Early childhood intervention in Melbourne, for little ones and the people who love them.

Thriving Kids is the Australian Government program, co-funded with the states and territories, for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs. It started on 1 October 2026 with universal supports such as supported playgroups and a national information service. From January 2027 the states begin rolling out targeted supports such as speech therapy. It sits outside the NDIS.

Not for the NDIS early childhood approach if your child is younger than 6: developmental delay is enough, and an early childhood partner can start early connections without a formal diagnosis. Children aged 6 to 8 generally need to meet the NDIS disability requirements, which usually means a diagnosis and evidence of its impact. Thriving Kids targeted supports will need an assessment, not necessarily a diagnosis.

The early childhood approach ends when a child turns 9. Children with an NDIS plan move to the general NDIS pathway with a local area coordinator, and eligibility is assessed under the disability requirements that apply to everyone aged 9 to 65. Thriving Kids also ends at 9. We start planning the transition well before the birthday so reports, evidence and school supports are ready.

Not now. Nobody is being moved off the scheme, and NDIS access rules do not change until 1 January 2028. From then, children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs are expected to be directed to Thriving Kids, while children with permanent and significant disability stay eligible. Existing participants continue to be reassessed under the usual rules.

It depends on your child's goals and plan. Early childhood intervention teams draw on speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology and early childhood education, with one key worker leading. We tell you which professions your child's plan funds and who is involved, and refer on when a need is outside our team. We do not pad a team to use up a budget.

Yes, with your consent. Educators spend many hours a week with your child, so strategies have to work in the room, not just at home. We visit kinders, childcare centres and primary schools, share the plan with educators in plain language, and help plan the move into school. School-based supports are a separate system, and we are honest about where our role ends and the school's begins.

Yes, and for young children it usually should. Children learn best in the places and routines where the skill is needed: mealtimes, the bath, the sandpit, the kinder gate. Home and community visits are standard for us, with telehealth for check-ins when that suits. Provider travel is a separate NDIS line item, and we explain it before the first visit.

Yes. We support families in 17 languages and Auslan, and arrange interpreters for assessments and planning meetings so you understand every decision. Many developmental concerns look different across cultures and languages, and a child learning two languages is not delayed because of it. We take the time to understand how your family communicates before anyone measures your child against a checklist.