Evidence / 2026
Thriving Kids
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2026). health.gov.au.
- Population
- Young children with developmental delay and autism, and their families
- Sample
- Program page (not a sample)
- Condition
- Foundational supports for developmental delay and autism outside, or alongside, NDIS access
- Medication focus
- Not a medication source
- Jurisdiction
- Australia
- Last reviewed
- 2 September 2026
- Measurement period
- Page last updated 31 August 2026
Plain-language finding
The department describes Thriving Kids as a new program to support children with developmental delay and autism and their families, with a commitment of $2 billion over five years commencing from 1 July 2026. Service design, engagement and consultation are still described as underway. The page does not specify a complete service catalogue, participating states, or a worked interface with NDIS eligibility from 2028.
Important limitation
A commitment and a design process are not the same as an operating substitute for NDIS supports. Last updated 31 August 2026. Cross-read with the NDIS FAQ, which still says Thriving Kids design is being worked on with states and territories.
Why we cite this
Official description of the receiving program named in the NDIS handoff — and of how unfinished that description still is.
access · service-design · australia · ndis · autism
Supported by clinical guidelines, regulatory information, systematic reviews, or well-established pharmacological knowledge. Still describes populations, not an individual.
Claims this source supports
The department’s FAQ for the Act states that children aged eight and under with developmental delay and/or autism and low to moderate support needs will no longer be eligible for the NDIS, and that those children will be supported by Thriving Kids. Children with permanent and significant disability, and those in that age group with substantially reduced functional capacity, remain eligible. Access-criteria changes begin 1 January 2028.
Last reviewed 2 September 2026
The Act names Thriving Kids as the receiving program for children aged eight and under with developmental delay and/or autism and low to moderate support needs. The same department still describes Thriving Kids service design as underway with states and territories, and the Thriving Kids page (updated 31 August 2026) does not publish a complete service catalogue or a worked interface with 2028 NDIS eligibility. A named program is not yet a specified substitute.
Last reviewed 2 September 2026