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WWDA flags safeguard gaps for 24-hour NDIS support and calls for Thriving Kids roadmap
Key points4 points
- Thriving Kids launched on 1 October 2026 for children up to age eight with developmental delay or autism and low-to-moderate support needs.
- WWDA is calling for a government roadmap setting out what supports will exist for people aged nine and over outside the NDIS, who qualifies, and when they start.
- Changes to NDIS social and community participation funding raise concerns that eligibility limits on the 24-hour support safeguard exclude some people needing round-the-clock care.
- Restricted safeguard eligibility could increase unpaid care responsibilities for families, with women bearing a disproportionate share.
Summary
Women With Disabilities Australia highlights the start of Thriving Kids on 1 October 2026, a foundational program for young children with low-to-moderate needs, and says support for those over nine outside the NDIS remains unclear.
The organisation wants the government to publish a timetable detailing future supports, eligibility and start dates. Its October commentary also questions whether limits on the 24-hour safeguard leave some people without funding, a shift that could push unpaid caregiving onto families, especially women.