A side-by-side comparison of the two programs — eligibility, what each one covers, how funding works, and what the changes mean for Australian families before and after 1 January 2028.
Both programs continue. From 1 January 2028: kids with permanent, significant disability stay on the NDIS. Kids with low-to-moderate developmental needs move to Thriving Kids. No diagnosis needed for Thriving Kids. Most families with young children will be supported through Thriving Kids, with the NDIS becoming a more specialised scheme for high-needs participants.
The NDIS was never designed to be the only support system for Australian children with developmental concerns. Today, more than 11% of all Australian children aged 5–7 are on the NDIS — far more than originally projected, and far more than is sustainable.
Many of those children don’t have permanent disability — they have developmental delay that responds well to early intervention. The NDIS, designed for lifelong disability, often forces these families through complex assessments, long waits, and confusing budgets just to get a few hours of therapy.
The 2023 NDIS Review recommended a “two-track” system: the NDIS for lifelong, significant disability; a new “Foundational Supports” layer for everyone else. Thriving Kids is the first phase of that new layer.
Individualised plans. Families receive a budget across categories (Core Support, Capacity Building, Capital Supports). You choose providers, manage your budget, and submit invoices. Plans are typically reviewed every 12 months.
Funds can pay for: allied health therapy, support workers, behaviour support, assistive technology, capacity-building programs, transport, home modifications and more.
Direct service delivery. No individual budgets, no plans, no invoicing. The government commissions and funds providers (like Picolo Bloom). Families access services free at the point of use.
Services include: allied health (speech, OT, physio, psychology, audiology), parenting education and coaching, supported playgroups, peer support, information and navigation, low-cost assistive technology.
NDIS therapy traditionally happens in clinic rooms. You drive your child to an appointment, the therapist works with them in a treatment space, you go home.
Thriving Kids is explicitly built around delivering therapy in the places children actually live and learn — your home, your child’s kinder, their school, community hubs, supported playgroups, and online for follow-ups. It’s a deliberate shift toward less disruption to your family’s day.
A Thriving Kids speech pathologist might visit your child’s kinder once a fortnight, work with educators to embed strategies into the day, and only see your child in a “session” occasionally — instead of you driving 30 minutes to a clinic every week.
Nothing changes for existing NDIS participants. State governments and providers (like Picolo Bloom) are designing Thriving Kids delivery and building family launch lists.
Thriving Kids services begin in a staged way across states and territories. New families with developmental concerns can access support through Thriving Kids without needing an NDIS plan. Existing NDIS participants continue as normal.
Both systems operate in parallel. Thriving Kids scales up. NDIS access for children 0 to 8 with low-to-moderate needs gradually tightens. New NDIS applications in this cohort are increasingly directed to Thriving Kids instead.
NDIS access narrows formally. Children aged 0 to 8 with low-to-moderate developmental delay or autism move fully into Thriving Kids. Children with high support needs continue on the NDIS.
No — not automatically. Existing NDIS plans continue. At plan review, the NDIA will assess whether your child's needs meet the post-2028 eligibility thresholds. Children with high support needs stay on the NDIS. Children with low-to-moderate needs may transition to Thriving Kids. Families will be supported through this — it won't be a sudden cut-off.
There will be review and appeal processes, similar to the NDIS today. We'll help you understand your options. The goal is to put every child in the program that suits their needs — not to push families out.
For most families with low-to-moderate needs, Thriving Kids will likely be better — easier to access, less paperwork, no diagnosis required, more flexible delivery. For children with high support needs, the NDIS remains the right system. The reform is designed to put each child in the system that fits them.
Three things: (1) join provider launch lists like ours, (2) document any concerns with your GP, child health nurse and your child's educators, (3) continue any current supports — both systems will run in parallel for over a year.
A 12-page PDF: what changes, when, and a step-by-step checklist for Melbourne families.
| NDIS | Thriving Kids | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | High support needs, lifelong disability | Low-to-moderate, age 0-8 |
| Diagnosis | Required | Not required |
| Funding | Individual plan | Direct to providers |
| Family pays? | No (plan covers) | No (free at access) |
| Where therapy happens | Clinic, home (varies) | Home, kinder, school, community |
| Includes parent coaching | Sometimes | Built in by design |
Book a free 15-min chat — we’ll walk you through it for your child specifically.