Submission No 115
INQUIRY INTO FOUNDATIONAL AND DISABILITY SUPPORTS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Organisation: Wesley Mission Date Received: 18 September 2026
wesley mission
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young
people in New South Wales
Submission to the Select Committee on Foundational and Disability Supports Available for Children and Young People in New South Wales
September 2026
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
Executive Summary
Wesley Mission welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Committee’s further inquiry into foundational and disability supports available for children and young people in New South Wales. We are a major provider of disability, family preservation and early intervention, out-of-home care, out of school hours care, youth, housing and homelessness, and community-based services, and a registered NDIS provider. In 2024–25, Wesley Mission supported 139,683 people across our services, including 27,217 people through our families and children programs and 14,192 people through our teenager and young adult services.
We support the introduction of foundational supports and the intent of Thriving Kids. Early intervention in a young person’s trajectory plays a critical role in improving developmental outcomes, family wellbeing and long-term participation in education and community life. Our concern is not with what is being built, but with what is being left unbuilt.
Thriving Kids is the first phase of foundational supports, and it is deliberately bounded: children aged 8 and under, with developmental delay and/or autism, with low to moderate support needs, supported through time-limited, largely group-based services within a capped funding envelope. No second phase has been funded, designed or scheduled in New South Wales. At the same time, NDIS access arrangements are tightening, with changes for children taking effect from 1 January 2028 and broader eligibility reform moving access towards a functional capacity model focused on permanent and significant impairment.
The consequence is a foundational supports market being built for one cohort while demand arrives from many. Two groups in particular will sit outside both systems: school-aged children and young people aged 9 and over with low to moderate support needs, and people who rely on the NDIS for social and community participation rather than clinical therapy. Neither group is served by Thriving Kids. Neither is currently commissioned for. Both will present to state-funded systems regardless.
Across our services, Wesley Mission consistently sees the difference that early intervention, coordinated support and skilled navigation make to long-term outcomes — and the cost when they are absent. Where foundational supports do not exist, the need does not disappear. It is absorbed by schools, hospitals, child protection, homelessness services and, ultimately, the justice system. The financial case for completing the foundational supports system is therefore a state case as much as a Commonwealth one.
Based on our experience delivering services across New South Wales, this submission recommends that the NSW Government:
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Commission a second phase of foundational supports for school-aged children and young people, designed now rather than after the gap becomes visible in demand data,
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Fund and commission targeted supports for social and community participation for people transitioning off, or unable to access, the NDIS,
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Deliberately design and steward the foundational supports market, including for thin markets, regional and rural coverage and workforce sustainability,
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Guarantee continuity of support across age, program and eligibility boundaries, and fund the navigation and coordination work that makes continuity possible,
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
- Extend needs-based access across the whole system, so that support does not depend on diagnosis, and
- Account for and fund the cost shift to state systems that will otherwise absorb unmet need.
Foundational supports present a significant opportunity to improve outcomes for children and young people with developmental concerns, delays, differences and disability. To realise that opportunity, the system must be accessible, coordinated and responsive to need, with clear pathways across services and life stages. The Committee has an opportunity to name the gap clearly and to recommend that government plan the next phase now — before the transition, not after it.
Wesley Mission would welcome the opportunity to discuss any of the issues raised in this submission.
Yours sincerely,
Bay Warburton Managing Director, Community Services Wesley Mission
Contents
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Executive Summary
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- Summary of recommendations
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- Removing barriers to support
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- The cost of getting it wrong
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- Conclusion
Wesley Mission acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original and ongoing traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which we all live and work. We recognise the continuing sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the Australian states and territories where we have a presence, and their absolute right to self- determination. We pay our respects to all Elders – past, present and future generations – and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
For further information, contact:
Joel MacKay, General Manager – Strategy, Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement
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Summary of recommendations
The following recommendations are directed at the gap that will remain once Thriving Kids is established and NDIS access arrangements change. Based on Wesley Mission’s experience delivering services across New South Wales, closing that gap requires ensuring the right services exist for the cohorts no current program serves, that families can find and reach them, and that support continues across the transitions where children are most likely to be lost. On this basis, the NSW Government should:
| # | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Commission a second phase of foundational supports for school-aged children and |
| young people aged 9 and over with low to moderate support needs, with a funded design | |
| process commencing in 2027 so that services are operating before NDIS access | |
| changes take effect on 1 January 2028. | |
| 2 | Fund and commission targeted foundational supports for social and community |
| participation for young people and adults who lose, or cannot access, NDIS funding — | |
| the support type most at risk of disappearing entirely through the transition. | |
| 3 | Deliberately design and steward the foundational supports market, rather than allowing it |
| to form as a by-product of Thriving Kids procurement, including modelling and publishing | |
| the size of the residual cohort in New South Wales and making explicit provision for thin | |
| markets, regional and rural coverage, workforce sustainability and viable unit prices. | |
| 4 | Fund navigation and coordination as a service in its own right, and empower community, |
| health, education and family support services to connect families directly with supports, | |
| rather than relying on providers to absorb this work unfunded. | |
| 5 | Guarantee continuity of support across the age and eligibility boundaries at 8 and 9 |
| years, at school entry and transition, and at the point of NDIS exit, so that no child or | |
| young person loses support solely because they aged out, completed a program or no | |
| longer qualify. | |
| 6 | Extend needs-based access across the whole foundational supports system rather than |
| only its first phase, ensuring support is available when developmental concerns first | |
| emerge and that needs-based access does not mean information-only support. | |
| 7 | Account for and fund the cost shift to state systems — schools, health, child protection, |
| homelessness and justice — that will otherwise absorb unmet need, and reflect this in | |
| NSW budget planning for the transition period. |
2. The gap at age nine
2.1. Current context
2.1.1. Thriving Kids will provide early intervention services for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs, with general supports available from October 2026 and targeted supports from January 2027. The NDIS early childhood approach currently reaches children under 9. Once NDIS access arrangements change from 1 January 2028, a child with low to moderate support needs who turns 9 will sit outside both systems.
2.1.2. This is not a small cohort, and developmental need does not resolve at a birthday. While current reforms focus heavily on early intervention, many children and young people will continue to require support as they move into adolescence and adulthood.
2.2. Need persists well beyond early childhood
2.2.1. Children with communication, sensory, regulation and learning needs frequently require support through the primary years, at the transition to high school, and into adolescence — the very points at which educational disengagement, mental health deterioration and family breakdown risk escalate.
2.2.2. Through our Families Together, out-of-home care and out of school hours care services, Wesley Mission works with school-aged children with exactly these needs as a matter of routine. Increasingly, they are the children for whom our practitioners cannot identify any funded pathway: too old for Thriving Kids, not impaired enough for the NDIS, and not served by any commissioned alternative.
2.2.3. The current design also creates a perverse incentive. Intensive investment is directed at ages 0 to 8, followed by a cliff. Where early intervention succeeds in moderating a child’s support needs, that child may then be ineligible for both the NDIS and any foundational offer — penalising the very outcome the reform seeks to achieve.
2.2.4. Foundational supports should therefore operate as part of a broader continuum of care, not as a single early childhood program. A second phase for school-aged children and young people should be designed and funded now, not after the gap becomes visible in demand data.
Recommendation
Commission a second phase of foundational supports for school-aged children and young people aged 9 and over with low to moderate support needs, with a funded design process commencing in 2027 so that services are operating before NDIS access changes take effect on 1 January 2028.
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
3. Supports for social and community participation
3.1. Current context
3.1.1. A significant proportion of people currently rely on the NDIS not for clinical therapy but for social and community participation — the supports that enable someone to leave the house, sustain relationships, take part in community life, and maintain mental health and wellbeing.
3.1.2. These supports are among the most exposed in the transition. They are typically the first to be reduced when plans are reassessed against functional capacity thresholds, and they are the least well accounted for in foundational supports design to date.
3.2. No identified replacement
3.2.1. Thriving Kids does not cover social and community participation. Mainstream community services are not funded to provide it at scale. For many young people transitioning off the Scheme, particularly those with psychosocial disability and those with moderate intellectual disability and autism, there is presently no identified replacement.
3.2.2. The consequence is predictable: social isolation, loss of routine and structure, carer strain, and escalation into higher-cost systems. Wesley Mission has seen repeatedly that where community participation support is withdrawn, the cost re-emerges elsewhere — in mental health presentations, in family breakdown, in homelessness and in crisis-driven service use.
3.2.3. Wesley Mission has previously raised this directly with the NSW Government, noting that a significant proportion of people who transition off, or are unable to access, the NDIS will not be able to access established programs such as Thriving Kids, and that early state- level planning is critical to prevent service gaps and worsening outcomes. That concern has not yet been addressed through any commissioned response.
Recommendation
Fund and commission targeted foundational supports for social and community participation for young people and adults who lose, or cannot access, NDIS funding — the support type most at risk of disappearing entirely through the transition.
4. Building a foundational supports market
4.1. Current context
4.1.1. Foundational supports are frequently described as a market. In practice, what exists in New South Wales is a single commissioned program with a capped funding envelope, a defined cohort and a fixed set of service types, procured through a staged tender process. Everything outside Thriving Kids remains uncommissioned.
4.2. Three risks to supply
4.2.1. Thin markets: block-funded, geographically defined packages will not reach every community, particularly in regional, rural and remote New South Wales. Providers cannot sustain services in areas where no funded volume exists, and families in those communities will have the least access to the supports the reform promises.
4.2.2. Workforce: the allied health and early intervention workforce is being reshaped around Thriving Kids requirements, drawing capacity towards the funded cohort and creating scarcity for everyone outside it. A sector and workforce transition plan is welcome, but it must account for the children and young people no current program serves, not only those within the first tranche.
4.2.3. Provider viability: organisations are being asked to transition from individualised NDIS funding to capped block funding without a clear picture of what sits beyond the first tranche. This uncertainty discourages the very investment in capability, workforce and infrastructure that the reform depends upon.
4.2.4. A market does not emerge on its own. It must be designed, stewarded and funded, with deliberate attention to coverage, price, workforce and the cohorts no current program serves. That design work should begin with modelling and publishing the size of the residual cohort in New South Wales, disaggregated by age, region and support type, so that commissioning follows evidence rather than assumption.
Recommendation
Deliberately design and steward the foundational supports market, rather than allowing it to form as a by-product of Thriving Kids procurement, including modelling and publishing the size of the residual cohort in New South Wales and making explicit provision for thin markets, regional and rural coverage, workforce sustainability and viable unit prices.
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
5. Accessible and coordinated pathways
5.1. Current context
5.1.1. Many children and young people present with complex and overlapping needs that do not fit neatly within a single service system. Developmental concerns may be associated with disability, trauma, mental health challenges, family violence, educational disengagement or broader family circumstances. Because of this, families frequently engage with multiple service providers and are often left to navigate these systems on their own.
5.2. Navigation is essential, and unfunded
5.2.1. It is a common experience among Wesley Mission practitioners to act as de facto navigators — helping families identify available supports, coordinate services and advocate across systems. This work is essential, it is largely unfunded, and under the emerging arrangements it remains unaccounted for once a child leaves Thriving Kids or never enters it.
Case study: Coordinated support for a child with emerging developmental concerns
A Wesley Mission practitioner supported a parent whose young child was displaying developmental concerns and experiencing challenges in early childhood settings. The family required assistance navigating multiple systems, including primary healthcare, developmental assessments, speech therapy and occupational therapy. The parent reported feeling overwhelmed by the number of appointments, referrals and service pathways available.
Rather than simply referring the family to external services, the practitioner worked alongside the parent to coordinate appointments, break complex processes into manageable steps and build their confidence in advocating for their child. The family was supported to access developmental checks, specialist referrals and therapeutic supports, while also implementing practical strategies within the home environment to support the child’s development and wellbeing.
Over time, the child successfully commenced preschool and accessed appropriate developmental supports. The parent developed greater confidence in navigating service systems and advocating for their child’s needs.
5.3. Designing for access, not gatekeeping
5.3.1. Foundational supports should prioritise coordinated access pathways and strong provider collaboration. Children identified through schools, playgroups, community services, health services or family support programs should be able to move seamlessly into more specialised assistance where required. Similarly, community-based organisations, health providers and other trusted services should be empowered to connect families directly with supports and to provide navigation assistance where needed.
5.3.2. High levels of service engagement, or movement between services, should not result in an increased burden on families seeking support. Unnecessary referral requirements,
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
complex intake arrangements or additional triage processes may create further delays and confusion for families already navigating complex systems — a risk that grows as access to targeted supports is centralised through a single intake process.
Recommendation
Fund navigation and coordination as a service in its own right, and empower community, health, education and family support services to connect families directly with supports, rather than relying on providers to absorb this work unfunded.
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
6. Continuity of support across the life course
6.1. Current context
6.1.1. Coordination is of particular importance during transition periods, as children and young people age and move between programs and services. These transition periods present a heightened risk of children and families falling through the cracks, particularly where there are unclear pathways between services or repeated requirements to re-establish eligibility.
6.2. The transition points are multiplying
6.2.1. Under the emerging arrangements, the number of points at which a child can be lost is increasing: the age boundary at 8 and 9, school entry and the move to high school, the end of a time-limited episode of Thriving Kids support, and the point of NDIS exit or non- entry. Each is a moment at which a child can quietly disengage, and at which a family may be required to start again.
6.2.2. Wesley Mission’s experience is that families who have already navigated one system successfully are frequently required to prove need again at the next threshold, often through repeat assessment. This is discouraging for families, wasteful for the system, and most damaging for the children whose parents have the least capacity to advocate.
6.2.3. Continuity should be built in by design. Consideration should be given to what happens when children transition between programs, age cohorts and service systems, and how continuity of support can be maintained during these periods — so that no child or young person loses support solely because they aged out, completed a program or no longer qualify.
Recommendation Guarantee continuity of support across the age and eligibility boundaries at 8 and 9 years, at school entry and transition, and at the point of NDIS exit, so that no child or young person loses support solely because they aged out, completed a program or no longer qualify.
7. Removing barriers to support
7.1. Current context
7.1.1. Wesley Mission supports the decision that a diagnosis will not be required to access Thriving Kids services. That principle should extend across the whole foundational supports system, not only its first phase. As children and young people lose access to, or do not qualify for, the NDIS, they should be able to readily access the foundational supports available.
7.2. Diagnosis as a gateway delays and excludes
7.2.1. Currently, supports tailored to individual circumstances often require some form of assessment or formal diagnosis before they can be accessed. In practice, this creates a significant barrier to care, with families pursuing assessments and diagnoses primarily to unlock access to services rather than because a diagnosis is the most clinically appropriate outcome. This creates delays in support and risks excluding children whose needs are significant but do not fit neatly within diagnostic categories.
7.2.2. Foundational supports present an opportunity to shift towards a more accessible model of care that responds to a child’s developmental concerns as they emerge, rather than requiring families to first navigate lengthy assessment or diagnostic pathways. Services should be available when concerns arise, rather than only after eligibility thresholds have been met, particularly where families may not yet understand what supports are available or most appropriate to their circumstances.
Case study: Early support before diagnosis
A Wesley Mission family sought support due to concerns regarding a young child’s development and family wellbeing. At the time support commenced, the child had not received a formal diagnosis, despite ongoing behavioural, sensory and developmental concerns. Rather than waiting for eligibility to be established through formal assessment processes, practitioners worked alongside the family to strengthen parenting capability, improve home safety and support access to health and developmental services.
Through sustained support, the family was assisted to navigate developmental assessments, healthcare appointments and specialist referrals. Assessments later identified developmental needs requiring further intervention, enabling access to additional supports and therapies.
However, the family benefited significantly from early assistance provided before diagnosis, including parenting support, practical strategies and developmental guidance.
7.3. Needs-based access must not mean information only
7.3.1. Importantly, these supports should not be limited to general information or low-intensity assistance. Developmental needs are often multi-faceted and require tailored responses that build family capability, address complex and overlapping needs, and help families identify what longer-term services may be required.
Inquiry into foundational and disability supports for children and young people in New South Wales
While assessments and diagnoses will remain important in some circumstances, targeted supports, guidance and navigation assistance should not be inaccessible simply because a child has not yet completed a formal assessment process.
Recommendation Extend needs-based access across the whole foundational supports system rather than only its first phase, ensuring support is available when developmental concerns first emerge and that needs-based access does not mean information-only support.
8. The cost of getting it wrong
8.1. Current context
8.1.1. Wesley Mission has seen the consequences when children and families are unable to access timely and appropriate support. Families supporting children with developmental concerns can become overwhelmed when services are difficult to access, fragmented or unavailable. In some circumstances, this can contribute to family breakdown, declining parental wellbeing, increased child protection involvement and escalating support needs.
8.2. Unmet need is absorbed by state systems
8.2.1. Families often come to the attention of more intensive service systems not because they lack commitment or capability, but because they have been left to navigate complex systems without the support necessary to manage their child’s needs. Foundational supports should be designed to intervene before families reach crisis point. Effective navigation, early intervention, coordinated responses and tailored supports can strengthen family capability, prevent escalation and reduce demand on the wider service system.
8.2.2. Where foundational supports do not exist, the need does not disappear. It is absorbed by schools, hospitals, child protection, homelessness services and, ultimately, the justice system. These are state-funded systems, and they are already stretched. A child who cannot access developmental support at 9 does not stop needing support; they become a behaviour management issue at school, a mental health presentation at 14, and a housing or justice matter at 17.
8.2.3. The financial case for a complete foundational supports system is therefore a state case as much as a Commonwealth one. Investment in prevention and early support is materially cheaper than the crisis response that follows its absence, and the savings accrue to the same government that carries the cost of inaction.
Recommendation
Account for and fund the cost shift to state systems — schools, health, child protection, homelessness and justice — that will otherwise absorb unmet need, and reflect this in NSW budget planning for the transition period.
Conclusion
Thriving Kids is a significant and welcome reform. But it is a first phase — bounded by age, cohort and funding — arriving alongside NDIS changes that are considerably broader in reach.
Unless New South Wales acts deliberately, the transition will create a foundational supports system with two large holes in it: school-aged children and young people with low to moderate support needs, and people who relied on the NDIS for social and community participation. Neither group is served by Thriving Kids. Neither is currently commissioned for. Both will present to state systems regardless.
Foundational supports present a significant opportunity to improve outcomes for children and young people with developmental concerns, delays, differences and disability. To achieve this potential, the system must be accessible, coordinated and responsive to need, with clear pathways across services and life stages. By commissioning the next phase now, reducing barriers to support, strengthening navigation and continuity of care, and intervening before families reach crisis point, foundational supports can help ensure children and young people receive the right support at the right time, regardless of diagnosis or NDIS eligibility.
The Committee has an opportunity to name this gap clearly and to recommend that government plan the second phase of foundational supports now — before the transition, not after it.
Wesley Mission would welcome the opportunity to discuss any of the issues raised in this submission.