Thriving Kids begins rolling out across all Australian states and territories except Queensland today.
PWDA is calling on governments to urgently set out what comes next for people with disability who will not be covered by the program.
Thriving Kids is the first phase of Foundational Supports, the new system of disability supports being developed outside and alongside the NDIS. The program will progressively provide supports for children aged eight and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, and their families, carers and kin.
PWDA Acting CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said the start of Thriving Kids was an important milestone, but it could not be treated as the complete response to gaps in disability support that are only going to widen for people with disability of all ages with upcoming NDIS changes.
"The gaps have always been there for people with disability who have not been eligible for the NDIS. As the NDIS changes, those gaps are only going to widen," Mx Spindler-Smith said.
"We need national leadership now. Thriving Kids is a start, but people with disability of all ages need to know what comes next, what support will be there and when they will be able to access it."
"If you are nine, 19 or 65 and need disability support outside the NDIS, there is still no clear roadmap showing what new Foundational Supports will be available to you, whether you will be able to access them or when they will arrive."
Australian, state and territory governments have committed up to $10 billion over five years to Foundational Supports, including $4 billion for Thriving Kids. While PWDA has welcomed this funding commitment, it remains concerned there is no national roadmap for the next phase.
PWDA has called on the Australian Government to provide national leadership and publish a roadmap setting out which groups of people with disability will be prioritised, what supports will be available and where, how people will access them, how they will work alongside the NDIS, mainstream services and other systems, and when they will begin.
"Ten billion dollars is a significant commitment, but people with disability need to know what that investment will actually mean for our lives," Mx Spindler-Smith said.
"We need a national roadmap that tells people who these supports will be for, what support will be available and where, how people will access it, and how it will work alongside the NDIS, mainstream services and other systems."
"Without that clarity, people with disability are being left with far too much uncertainty. We need to be able to understand what support we can rely on and plan for our lives."
There are no changes to how children or people with disability access the NDIS today. Changes to NDIS access for the Thriving Kids cohort are due to begin from 1 January 2028. Other NDIS reforms, including changes to funding for some supports, begin progressively from today and will affect the supports people with disability of all ages can access and rely on.
PWDA is also calling for action in the states where it provides Individual Advocacy services.
In NSW, where the Thriving Kids rollout is beginning progressively, PWDA wants clear and accessible information about what services are available, where they are available and how families can access them. PWDA has also proposed building on the state's previous advisory arrangements to create an ongoing disability-led mechanism to help shape NSW's roadmap for future Foundational Supports.
In Queensland, families face much greater uncertainty. As at 1 October, Queensland is the only state or territory not to have signed a Thriving Kids bilateral agreement with the Australian Government.
PWDA, the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network (QIDAN) and Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) have openly called on the Queensland Government to reach agreement with the Australian Government and commence the rollout.
"Queensland families need clarity. The lack of an agreement between governments cannot be used as an excuse to leave children and families without the supports they need," Mx Spindler-Smith said.
"Queensland also needs to start preparing for the next phase of Foundational Supports now. We cannot afford to repeat the same delays and uncertainty when other supports are developed. People with disability across Queensland already need those supports."
PWDA has published a new community explainer on Thriving Kids and Foundational Supports and is asking people with disability, families, carers and kin to share their experiences as the reforms roll out.
Read PWDA's Thriving Kids and Foundational Supports explainer
Tell PWDA what you are experiencing
Read the Joint Open Letter to Minister Camm
