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Thriving Kids is available to all children experiencing developmental delays, with the first phase of its roll-out beginning on October 1.
The ACT's Education Minister and Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Minister announced the beginning of the Thriving Kids program in the ACT. The ACT has announced the first phase of Thriving Kids, a program aimed at helping children under nine experiencing developmental delay get access to support.
Those on the NDIS before 2028 will stay on it, subject to usual reassessment criteria, but critics say those who are diverted to Thriving Kids may face longer waits for diagnosis and care. Thriving Kids starts on October 1 and is expected to be fully implemented by January 2028.
The ACT government says children under the age of nine will not yet be removed from the National Disability Insurance Scheme as it begins to roll out the Thriving Kids program. A federal government initiative, Thriving Kids was announced as a way to better support children experiencing developmental delays.
Today, ACT Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Minister Suzanne Orr announced Thriving Kids would begin to operate in the ACT from October 1, ahead of its official start date in January 2028. All states and territories have opted in except for Queensland, but there are concerns it could mean some children will lose vital support.
Thriving Kids offers a phone line for parents or guardians to ring if they have questions about their child's development, regardless of whether they have a diagnosis or not.
"If you have a question on your child's development or delay, if you want to check in with an allied health professional, we will have those supports here,"Announced without warning last August , it aims to divert children under nine years old with "mild to moderate" developmental delays and autism away from the NDIS. The next stage connects families to the appropriate support, and the later stages focus on providing that care depending on the individual needs of the child.
Children with "significant permanent disability" will remain eligible for the NDIS. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is being overhauled by the federal government.
"The first phase of the rollout will be a scaling up of our existing services, so we'll have more supports there to assist more people in our community and we'll continue to see that build," Ms Orr said today. Ms Orr said the program was "not about moving people off the NDIS".
"We'll continue to provide those supports and we'll continue to work through what it looks like for access to the NDIS and how Thriving Kids and the NDIS link. "" a clearer pathway for parents, carers and families where they do have concerns about their child's developmental delay or any aspect of their child's development," she said. Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson told 666 ABC Canberra they still knew little about what the Thriving Kids program would deliver.
Ms Orr said that with early intervention created by Thriving Kids, they would be "getting more people the support they need when they need it, which will actually work in helping to move through the system more seamlessly when you need it as opposed to having to wait". But Ms Rogerson said with children able to access it without a diagnosis, the service would likely be overwhelmed.
"It's going to capture children with ADHD, children with speech and language delays, it's going to capture children with behavioural issues," she said.
Act Local Stories Ndis Disability Autism Developmental Delays Children Thriving Kids Act Government Announcement Roll-Out
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