State of play:
On 7 November 2025, the Thriving Kids Advisory Group held the second of what will be three meetings to advise the Government on the design of Thriving Kids.
Zoom in:
Among other things, the group is considering targeted support models, including:
- “what opportunities are provided to expand universal, [Medicare] health and development check, and community and Allied Health services”; and
- the need for supports that “respond to complexity of children’s developmental and social needs, and the well-being of parents and families”.
Zoom out:
For thousands of children with “mild and moderate” autism and developmental delay, Thriving Kids is intended to replace NDIS-funded, individualised supports.
Friction Points:
- The stakes are high. Many children need targeted help but will no longer be able to access it under the NDIS. Even with improved universal information services, targeted supports will be crucial for many autistic children and children with developmental delay.
- Timelines are tight. The Government requires the group to finalise its advice on the design of Thriving Kids “in early December 2025”.
- The states are pushing back:
- Media reports on 20 November 2025 suggest negotiations between Federal and state governments on funding are not going well.
- In parallel, some states (like NSW) are consulting on “foundational supports”, which may or may not be completely consistent with Thriving Kids.
The goal:
- The advisory group wants Thriving Kids targeted supports to be “inclusive, strengths-based, neuro-affirming…trauma informed and effective in identifying children who may benefit from additional support”.
- Identifying kids who need additional support is of course important. But, naturally, many families want to know what specific supports will be provided to their child.
Use what we know:
- Lots of work has already been done to outline what’s needed to improve outcomes for young autistic people.
- In December 2022, AutismCRC published a National Guideline for supporting the learning, participation and wellbeing of autistic children and their families (Guideline). The Guideline:
- was developed by a group that included autistic people, families, researchers, and health professionals; and
- includes 84 consensus-based, evidence-informed recommendations that explain how to work with autistic children and their families in ways that are “safe, effective, and desirable”.
- While the Guideline’s scope is limited to helping autistic children, many of its recommendations apply to children with developmental delay.
Reality check:
The Guideline gives us a framework to evaluate any proposed targeted supports for children.
What we’re watching*:
In line with the Guideline, Thriving Kids targeted supports should be:
- Child and family-centred (1);
- individualised for each child and family (2);
- ethical (7);
- evidence-based (10);
- delivered only with the informed consent of parents (12);
- delivered by people who:
- are properly qualified and supervised, and engaged in continuous professional development (13); or
- (if not regulated health professionals) have:
- the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience, training and regulation; and
- adequate supervision and support from the professional who has overall responsibility for the delivery of supports (51);
- timely and accessible (16);
- focused on family-led goals, with support from practitioners and other relevant people (22);
- meet the child’s sensory needs across activities, interactions, and settings (28);
- delivered in setting(s), formats, and dosages likely to lead to the most meaningful and sustained increase in the child’s learning, participation and wellbeing (53, 54 and 56);
- designed to:
- allow children and families to give feedback and make complaints(78); and
- require providers to inform the child and family about any potential or actual conflicts of interest in providing supports or making referrals(79).
Bottom line:
- There’s an awful lot we don’t know about Thriving Kids; and its funding is uncertain. But, whatever happens, we all want better outcomes for autistic children and children with developmental delay.
- The Guideline distills years of research and multiple perspectives into specific recommendations to achieve better outcomes. It should be used to help finalise the design of targeted supports under Thriving Kids – and to evaluate whether they are likely to help the kids who need them.
Go deeper:
Thriving Kids Advisory Group Communique – November 2025
Fiscal Fisticuffs Turn into Health Funding Brawl (The Australian, 20 November 2025)
Supporting Autistic Children Guideline – AustismCRC
Thriving Kids in Schools: Will it Work?
Thriving Kids Programs Part 1: Inklings
Thriving Kids Programs Part 2: Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS)
Thriving Kids Programs Part 3: Positive Partnerships
Breaking news: “Thriving Kids” – more than just a new name for Foundational Supports for children?
*References to numbers are to Guideline recommendations.
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