is available today

• Medicare Thriving Kids Line, 1800 882 436. Staffed by maternal and child health nurses, 7am to midnight, seven days a week. You can call with any question about your child's development.
• Thriving Kids Autism Helpline, 1300 654 789. Weekdays 8am to 7pm, for families who want autism-specific advice.
• Thriving Kids Information and Resources Hub, run by the Raising Children Network, with evidence-based guides for parents.
• In NSW: parent peer support and supported playgroups for children aged 0 to 5 are the first services to open, led by the Department of Communities and Justice. Playgroup NSW has been named to deliver supported playgroups from February 2027.

From 1 November 2026, a new Medicare Healthy Kids Check for three-year-olds is scheduled to begin, subject to legislation. It is intended to pick up developmental concerns earlier and link families into Thriving Kids.

What is coming in 2027

NSW has told the sector that targeted supports, meaning allied health, goal-focused intervention and play-based therapy, will begin from January 2027, with more providers added through the year. NSW has chosen to work mainly with not-for-profit organisations for these contracts, and the first tender outcomes are expected to be announced in October and November 2026.

What changes for the NDIS, and when

This is the part that worries parents most, so it is worth being precise.

• Until 31 December 2027: NDIS access rules for children do not change. The early childhood approach continues for children under 9.
• From 1 January 2028: new applicants aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate needs will be directed to Thriving Kids instead of the NDIS. Children with a permanent and significant disability, or substantially reduced functional capacity, remain eligible for the NDIS.
• Children already on the NDIS before 1 January 2028 continue to be reassessed under the pre-2028 criteria. Government has said existing child participants will be reassessed over a three-year period using a new standardised functional capacity assessment that is still being developed.

Government modelling provided to the Senate inquiry in June 2026 estimated that around 241,000 current participants would leave the scheme by 2031, including roughly 145,000 whose primary disability is autism or developmental delay, with a further 110,000 people diverted before entry. Those figures are projections, not individual decisions, and no child's plan is being cancelled because of the launch.

Our view

Earlier, easier help for children is a good thing. The risk is in the transition: families who sit between programs, waiting lists in 2027 while NSW providers scale up, and the gap for young people who are too old for Thriving Kids but not eligible for the NDIS. Queensland had still not signed its agreement at launch, and autism clinicians have publicly said they want more detail. We will keep this page updated as NSW announces providers and locations.