Thriving Kids and NDIS changes: what families need to know

Three Therapy team · Updated 7 October 2026

If you've heard about Thriving Kids or the NDIS changes and felt unsure what it means for your child, you're not alone. A lot of families have asked us. Here's a plain-English summary of what we know so far, what's still unclear, and what hasn't changed.

What is Thriving Kids?

Thriving Kids is a new national program that launched on 1 October 2026. It's for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism who have low to moderate support needs. According to the government's information, families don't apply, and you don't need a diagnosis to get support. It isn't individual funding like an NDIS plan. Supports are delivered through services in the community instead.

What's available right now?

At the moment, the focus is on information and general supports. If you want to talk to someone:

• Thriving Kids Autism Helpline: 1300 654 789 (Monday to Friday, 8am–7pm)
• National phoneline: 1800 882 436 (7 days, 7am–midnight AET)
• Information hub: raisingchildren.net.au/thrivingkids

Therapy supports, including allied health, are expected to roll out in stages from 2027, with a full national rollout by 1 January 2028. The timing and who delivers them will differ from state to state. At the time of writing, Queensland's arrangements are still being finalised, so we can't yet say what Thriving Kids therapy will look like for Brisbane families.

What's changing for the NDIS?

• From 1 January 2028, children aged 8 and under with low to moderate support needs are expected to be supported through Thriving Kids instead of the NDIS. Children with higher support needs are expected to stay eligible for the NDIS.
• Children already on the NDIS: the information we've found isn't consistent about how this applies to them. If your child has an NDIS plan, the NDIA or your plan manager is the best place to confirm what applies at your next review.
• Claiming window: under the changes passed in August 2026, from 1 December 2026 the time allowed to claim for a support is expected to drop from two years to 90 days. If you're self-managed, it's worth claiming soon after each session.

What this means for your family, practically

Honestly, the answer depends on your child's age, support needs and where you live, and we're not the right people to tell you how the reforms apply to your specific plan. The NDIS, your Local Area Coordinator and your plan manager are the best sources for that. What hasn't changed is that therapy is still available to your child today, and there are several ways to fund it.

Other pathways available right now

• NDIS (self-managed or plan-managed): if your child has a plan, you can keep using it for OT and physiotherapy. We see self-managed and plan-managed participants.
• Medicare (GP Chronic Condition Management Plan): for children with a health condition expected to last 6 months or more, a GP-referred pathway offering rebated allied health sessions each calendar year.
• Medicare (autism & complex neurodevelopmental pathway): a separate Medicare pathway for children with a confirmed autism or complex neurodevelopmental diagnosis, whether or not they're NDIS-eligible.
• Private health insurance: if your family has extras cover, standard rebates apply the same way they would for any allied health visit.
• Private (self-funded): always available, with no referral or funding pathway required.

Full detail on these is on our Fees page, and our self-managed vs plan-managed guide explains how NDIS billing works.

Our honest position

We can't control government policy, and we won't pretend to know more than anyone else about the details that aren't settled yet. What we can do is keep our practice flexible, so that whatever happens with the NDIS and Thriving Kids, seeing your child doesn't depend on a single funding system.