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If your organisation supports children and families, Thriving Kids is about to change the system around you.
This is a significant new program for children and families in NSW, and it is important that the community sector has a strong voice in how it takes shape.
In NSW, it is being introduced in stages with some general supports starting to be available from October 2026 for families who have concerns about their child’s development, including peer support programs for parents and supported playgroups for children aged five and under, delivered by community organisations. From January 2027, targeted supports will follow for children who need extra help for a period of time, including allied health therapies delivered by qualified clinicians.
Some general supports for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism, their families, carers or kin, will start to become available from October 2026, followed by targeted supports from January 2027. More services will become available throughout 2027 as the program continues to roll out.
There is a lot to welcome in this approach. Earlier, more accessible support can make a real difference, especially when it is connected to the services and communities that families already know and trust.
Good policy on paper is only part of the story
For Thriving Kids to work well, the sector needs to be ready. We need the right workforce, the right skills, strong referral pathways and services that can work together effectively. We also need to be realistic about the pressures that organisations are already facing.
That’s why NCOSS has been engaged by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) to consult with the sector and help inform the Sector and Workforce Development Plan.
DCJ has already heard a range of views about the workforce, sector and system issues that may affect implementation. This next stage is about going deeper to find out what is missing, what needs to happen first and where the effort should be focused over the next few years.
We want to hear from you
Whether you’re already delivering relevant services or considering doing so, we want to hear from organisations across disability, allied health, early childhood education and care, child and family services, health and the broader community sector.
DCJ intends to engage a First Nations organisation to lead dedicated engagement with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and communities, running in parallel with NCOSS’s consultation. Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations are welcome to complete the survey if they choose.
Please fill out this form with your contact information if you would like to take part in the consultation.
The consultation will start next week and include a survey, targeted interviews and roundtables. We want to know what needs to be in place before January 2027, what should be prioritised during 2027-29, and what will require longer-term attention.
The people working directly with children and families know where the opportunities are and where the pressure points sit. What you tell us will feed directly into the Sector and Workforce Development Plan.
This is a genuine opportunity to help shape the conditions that will make Thriving Kids work well in practice. I encourage you to take part and share what your organisation is seeing on the ground.
If you have any questions, please contact advocacy@ncoss.org.au
Explainer: Thriving Kids is the first stage of a national reform of how governments support children aged eight and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs. In October 2026, general supports will start to become available in NSW. NDIS access arrangements for this group will change from 1 January 2028; children with higher support needs will remain eligible for the NDIS.