1 October 2026
Transition begins: children aged 8 and under start moving from the NDIS to Thriving Kids.
January 2028
Announced full rollout of the new arrangements.
Not yet published
Much of the operational detail. This page distinguishes announced fact from speculation, and updates as detail lands.
Part 1 of 3
What is actually announced
The shape: Thriving Kids takes over early support for younger children with developmental concerns and milder disability, through mainstream health and education systems, while the NDIS refocuses on significant and permanent disability. The dates: transition from 1 October 2026 for ages 8 and under, full rollout by January 2028.
The reasoning offered is that the NDIS became the only funded door for any developmental concern, and that early, lighter-touch support belongs in universal systems. Whatever you think of the argument, the planning consequence for families is identical: evidence of your child's functional needs is the asset that travels across both systems.
The official page, linked in the NDIS section of the resources directory, is where operational detail lands first; treat anything not on it as unconfirmed.
Part 2 of 3
What is not yet published, honestly
The operational core: exactly which children transition when, what Thriving Kids funds at the family level, how existing NDIS plans convert, and what the handover looks like in each state's health and education systems. Anyone giving confident answers on those today is guessing, including consultants charging for the guess.
This site's practice is to say not yet published and date it, rather than launder speculation into advice. The homepage tracks the same change, and this page updates as real detail arrives.
What is safe to say: staged transitions in Australian program history have grandfathering and notice built in, and children with significant permanent disability remain the NDIS's stated core. Panic moves made now, on detail that does not exist yet, help nobody.
Part 3 of 3
What families can usefully do now
Keep the evidence current and organised: assessments, therapy reports, school observations, anything documenting functional need. Stay inside the supports that exist today, GP chronic condition arrangements, early childhood partners, school adjustment processes. And route your attention to the official page, not the comment sections.
If your child's support needs are substantial and permanent, nothing announced changes their NDIS position, and the access and appeal machinery in the NDIS guide stays exactly as relevant.
For the parent working out their own neurodivergence while managing a child's, a common discovery in this community, the late diagnosis guide and the parents and carers section run in parallel.
The short version
Quick answers
What is Thriving Kids?
The Australian Government program taking over support for younger children with developmental concerns and milder disability from the NDIS, on the argument that mainstream health and education systems should carry early support. Thriving Kids services begin rolling out from 1 October 2026, and changes to NDIS access commence from 1 January 2028.
Does my child lose NDIS funding on 1 October 2026?
No single switch flips that day; the transition is staged through to January 2028, and children with significant, permanent disability remain the NDIS's core business. What changes first is the front door for new, younger entrants with developmental concerns. Existing plans run under their own terms while the staging is published.
What should parents do right now?
Three things: keep every report and assessment organised, because evidence of functional need travels across any system; stay enrolled in the mainstream supports that exist today, GP care plans, early childhood partners, school supports; and watch the official health.gov.au Thriving Kids page rather than social media, because detail is still being published.
Where does AuDHD fit in this?
ADHD alone was rarely an NDIS ticket for children anyway, and that does not change. Autistic children with substantial support needs remain squarely in the NDIS. The children most affected by Thriving Kids sit in between: younger, with developmental concerns or milder presentations, exactly where families should keep evidence current as the detail lands.