Four peak nursing organisations have united to call for critical workforce reforms and sustainable funding models to ensure the success of the federal government's Thriving Kids initiative.
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN), Australian College of Children & Young People's Nurses (ACCYPN), Maternal, Child & Family Health Nurses Australia (MCaFHNA), and Professional Association of Nurses in Developmental Disability Australia (PANDDA) have made a joint submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Thriving Kids, highlighting significant gaps in workforce capacity and service delivery.
The 2024 Australian Early Development Census showed only 52.9 per cent of Australian children are developmentally on track across all five developmental domains, with 23.5 per cent vulnerable in one or more areas - the highest rate ever recorded.
The organisations point to a 2024 Flinders University pilot study demonstrating the effectiveness of paediatric nurse-led developmental checks for children from birth to five years, supporting their call for expanded nurse-led models of care in early learning settings.
"Nurses working in primary care have frequent engagement with children during immunisation visits and early childhood checks, but we need more targeted investment in paediatric screening," Acting ACN CEO, Zach Byfield said.
"Further, we must remove barriers preventing nurse practitioners from working to their full scope of practice in paediatric care."
Alicia Bell, Director of ACCYPN, said specialised training is all-important.
"Pre-registration nursing education doesn't currently require paediatric content, leaving many nurses without essential skills to support children's development. We're calling for revised accreditation standards to mandate this training," Alicia said.
The joint submission highlights that families face wait times often exceeding 12 months for developmental assessments.
Research from the Sydney Child Neurodevelopment Research Registry shows that, while caregivers typically identify concerns by age three, children don't receive assessments until an average age of 6.6 years.
"These delays are unacceptable," said Dr Louise Wightman, Chair of MCaFHNA.
"Child and family health nurses, paediatric nurses, and nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to deliver timely early interventions in community settings and schools where families already engage - but only if we address workforce capacity and training gaps," Louise said.
Gail Tomsic, President of PANDDA, said children with developmental disabilities are disproportionately affected by fragmented services and workforce shortages.
"We need coordinated national action to ensure every child can access the support they need, regardless of location or background," Gail said.
Key recommendations
- Remove regulatory and Medicare barriers preventing nurse practitioners from providing full-scope care, including telehealth access,
- Introduce blended funding models to improve access to developmental assessments and early intervention services,
- Expand evidence-based programs like Watch Me Grow across all jurisdictions,
- Mandate paediatric content in undergraduate nursing programs,
- Establish a national approach to school nursing with consistent standards and equitable access,
- Protect existing services and prevent the erosion of essential programs like Victoria's soon-to-close Parentline.
