kiind.

Thriving Kids in WA - What it will take

October 2025

redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material

House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

Kiind | Parents of Children with Special Needs Inc t/a Kiind
Ground Floor, Family Resource Centre
Perth Children’s Hospital
15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands WA 6009
C/- Child and Adolescent Health Service, Locked Bag 2010, Nedlands WA 6909
Phone (08) 6164 9806 Email hello@kind.com.au Web Kiind.com.au

Kiind is endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (DGR) under item 1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997

Contents

• About Kiind

• Summary of recommendations

• Introduction

WA’s strengths, opportunities and\

• challenges

Helping families access safe and reliable\

• information Identifying developmental delay and autism\

• and supporting children and their families

• Equity and access

• Workforce

• Evidence informed models and practice

Seamless transitions through mainstream\

• systems

About Kiind

Kiind is a family-led, independent peer support organisation that supports families raising children aged 0-25 years living with disability, autism and developmental delays.

With almost 40 years of operation, Kiind’s membership consists of nearly 7,000 families and has a staff of 10 FTE.

Embedded at Perth Children’s Hospital, our peer worker team all have lived experience and assist families to navigate through multiple systems, services and supports. We help families to connect with one another through peer support and build capacity through parent training and information resources. All services are free of charge.

Kiind offers four streams of programs, which are mutually reinforcing and can be engaged with at different stages:

• Navigation: Services and resources to help families find the supports they need and connect to the local community.
• Hospital Support: Inpatient and outpatient support, ward visits, information and guidance to help families feel supported and confident to manage their child’s care needs during and after hospital admission.
• Peer Support: Parent Support Groups and other services to help families feel supported and connected to their community.
• Capacity Building: Workshops, training sessions and information resources that provide families with the understanding and awareness they need to confidently care for their child and family.

In addition, we advocate for families at a systemic level, both at a state and national level through submissions, consultations and lobbying, informed by our Parent Reference Group and broader engagement processes.

Kiind’s model is highly effective and leads to improved outcomes

A 2025 independent evaluation found Kiind’s distinctive, family-led model is highly effective, with core strengths including peer support, family-centred care, hospital-based location, connected programs and strong community involvement.

The evaluation finds Kiind is delivering significant benefits for parents’ emotional wellbeing, stress and isolation, and improving knowledge, skills and confidence in navigating services and parenting. Gains flow through to children, who experience smoother transitions, greater participation in community activities and calmer, more supportive home environments.

Summary of recommendations

Term of Reference 1 – Evidence-based information and resources

1. Equip universal touchpoints with consistent checklists and pathways.
2. Create culturally safe, translated and accessible (easy read) resources.
3. Expand access to locally delivered family-led information, navigation and advice.

Term of Reference 2 – Identifying developmental delay and supporting families

4. Tie Thriving Kids to WA’s existing foundations such as the Child Development Service, Child and Parent Centres and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
5. Embed family-led peer support in children’s hospitals and major hubs.
6. Expand family capacity building activities.
7. Cultivate family-led peer support groups.

Term of Reference 3 – Equity and access

8. Fund Thriving Kids supports based on demand, not caps.
9. Make access fair and simple, avoid strict ‘non-attendance’ rules.
10. Do not exclude children due to visa or residency status.
11. Put cultural safety at the centre with ACCO delivery.
12. Consider family complexity when determining level of support required.
13. Track and report on equity-related outcomes.

Term of Reference 4 – Workforce

14. Build and develop the peer workforce as a cornerstone of family support.

Term of Reference 5 – Evidence-informed models and practice

15. Ensure Thriving Kids follows the National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention.
16. Build on evidence-informed models already working in WA and nationally: Hub-style integration; Peer navigation; Peer support groups; Peer workforce; family-centred care.

Term of Reference 6 – Seamless transitions

17. Use hubs as stable local entry and transition points.
18. Embed supports into education settings but make provision for children not attending.
19. Introduce a “passport” for children to more easily access services.
20. Ensure continuity across tiers and systems with standardised warm handovers.

Introduction

Kiind has been delivering trusted peer-led support to families for 40 years

For 40 years Kiind has walked alongside families in Western Australia. We are family-led and independent, supporting almost 7,000 families raising children with disability, autism or developmental delay.

Our team is based at Perth Children’s Hospital and connects with families across WA by offering peer support, navigation, hospital support, capacity building and systemic advocacy. As we are led by families, we understand the day-to-day realities of navigating a complex web of supports and we know how important it is that services feel welcoming and easy to use.

Kiind is also a member of the Child and Family Disability Alliance which brings together family-led organisations around the country. The Alliance made a detailed submission to the DSS consultations on early years foundational supports in December 2024. We encourage the Inquiry to consider this collective work, which reflects the experiences of families nationwide.

In 2023, Kiind undertook a Journey Mapping project to document parent and carer experiences of navigating multiple complex systems. We heard stories of incredible tenacity, bravery, and wisdom.

We heard stories of family breakdowns, loss of employment, hostile systems and mental anguish. Parents shared their visions of a good life for their child and offered solutions to the issues they faced. There are many pain points and universal struggles experienced by parents and carers in seeking support for their child. ‘Max’s story’ brings to this to life. Our Insights Report found:

• Parents and carers need to become experts in their child’s condition and in navigating systems to access supports.
• Navigating these systems represents a massive workload and that impacts the whole family. Women tend to carry this workload and often have to stop work. The impact on parents and carers’ physical and mental health is significant.
• Parents and carers often feel they’re not listened to, respected or cared for.
• Delays in diagnosis mean early intervention opportunities may be lost.
• Once you have a diagnosis, there are more hurdles to jump to access support.
• Too many children and families are falling between the gaps in supports.
• Even when you have access to supports, they’re often inconsistent and disconnected.
• System challenges are particularly complex for regional families and those connected to child protection children. Families with fewer resources are the most impacted.

WA needs Thriving Kids shaped for its own context

The picture of support in WA looks very different from the eastern states. Our geography, thin markets and workforce shortages have made the rollout of the NDIS especially challenging. Outside Perth, market-based services are rarely viable. Families often rely instead on public provision, community hubs, integrated supports and alternate funding models. Some regions and towns have an acute lack of services and supports – no paediatricians, speech or occupational therapists – or impossibly long wait lists. Some families are driving long distances - 12 hours - for appointments.

“At the moment [in our town], we have nothing.” Parent, Kiind journey mapping project 2023

This makes the design and delivery of the Australian Government’s Thriving Kids program especially important. If Thriving Kids builds on what is already working in WA communities, uses the infrastructure we already have and links health, education and family services together, it can make a real difference. If it does not, scarce resources risk being spread thin, creating opportunity costs where money and workforce effort are pulled away from proven supports.

Kiind, together with other community organisations, service providers, public agencies and stakeholders are working together on how foundational supports could work for young children and their families in WA. These conversations have been guided by WA’s Early Childhood Intervention Collaborative (the Collaborative).

The Collaborative was formed in 2023 and brings together early childhood and disability service providers, family-led organisations, government agencies, and research bodies committed to strengthening service delivery for children with disability or developmental concerns.

Meeting every six weeks, we share knowledge, explore best practice, and work collectively towards sector and system improvement in Western Australia. We have a shared vision of family-centred supports that are easy to navigate, well-connected and free from silos or territorial boundaries.

We are striving for a connected, mutually reinforcing suite of supports for children and their families that strengthen the broader service system and intersect with the everyday settings where children and their families are.

This vision is family-centred and practical and is about making support easy to find, easy to use and genuinely responsive to the places where families live, learn and spend their time. It is also the foundation for how Thriving Kids can be designed and delivered in WA so that families experience one joined-up system rather than a patchwork of disconnected services.

WA has strong foundations for Thriving Kids to build on

The best way for Thriving Kids to succeed in WA is to build on the state’s existing foundations rather than create a parallel program. Families value continuity, and WA already has a connected mix of public, not-for-profit, Aboriginal community controlled and family-led supports.

These include the statewide Child Development Service, Child and Parent Centres, family-led navigation and peer support through Kiind and partners, Community Resource Centres, early intervention research leadership through The Kids Institute and Ability WA.

These foundations are important, but they are also under strain. Wait times remain long, allied health availability outside major centres is inconsistent, pathways are unclear and families are often bounced between services.

Thriving Kids should build on what already exists in WA and avoid models that create further fragmentation. Voucher-style approaches, like MBS-funded allied health sessions, risk repeating the same problems families have faced under the NDIS which includes patchy access in regional and remote areas and inefficient use of a workforce that is already stretched.

By contrast, funding tied to community infrastructure, peer-led supports and local hubs are approaches that families trust in WA. These models provide continuity, are delivered locally rather than through distant national platforms, and offer a stronger foundation to grow from.

Thriving Kids WA: a connected, mutually reinforcing suite of supports

The below shows what Thriving Kids in WA could look like, building on what already works and avoiding models that fragment or duplicate.

Advice and Information

Light touch information and advice provided to parents and caregivers of children with developmental delay and autism. Should have deep understanding of, and provide referrals to, national and state systems and mainstream and community supports. Needs to be family led, localised and personalised for different part of WA

AVOID National Advice phone lines delivered from other states by people with no knowledge of local WA context, systems and supports.

Individual Family Support and Capacity Building

Support provided directly to families by professionals with appropriate qualifications, in a Lead Practitioner model.

Delivered in children’s everyday environments, particularly the home, with coaching-based approaches that strengthen parental skills, confidence and self-efficacy to support their child’s development. Requires the provision of regular sessions, with support available beyond one year for families who require ongoing assistance.

Individual and Group Therapeutic Supports

Individual or group therapy sessions provided by qualified professionals including but not limited to, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. Sessions can be delivered in child and parent centres and other community hubs, schools, and clinics, and if appropriate, family homes.

AVOID

Private medicalised approached isolated from broader supports. Requiring GP referrals that cause bottlenecks and widen inequities.

Group Family Peer Support and Capacity Building

Structured peer support groups, evidence-based courses and programs that bring together multiple families (or siblings) to build family capacity and social connection. Could take the form of peer support networks and parent education workshops that build ongoing capacity that lasts beyond the child turning 9.

We encourage peer facilitation and co-facilitation of programs and local delivery by facilitators who understand local WA context, systems and supports.

Group Sessions for Children and Carers

Facilitated play based, skills development sessions where families gather to play, social and learn together. These groups can help develop social skills, peer interaction and provide supportive environments for children and their parents/caregivers.

May be delivered in existing playgroup settings, child and parent centres, schools, clinics and or other community hubs.

Early identification is a necessary precursor for Thriving Kids

Thriving Kids needs to be underpinned by consistent approaches to developmental monitoring and screening, as recommended by the NDIS Review. Universal services and community settings are critical in noticing developmental concerns early and guiding families to support. Equipping staff in these settings with training in early developmental assessment will make identification earlier, more equitable, and more consistent, ensuring children who need support are recognised without delay.

Inclusion in early learning, school and mainstream services needs to be turbo charged

Thriving Kids will not succeed unless schools, childcare and other mainstream services are strengthened at the same time as new foundational supports. WA has a long way to go. Educators are not adequately trained or equipped, not are our education systems geared for inclusion. Too often, children with developmental concerns, delay or autism face gatekeeping, restraint, attendance restrictions and exclusion in early learning and schools. Some families have been pushed towards home schooling.

The NDIS Review set out a clear vision for a connected continuum of support, starting with inclusive mainstream services, through to foundational supports and then more specialist disability supports when needed. It called for stronger requirements on early learning and schools to support children with additional needs.

These directions line up with wider reforms in education, such as full-service schools, better accountability for disability funding, and a review of the Inclusion Support Program. Thriving Kids in WA should link directly into these reforms and drive inclusion as the expected norm.

“The best support that I’ve had has been a teacher. She’s one in a million, you don’t often get teachers like her. She had the passion and the compassion to see where we were at. I still rely on her a lot.” Parent, Kiind journey mapping project 2023

Families want to be actively involved as changes take place

Parents and carers of children with disability are often the first to feel the impact of system reforms, so it is important they are kept well informed and supported to navigate new arrangements.

Family-led organisations have a key role in this, helping ensure families receive clear, practical information and that their experiences are heard. Involving families in sharing information and providing feedback on how changes are working in practice will help Thriving Kids stay responsive and grounded in real needs.

WA’s strengths, opportunities and challenges

Thriving Kids needs to build on and upscale what is already working and avoid diminishing effective initiatives, or duplicating efforts.

WA supports and services are configured differently

The NDIS was rolled out later and differently in WA. The NDIS’ Early Childhood Approach[1] (ECA) is not available in large parts of WA. Wanslea Family Services is the NDIA’s sole ECA delivery partner in WA. Wanslea’s service footprint is limited to metro and major regional areas (the dark purple on the map). Much of WA (light purple on the map) does not have an ECA partner. In these areas, Remote Community Connectors employed by the NDIA or Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations provide information, navigation and referrals, but do not deliver clinical early intervention support.

Alternate models of reaching regional and remote communities are critical in WA. Block-funding, telehealth, outreach, fly-in/fly-out clinics, use of community based allied health assistants, bursts of intensive support (such as children and families travelling to Perth for programs), and integrating health and education infrastructure are relied upon.

Child Development Service

WA’s Child Development Service (CDS) is unusual compared to other states because it operates as one statewide system through WA Health. In Perth it is delivered by the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) and in the regions by the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).

CDS is often the first port of call for families worried about their child’s development. It provides free assessments and diagnoses, early therapy and parent support, referrals to mainstream services and links to the NDIS. Families can access support through community hubs, hospitals, outreach, telehealth and home visits. In some areas with no other services, WACHS also steps in to support NDIS-connected families.

Families value CDS, but it is under heavy pressure. The 2024 WA Parliamentary Inquiry found long waits for assessment and diagnosis, workforce and funding shortfalls, extra barriers for Aboriginal and regional families, and poor coordination with schools, mental health and community services.

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[1] The ECA supports children under 9 with developmental concerns, delay or disability. It provides short-term, targeted early intervention for up to 12 months. ECA is distinct from the full NDIS, which provides an individual NDIS plan and ongoing funded supports for children with permanent and significant disability.

The WA Inquiry recommended urgent action. It called for more staff and funding (WA Government made $39 million commitment in 2024–25). It urged the creation of new hubs co-located with child and family services, closer links with early educators and GPs, mobile clinics to bring allied health support into schools and childcare, and more school based allied health services. The Inquiry also highlighted the importance of CDS staff working within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, better access to ADHD diagnosis and support, and disability funding in schools that reflects children’s functional needs rather than medical labels.

The State has begun to act, with extra staff, weekend clinics and electronic referrals. These changes are welcome, but families are still facing long waits and too many are missing out altogether.

Thriving Kids could build on these reforms by helping ensure CDS has the reach, connections and support it needs to meet demand right across WA.

WA’s Child and Parent Centres

Child and Parent Centres (CPCs) are based on or near primary schools in 22 locations, mostly in areas of higher disadvantage. They are run by not-for-profit partners, including Aboriginal organisations, and support children from birth to age eight and their families.

CPCs are often the first entry point for families. They bring together universal and targeted early years supports such as:

• maternal and child health services (WA has 6 visits, compared with 10 in some other states)
• early learning programs such as playgroups and transition to school activities
• parenting support programs
• outreach clinics from the Child Development Service in some centres
• referrals to health, education, welfare, NDIS and Early Childhood Approach services.

Despite their importance, CPCs continue with limited and inconsistent investment. The WA Parliamentary Inquiry into the Child Development Service recommended expanding CPCs across the state, strengthening their role as community touchpoints alongside the Child Development Service, linking them more directly into child development pathways and ensuring they have facilities to host visiting clinicians and allied health staff.

Thriving Kids could take these recommendations forward, turning CPCs into strong community hubs where families can find the right help early and close to home.

Family led information, resources, navigation and peer supports

Kiind is deeply embedded in WA’s support system for parents and families of children and young people with disability, developmental delay and autism. The map shows the many services and supports that Kiind connects families with.

A 2025 independent evaluation found Kiind’s family-led model works well. Parents felt less stressed, more confident and better able to navigate services, and children benefited from smoother transitions and calmer home environments. Families valued knowing they could move between programs as their needs changed and still be supported by trusted peer workers.

The Kiind model is already being shared with the Goldfield’s Women’s Health Care Centre in Kalgoorlie, where staff are supported to deliver it locally.

With Thriving Kids, this peer-led approach could spread further through community partners or Kiind staff in regional hubs, so more families across WA can access support close to home.

Early childhood intervention research to practice is strong in WA

WA has strong research capacity in early childhood, particularly through The Kids Research Institute, which focuses on turning research into real impact for children. The Institute supports innovation through the Child Development Service. The Inklings early prevention pilot for babies aged 6-18 months showing differences in social interaction and communication, is being delivered by public and community service providers.

Ability WA is also a long-standing innovator. The In-Home Baby Intervention Service (IBIS) delivers support at home for babies aged 0–2. Almost half need no further intervention after the program, others are supported to make transitions. The program is funded by Telethon and is relatively small scale.

First Focus Early Intervention is another program of note. Delivered by Therapy Focus, a long-standing Perth-based not-for-profit, the program provides specialised early intervention to support children with developmental delays and learning difficulties as they transition to kindergarten or pre-primary. It includes an initial assessment, a series of group therapy sessions and a post-assessment. First Focus is funded by Telethon and currently offered in only a limited number of Perth locations.

Thriving Kids could build on these strengths by backing proven research-to-practice models and helping them reach more children and families across WA.

Helping families access safe and reliable information

Term of Reference 1 - Examine evidence-based information and resources that could assist parents identify if their child has mild to moderate development delay and support parents to provide support to these children.

1. Equip universal touchpoints with consistent checklists and pathways

The WA Inquiry into the Child Development Service highlighted how inconsistent advice leaves families confused and anxious. Families and referrers need a simple, public WA pathway that maps how support services connect. Thriving Kids should equip universal touchpoints including Child and Parent Centres, Child Health Nurses, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), schools, with simple “red flag” checklists, clear next steps and referral pathways. This would make use of WA’s existing hubs and networks instead of creating new layers.

2. Create culturally safe, translated and accessible (easy read) resources

Families continue to face barriers when information is not culturally safe or available in their language. Thriving Kids should co-design resources with Aboriginal organisations, invest in translation into key languages, and embed interpreter services across touchpoints. Building cultural safety into the system will ensure families feel respected and understood from the start.

For culturally and linguistically diverse families, interpreters, translated resources and bicultural workers need to be built into the design, not added later.

Easy-read versions of resources are important to ensure accessibility and inclusion, especially as many caregivers may also be living with disability.

3. Expand access to locally delivered family-led information, navigation and advice

Parents and carers need easy access to high quality information and support to navigate complex systems. Families naturally turn to peers for information and advice.

For many WA families, Kiind is a first port-of-call and also a trusted touchpoint they can return to at different stages. What makes Kiind’s model distinctive is that the support comes from peers and is grounded in safe, reliable and reputable sources. This means families feel understood and supported, while also getting accurate information.

“They understand. No judgement. I felt safe. At peace.”

“They don’t give false hope. Everyday people that understand.”

“They directed us to reputable organisations like the South West Autism Network.”

“They’ve been great, partly because parents are the first people we go to”.

“On a stressful “merry-go-round” before finally finding the peer workers at Kiind.”

“Someone to call when I’m confused or worried.”

“The practical help in the newsletter is what I really need. Where to go. What to do.”

Parent voices, Kiind evaluation 2025

Thriving Kids should embed this approach, building on Kiind’s four existing program streams:

• Navigation: Services and resources to help families find the supports they need and connect to the local community.
• Hospital Support: Inpatient and outpatient support, ward visits, information and guidance to help families feel supported and confident to manage their child’s care needs during and after hospital admission.
• Peer Support: Parent Support Groups and other services to help families feel supported and connected to their community.
• Capacity Building: Workshops, training sessions and information resources that provide families with the understanding and awareness they need to confidently care for their child and family.

These peer-led supports already help families feel less isolated, more confident and better able to navigate services, and could be scaled so many more families benefit.

This approach is important because WA families make very limited use of national hotlines and portals, such as the Disability Gateway, which are not fit for purpose in this context.

The Carer Gateway, delivered locally by Carers WA, works better because of its stronger local knowledge. Experience in WA shows that information and referral only succeed when they are safe, locally grounded, and delivered through trusted community networks. Thriving Kids could build on this by strengthening and scaling community-based models so more families can access the supports that genuinely work.

Identifying developmental delay and autism and supporting children and their families

Term of Reference 2 - Examine the effectiveness of current (and previous) programs and initiatives that identify children with development delay, autism or both, with mild to moderate support needs and support them and their families.

This should focus on community and mainstream engagement, and include child and maternal health, primary care, allied health playgroups, early childhood education and care and schools.

4. Tie Thriving Kids to WA’s existing foundations — CDS, CPCs and ACCHOs

Thriving Kids should be anchored in WA’s Child Development Service, Child and Parent Centres and ACCHOs. This will expand reach, avoid “bouncing” between services, connect supports and make better use of block funding in towns where private markets don’t work. WACHS will remain critical in regional and remote areas, where families often have no other entry point.

5. Embed family-led peer support in children’s hospitals and major hubs

For almost 40 years, Kiind has provided peer support inside Perth Children’s Hospital, where families are often at their most vulnerable. Parents describe it as life-changing: peer workers sit with them on the wards, provide emotional support, connect them with trusted resources and link them back into community. The 2025 evaluation found hospital-based peer support to be critical, especially for families travelling from regional and remote areas.

There is nothing like this service anywhere else in Australia. Thriving Kids could embed this approach in children’s hospitals nationally, and in major hubs across WA giving families timely, trusted support where they already access services.

“It’s a unique service. I’d love to see it in every hospital.”

“The Kiind staff sit with you. Takes the stress out of feeling alone.”

“They literally held my hand and helped me pull myself together. I’ll never forget it.”

“Would not have survived hospital without them.”

“If it was possible to expand reach of the service, that would be incredible.”

Parent voices, Kiind evaluation 2025

6. Expand family capacity building activities

Parents are the single most important influence on a child’s development. Thriving Kids should invest in family-led programs that build parenting skills, confidence and connection.

Research shows these programs improve children’s communication, play and daily living skills, reduce behaviours of concern, and enhance wellbeing for both children and parents. Models co-facilitated by trained peers are especially effective, combining professional expertise with lived experience.

7. Cultivate family-led peer support groups

Parents and carers often feel that the reality of their lives is not well understood by others, including friends and family members which can make it difficult to maintain relationships or build new ones.

Parent support groups reduce isolation, provide belonging and offer insights only other parents can give. Families describe them as a safety net that helps bring down the overwhelm, whether delivered online or face-to-face.

Kiind parents report the chance to connect with others in similar situations has been “worth its weight in gold” — turning a lonely and difficult experience into one where they feel understood, informed and less alone.

“You do get judged by your friends. You do get judged at the supermarket.”

“We’d never go to a cafe, to a place where the expectations of a child would be quite high.”

“I knew every Wednesday I could go there and be believed.” [On Kiind’s peer support groups]

Parent voices, Kiind journey mapping project 2023

Thriving Kids should invest in these groups so more families can access the connection and knowledge that only peers can provide.

Equity and access

Term of Reference 3 - Identify equity and intersectional issues, in particular, children who identify as First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse.

8. Fund Thriving Kids supports based on demand, not caps

Targeted supports will fail if families are turned away once capped places are filled. Demand-based funding is essential so that every child who meets the threshold for access can receive support. A guaranteed minimum level of support for each tier should be built in, giving families confidence that Thriving Kids will be there when they need it.

9. Make access fair and simple, avoid strict ‘non-attendance’ rules

Families should not face complicated forms or administrative hurdles just to get help. In WA, we know that rigid processes discourage families already under pressure. Trust also takes time, so families must not lose access because of strict “non-attendance” rules.

10. Do not exclude children due to visa or residency status

All children deserve access to support, regardless of visa or residency status. Excluding temporary residents would cut off families who already face isolation and barriers, undermining the goals of Thriving Kids.

11. Put cultural safety at the centre with ACCO delivery

First Nations families avoid services they see as unsafe, even when children need support. Thriving Kids must enshrine First Nations leadership in governance, fund ACCHOs as delivery partners, and support on-Country outreach and travel assistance.

12. Consider family complexity when considering level of support required

Some families juggle multiple layers of complexity, such as parents with disability, more than one child with developmental needs, or children excluded from school or childcare, family violence, poverty or homelessness . Thriving Kids should make one-on-one help the default offer in these situations, recognising that family context shapes the level of support required.

13. Track and report on equity related outcomes

Too often, inequities go unmeasured. Thriving Kids should track key metrics such as time to first help, completion of supports, and outcomes for First Nations and CALD families. Regular monitoring will show whether supports are reaching those who need them most, and where adjustments are required.

Workforce

Term of Reference 4: Identify gaps in workforce support and training required to deliver Thriving Kids.

14. Develop the peer workforce as a cornerstone of family support

Peer workers with lived experience help families manage the challenges and joys of raising a child with disability or developmental delay. They offer practical advice, build confidence and guide families through complex systems. Families trust this support because it is both relatable and reliable.

Kiind has developed its peer workforce by drawing on our network of families, equipping those with lived experience (often mothers whose careers have been interrupted) to rebuild their working lives.

Thriving Kids can build on this success by investing in training, supervision and networks so peer workers are skilled, consistent and able to reach more families.

“I am the coordinator. I am the case worker.” Parent, Kiind journey mapping project 2023

A stronger peer workforce also creates a foundation for career pathways. With the right training and support, parents and carers can move into complementary roles across the Thriving Kids workforce such as allied health assistants (Cert III/IV) or family support workers, where their lived experience is valued and their skills are formally recognised.

A targeted approach in regional and remote WA to grow the peer workforce and create supported pathways into allied health assistant or community services roles offers a practical, community-driven response to workforce shortages. Just as importantly, it builds a workforce that genuinely understands and responds to the needs of families raising children with developmental delay, autism or disability.

Evidence informed models and practice

Term of Reference 5: Draw on domestic and international policy experience and best practice.

15. Ensure Thriving Kids follows the National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention

WA families have contributed to the national review of Early Childhood Intervention and expect the newly released National Best Practice Framework for ECI to be put into practice. Thriving Kids ought to be guided by this framework — embedding key worker and transdisciplinary models, family and child centred approaches, supports delivered in everyday settings and a strong focus on inclusion in early learning and community life. Families also need clear information and peer-led communication so they know what best practice looks like.

“Accessing therapy takes a lot of resources - from parents and child - and it’s got a cost in terms of what the child doesn’t get to do with that time - so it needs to be worthwhile.” Parent, National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention consults hosted by Kiind, Sep 2024

16. Build on evidence-informed models already working in WA and nationally

Thriving Kids should scale approaches that families already trust and that evidence shows to be effective.

• Hub-style integration (CPCs, ACCHOs, WACHS sites) Families in rural and Aboriginal communities face long waits, cultural safety concerns and fragmented pathways. Hub models that bring health, education and family supports together locally make services easier to access and more effective.
• Peer navigation (Kiind and similar models) Parents often say they want more connection with other families but don’t know where to find it. Kiind’s 2025 evaluation shows peer navigation fills this gap with safe, timely and practical guidance, reducing stress and helping families make sense of complex systems.
• Peer support groups Peer groups reduce isolation, provide belonging and offer insights only other parents can give. Families describe them as a “safety net” that helps bring down the overwhelm, whether delivered online or face-to-face.

• Parent education programs Families report feeling more capable and supported when these programs are offered, especially when co-facilitated by a peer worker.
• Peer workforce Kiind’s 2025 evaluation highlights that families see peer workers as the defining feature of their support — trusted, non-judgmental and practical. Parents consistently said peers “just get it” in ways professionals cannot. Building this workforce is essential if Thriving Kids is to succeed.
• Family-centred care The most effective programs are those that combine relationship-building (empathy, respect, genuine listening) with capacity-building (equipping families with skills, confidence and options that suit their needs and culture). Kiind’s model shows how these elements come together — parents not only receive support, but many go on to become peer workers or leaders themselves.

Seamless transitions through mainstream systems

Term of Reference 6: Mechanisms for seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs.

17. Use hubs as stable local entry and transition points

Child and Parent Centres, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and WA Country Health Service sites can act as local “front doors.” In communities where pathways are fragmented, hubs provide continuity and coordination by bringing health, education and family supports together in one trusted place.

18. Embed supports into education settings but also make provision for children not attending

Schools and early learning services are where families already are. Placing allied health, navigation and peer supports in these settings creates consistency for children, shared strategies for educators and families, and real-time help in classrooms. Families tell us this makes the biggest difference because teachers understand their child and parents are not forced to keep re-explaining needs.

This approach fits with current reforms: the review of the ECEC Inclusion Support Program and calls to extend the Disability Standards for Education to ECEC; Better and Fairer Schools reforms that strengthen resourcing and full-service school models; the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children; and the expansion of Child and Family Hubs. Thriving Kids in WA should connect with and amplify these changes, not sit apart from them.

An important caveat is that support must also reach children who are not attending, excluded from, or pushed out of early learning or school. Thriving Kids must not compound their disadvantage by delivering supports only in the settings they are missing from.

19. Introduce a “passport” for children to more easily access services

Families are tired of repeating the same assessments to access different services. A single shared plan — a simple “passport” — should carry a child’s goals and needs across health, disability and education. This cuts red tape, saves time for a stretched workforce and reduces stress on children and families.

20. Support continuity across tiers and between systems with standardised warm handovers

Children should be able to move between tiers of support, return for further help when needed and step between Thriving Kids and the NDIS without disruption. Changes to NDIS pathways for children should be deferred until Thriving Kids is tested and fully established. Every transition should include live contact, a shared plan and a booked next step — not just a referral letter — so children don’t fall through the cracks between CDS, ECA, schools and the NDIA.