From 1 October 2026, children aged 8 and under with low-to-moderate needs begin moving out of the NDIS into community-based Foundational Supports. Shorter, outcomes-focused, parent-led. This is what it means for your practice, and how to get ready.
Thriving Kids begins
over 5 years, jointly funded by governments
with low to moderate needs move across from the NDIS
full rollout complete, NDIS access changes apply
from doing therapy, to building capacity, parent coaching and team-based care
practical ways to prepare your practice right now
Thriving Kids is the first phase of Foundational Supports: community-based services sitting outside the NDIS, jointly funded by all Australian governments at $4 billion over five years. Support is not disappearing, it is changing shape.
Children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs. Children with permanent and significant disability, or substantially reduced functional capacity, continue on the NDIS as usual.
Targeted supports including developmental therapies delivered by speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, audiologists and psychologists, plus low-cost assistive technology where needed, delivered through local community services.
Policy is still being finalised. Always check health.gov.au and ndis.gov.au for the latest. This page is a plain-English orientation for clinicians, not official advice.
The whole picture in one beautiful two-page guide: the timeline, how your sessions shift, a preparation checklist, and how to walk families through it. Free, no strings.
Less open-ended one-on-one therapy. More equipping families, educators and the child's everyday environment to support communication independently. The outcome is the same; the delivery changes.
Coaching parents to embed strategies into daily life becomes the core skill, not the optional extra. The clinicians who thrive in the new model are the ones families feel genuinely equipped by.
You will work alongside OTs, physiotherapists, audiologists and psychologists more deliberately, in a multidisciplinary, community-based model. Transdisciplinary fluency matters more than ever.
In parallel, the NDIS itself is tightening for children who remain on it. CPSP status is now required for funded therapy, funding is released quarterly rather than annually, and a new planning framework rolls out from mid-2026. The throughline: you will increasingly need to show that the support you provide is the right amount, delivering real outcomes.
This is the centre of gravity in the new model. Coach a parent to confidently support their child between sessions and you are indispensable in either system. It is also the most rewarding shift most clinicians make.
Functional, measurable, defensible at review. Goals that clearly evidence the value of therapy are your best protection in a tighter system.
Make "what will you try at home this week?" standard practice. Not the end of the session add-on, the architecture of the whole session.
Know enough about OT, physio and psych goals to collaborate well and hold your end of a multidisciplinary conversation with confidence.
Clinicians with coaching and community navigate change faster and stay steadier through it. The Zoe Grove community is built exactly for moments like this.
You'll want to be steady, honest and warm. Here is what that sounds like in practice.