The Australian Government has launched Thriving Kids on 1 October 2026 with the following features: 

• A national Digital Hub with information and resources about child development, developmental delay and developmental differences. 
• A national phoneline (1800 882 436 or by video call, 7am to midnight, 7 days a week) offering information and advice to families with questions about a child’s development or behaviour. 
• An Autism Helpline (1300 654 789, 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday) offering trusted information to families of Autistic children and families whose children may be seeking an autism diagnosis.
  

 To find out more, please visit this link.

New South Wales update

The NSW Government has advised NGOs who will provide services under tranche one of the Thriving Kids roll out. Trance one will see primarily NGOs provide a mixture of assessments, universal parenting supports, general supports and targeted supports taking up nearly 70 per cent of the total funding pool under Thriving Kids in NSW.

Later this year, we expect to learn more about tranche two, including the model involving allied health professionals and aboriginal service delivery. 

The NSW Government Thriving Kids website provides information for families and carers, including program information, explainers, and links to relevant resources and supports.

OTA is also likely to be involved in an industry group focused on the ongoing rollout and workforce readiness in New South Wales. 

OTA has also worked with the NSW Allied Health Providers Group to establish a Thriving Kids petition through the NSW Parliament. Special thanks to Prarthna Bhuta for leading this work. More than 2,900 people have now signed the petition. 

To find out more, please visit this link.

Victoria update

Under the Victorian Model for Thriving Kids there will be the implementation of two new developmental assessments for all children - one before kinder, and one before school.

Supports commencing from 1 October 2026 in Victoria include:

• Practical information and guidance to help families understand available supports and next steps.
• Increased access to the Advocating for Children with Disability (ACD) Support Line: Call the ACD Support Line on 03 9880 7000 or 1800 654 013 (regional) - Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Interpreters are available.
• More publicly funded autism assessments.
• More places in the Strengthening Parent Support program
• More training for early years educators to strengthen inclusion and help identify developmental concerns earlier, supporting the workforce and implementation of Thriving Kids.
• Victoria will also deliver a range of targeted allied health and other support services through Thriving Kids from 2027 as part of a staged roll out. The first six sites offering allied health supports will be located at Bendigo, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Loddon, Maribyrnong and Melton. They will open from January 2027.

We understand the main commissioning models will occur in 2027, so we are waiting for more details from the Victorian Government.  

To find out more, please visit this link.

Queensland update

The Queensland Government has not yet signed onto Thriving Kids, as it continues to debate the issue of the cohort with the Federal Government. OTA has met with the Department Officials leading the rollout of Thriving Kids in Queensland and we are heartened to hear that they are proposing a decentralised model that would work well for private practice providers in Queensland, but we await more details once the full plan is released. 

Western Australia update

The WA Thriving Kids Model has five parts:  

1. Information, advice, and navigation
2. Family-based capacity building supports
3. Therapeutic group and individual supports 
4. Programs for children with autism, families and carers
5. Supports by Aboriginal-led organisations

The first new service to launch is Thriving Kids Connect WA, providing families and carers with free information, advice, and practical strategies regarding child development and autism. Please visit this link.

Families can access Thriving Kids Connect WA via phone, email, online enquiry or face-to-face in some locations. The telephone service - 1300 WA KIDS (1300 925 437) - is the simplest and most accessible way for families to speak directly with an experienced team member.

To find out more, please visit this link.

Tasmania update

The Tasmanian Thriving Kids Model has five parts: 

1. Navigation, information and advice
2. Group supports for parents, carers and kin
3. Supported groups for children
4. Personalised family support
5. Therapy Supports

As part of the statewide rollout, the Tasmanian Government is recruiting Early Childhood Connectors in every region to help families find the right support sooner.

Connectors will work with Child and Family Learning Centres, Child Health and Parenting Service staff, GPs, health professionals, early childhood services, disability organisations and community groups.

They will help families understand their options and connect with appropriate local supports.

To find out more, please visit this link.

South Australia update

The SA Thriving Kids Model is focused on:

• Delivering tiered supports tailored to children's and families' needs.
• Strengthening family capacity and community connections.
• Supporting a shift towards best-practice early childhood intervention approaches across services and settings.
• Moving from an emphasis on eligibility towards a focus on suitability, ensuring families receive the most appropriate support for their circumstances.
• Expansion of universal supports through initiatives such as the Preschool Boost program.
• Enhanced Child Health and Development Checks. Free health and development checks, including age-appropriate screening activities, with an increasing focus on 3 and 4-year-old checks.
• Strengthening of community-based supports through programs such as Learn Together playgroups, with Thriving Kids enhancements and embedded early childhood intervention capability across approximately 140 playgroups.
• A broadly targeted grants program commencing soon, with encouragement for innovative service responses and community-led solutions.
• Deliver general and targeted supports. Confirmation that South Australia does not intend to replicate approaches adopted in Victoria and New South Wales, particularly regarding centrally managed intake arrangements, with alternative models being explored.

Northern Territory update

The Northern Territory Government has advised that the Department of Health will lead the majority of targeted supports through an uplift of existing services. There will be a role for additional OTs in Thriving Kids in the NT, but we await more details of their proposed Thriving Kids plan.     

While the number and complexity of children likely to require Thriving Kids supports remains unclear, the NT is particularly focused on addressing unmet need outside major centres, where thin markets are already limiting access to disability supports. 

On workforce, the NT expects to recruit fewer than 40 additional allied health professionals. A workforce plan will be developed, with a focus on capability development, training and building graduate workforce pipelines.

To find out more, please visit this link.

ACT update

As part of this first phase of Thriving Kids, the ACT Government is investing in:

• Targeted therapeutic supports ($8.5 million over five years), including time-limited allied health interventions and functional assessments.
• Intake, referral and navigation services ($6.6 million over five years) to help families understand their child’s needs, access appropriate supports, navigate services and undertake developmental screening. From 1 October, ACT families with questions or concerns about their child's development can call the new Thriving Kids ACT Information and Navigation phone line (02 6205 5500) for information, advice and connections to support services, without needing a formal diagnosis or referral.
• Initial community-based parenting and peer supports, including autism-specific supports ($581,000 over two years).
• Initial supports for priority cohorts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse children and families ($506,000 over two years).
• Community awareness initiatives ($878,000 over five years) to improve understanding of developmental delay and neurodivergence.
• A dedicated Thriving Kids implementation workforce ($3.2 million over five years) to support delivery, reporting, evaluation and broader disability reform.

 To find out more, please visit this link.