Thriving Kids Position Statement

Disability Rights and Culture acknowledges the Australian Government’s Thriving Kids announcement and we will always welcome further investment into supports for autistic children and their families.

While capacity building and earlier supports are important, DRC holds serious concerns about the proposition that families will be expected to carry more responsibility for their child’s support needs. Many parents are already at breaking point. Without access to timely, properly resourced 1:1 support, “skills and networks” alone will not keep children safe, learning, and included. The Minister has spoken about building “parents and families’ skills and networks” and making it easier for parents to navigate supports. DRC’s concern is that this framing can quickly become cost shifting if it is not matched with guaranteed, practical supports on the ground.

DRC is also highly concerned about additional pressures on the education system. In Victoria, the Department’s own data shows 236 expulsions from Victorian government schools in 2024, and 266 expulsions in 2023. In 2024, 46 expulsions involved students identified as receiving “substantial” or “extensive” disability adjustments (NCCD), highlighting the ongoing overrepresentation of disabled students in exclusion. The 2024 data also shows some expelled students were not yet placed in a new education setting, and some shifted into home schooling, which underlines the real risk of children falling out of education entirely.

DRC also notes the current announcement still lacks clarity around what supports will be available to parents who are forced into home schooling due to a lack of supports in education settings. Families need certainty about access, intensity, and continuity of supports, and how Thriving Kids will interact with education obligations so that children are not punished for unmet needs.

DRC calls for transparent detail on the service offer (including access to 1:1 supports where needed), clear safeguards to prevent exclusionary school practices, and genuine co-design with disabled people and families before any NDIS access changes commence.