07/02/2026
When systems step back, families don’t magically step up; they collapse. And calling that “thriving” is a dangerous lie.
Last week, the Thriving Kids program was announced.
The timing was confronting.
The announcement came the day after news broke of a Perth family who reportedly died in a murder–suicide, following significant reductions to their NDIS funding that left the family without essential supports.
These are not abstract policy discussions. They are real people, real families, and real consequences.
Programs like Thriving Kids are often framed as evidence of progress, but initiatives like this increasingly place responsibility back onto the very people who are already struggling most: parents.
Parents are expected to coordinate, deliver, and compensate for the withdrawal of formal supports, often while managing burnout, financial stress, and complex care needs with little acknowledgement of the limits of human capacity.
We personally know families who are already at breaking point- parents who are exhausted, overwhelmed, and in survival mode, saying out loud that they cannot keep going without adequate support. These are not uncaring parents. They are families who love their children deeply and have been left holding responsibilities that no one should be expected to carry alone.
How can we honestly say this is supporting our children to "thrive" when families are already at breaking point?
WARNING: Distressing content
