04/02/2026
This is a great summary about the Thriving Kids report - it sums up my thoughts and feelings nicely.
Many parents have asked what the ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ / ๐๐ค ๐พ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ report could mean for families.
Kids First founder, Sonja Walker, has reviewed the 80,000-word document released today and below are some of the key areas we have raised with our local MP for parliamentary discussion.
It's important to note that the intention behind the report is a positive one. Everyone wants children to get the right support earlier and to see better outcomes over time.
Weโre sharing our feedback because weโre concerned that some of the recommendations rely on assumptions that donโt always reflect family life on the ground, and that the real-world impact for children and parents hasnโt been fully considered.
๐๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐
The report recommends increasing access to information, resources and online programs to build parent capacity.
Many parents already know what their child finds hard. Whatโs often missing is time, energy and hands-on support to turn advice into real change at home, school and in the community. Online programs can be helpful, but they donโt replace skilled professionals working alongside children and families over time.
๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ
The report suggests that parent capacity can be expanded indefinitely through access to education and online programs.
In reality, many parents are already carrying a heavy load. Between work, siblings, appointments, school meetings and daily challenges, families are doing their best with limited reserves. Expecting parents to absorb even more responsibility without enough professional support risks burnout and could leave children without the help they need.
๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ โ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฑโ ๐ผ๐ฟ โ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒโ
The report relies on terms such as โmild to moderateโ developmental delay or autism to guide decisions.
These labels donโt always match daily life, and they do not reflect clinical practice. Children described as โmildโ can still struggle significantly with learning, friendships, behaviour, sleep, toileting or emotions. When decisions rely on labels rather than how a child functions day to day, some children miss early support at the point it could make the biggest difference.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
The report often refers to large Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) as the primary voice of best practice and service delivery.
Many of these organisations hold charitable status, which gives them access to funding structures, tax exemptions, grants and pilot program opportunities that smaller providers simply donโt have. This allows them to trial new models, absorb financial risk and operate at scale in ways that are not possible for most local services.
However, many of these organisations no longer operate consistently within local communities. (The NGO that Sonja once served as a Board member, Lifestart, moved out of the northern beaches years ago to redirect supports to other areas of Sydney.) When this kind of thing happens, families rely heavily on smaller, local services that know their child, their school and their area, and who can respond flexibly as needs change. These relationships are built over time and are central to effective support. If local services that are dedicated to their community disappear, that trust and knowledge canโt be replaced quickly or easily.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
The report implies that private or unregistered providers are more 'transactional' or higher risk than NGOs.
In reality, private practice clinicians are regulated by exactly the same professional bodies and bound by the same strict codes of conduct as NGOs. Many experienced therapists choose not to register with the NDIS because of cost and complexity, not because of poor or unethical practice. This distinction matters to families who depend on these services. We encourage the Thriving Kids committee to ask the question: 'If 92% of NDIS providers are unregistered, why is this so?'
๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The report supports mandatory registration without clearly outlining a timeframe or how services will transition safely. There are insufficient resources in the sector to allow this to happen, even with a January 2028 floated as a 'done by date'.
If changes are introduced too quickly, some local services may be forced to close. Families wonโt simply move elsewhere, because there often isnโt anywhere else to go. Once local services are lost, rebuilding them is extremely difficult.
๐๐๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
The report focuses heavily (and rightly so) on the challenges that are experienced by families living in Australia's regional and rural areas - however it also assumes that children in metropolitan areas have enough services and capacity.
City families face the same workforce shortages, waitlists and burnout as regional areas. Many parents already ration therapy or go without support because services are stretched.
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐
The report assumes the workforce can expand quickly to support new models of care.
Therapists take years to train, and many experienced clinicians are leaving the sector due to workload and uncertainty. New systems canโt succeed unless there are enough skilled people available to deliver care.
Switching responsibility to educators, teachers and schools is not the answer to these challenges. Educators are already stretched and are not trained or resourced to provide disability-specific assessment or intervention. Expecting them to fill workforce gaps risks pushing people beyond their scope, increasing pressure in classrooms, and leaving children without the specialised support they need.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
Support for children isnโt just about programs or policy frameworks. ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ, ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ. ๐๐ณ ๐ฒ๐
๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐น๐.
๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ (๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ) ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐, ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐. Without careful planning, broad consultation and agreement across systems, there is a real risk that well-intentioned changes could unintentionally make things harder for the very children they aim to support.
