Thriving Kids has started. What it means for families of young children

Maybe your three year old isn't talking as much as the kids at day care. Maybe your five year old melts down every time the routine changes, and you're not sure if that's normal or something more. Until now, the main door for help was the NDIS, with its forms, evidence and wait. Since 1 October 2026, there's another one.

Thriving Kids is a joint program of the federal, state and territory governments, worth $4 billion over five years. It's for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs, and for their families. It's rolling out in stages, with everything due to be in place by 1 January 2028.

What you can use today

Three national services opened on day one, and they're free.

• The Thriving Kids hub at raisingchildren.net.au/thrivingkids, run by the Raising Children Network. It covers what to expect at different ages, how to spot when a child might need some extra help, and what support is out there.
• The national phoneline on 1800 882 436. You talk to a maternal and child health nurse about development and behaviour, by phone or video, from 7am to midnight, seven days a week.
• The Thriving Kids Autism Helpline on 1300 654 789, run by Amaze. It's for families of children up to 8 who are autistic, waiting for an assessment or wondering whether to get one. It's open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and you can call through the National Relay Service.

You don't need a diagnosis for any of it, so you can ring with a hunch.

What's coming in NSW

The hands-on help sits with each state, so it looks a bit different depending on where you live.

In NSW, the Department of Communities and Justice is running it. From October 2026, the first services are peer support for parents and supported playgroups for children aged 5 and under, run by local community organisations. DCJ was still choosing providers when we checked in October 2026, with results due in October and November, so the list of what's on near you will fill in over the next few months. DCJ will post what's on and where on its Thriving Kids page, and you can join its mailing list to hear when services open near you.

From January 2027, NSW starts targeted supports, beginning with short-term allied health therapies. Under the national plan, targeted supports cover things like speech pathology, occupational therapy and psychology, plus low-cost assistive technology such as communication aids and sensory tools. In NSW you'll reach them through a central intake run by DCJ, and expect some kind of assessment first.

Also on the way is a new Medicare Healthy Kids Check, where your GP looks at your child's health and development at age 3. The federal health department lists it among supports still rolling out.

If your child is already on the NDIS

Nothing changes for them yet. NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister put it plainly at the launch: there will be no changes to who can get the NDIS until 1 January 2028.

The NSW Government goes further. Children who join the NDIS before 1 January 2028 will be reassessed under the rules that applied before that date. Children with permanent and significant disability, including autistic kids and kids with developmental delay who have high support needs, stay eligible for the NDIS as they are now.

If you're thinking about applying, you still can. Until Thriving Kids services are up and running locally, the NDIS early childhood approach stays open for children under 9. An early childhood partner can link you with local services, and for children under 6, offer a short program of early support, usually three to six months. No diagnosis is needed there either.

We covered the bigger picture of the new NDIS law in the NDIS changes coming in 2026 and 2027, including what happens to plans and reassessments.

Questions worth asking

Thriving Kids is new and it's patchy at the start. Not every service exists yet, and Queensland hadn't signed up when the program launched, according to researchers writing in The Conversation. Children also age out at 9, and there's no firm plan yet for kids who are too old for Thriving Kids but not eligible for the NDIS.

A few things to sort out early:

1. Ring the national phoneline or the autism helpline with your actual questions, even if they feel small.
2. If your child is close to 9, or their needs are high, talk to an early childhood partner about whether the NDIS is the better fit.
3. Write down what you notice day to day. It helps whoever you end up talking to.

And when the appointments start stacking up, getting to them can be the hardest part of the week. Zoomly lets you book transport, a Support Partner, or both in one booking.

Where this comes from

• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: First phase of Thriving Kids supports start today
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Families, Thriving Kids fact sheet
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Supports being rolled out
• NDIS: Thriving Kids
• NDIS: Guide to the early childhood approach
• NSW Communities and Justice: Thriving Kids
• Raising Children Network: Thriving Kids Information and Resources Hub
• The Conversation: Thriving Kids launches today. Here's what will and won't change