Submission to the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Date: Friday 3rd October, 2025
Submission by: cohealth
Website: www.cohealth.org.au
Email: redacted
Executive Summary
cohealth is one of the largest community health organisations in Australia and delivers a comprehensive range of health and wellbeing services across the north and west of Melbourne. cohealth’s model of care supports the health and wellbeing of more than 35,000 clients and has particular expertise in working with disadvantaged and complex clients, including vulnerable children and families.
cohealth is supportive of the overarching goal of Thriving Kids to create a national early-intervention support system for children with mild to moderate developmental delays. cohealth also acknowledges the importance of the NDIS program and the value of directing support and resources to those who need it most.
cohealth has a breadth of experience in working with those most vulnerable in the community, such as culturally and linguistically diverse families; families with complex mental health needs; refugees and asylum seekers; children in out of home care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
This experience prompts cohealth to advocate for ensuring access to individualised; family centered, and goal-focused allied health supports for children and families, whilst reducing barriers for those who have difficulty accessing the current NDIS scheme.
We would like the Thriving Kids Initiative to demonstrate this by ensuring that new programs are designed to support vulnerable and marginalised families, offering accessible services that meet families where they are and to make referral and access simple.
Introduction
The cohealth Children’s Allied Health team currently provides multidisciplinary support to children (and their families) who experience mild to moderate delays to their development. The Victorian Department of Health provides funding for Children’s allied health under the Community Health Program, as well as Home and Community Care funding. Additionally, our team provides the School Readiness Funding (SRF) program, funded by the Department of Education, which supports capacity building for educators and families within early years settings. The Thriving Kids Initiative is not thought to directly impact the current funding and eligibility of these services; however, it is anticipated that these services may experience additional demand due to changes to NDIS eligibility.
cohealth is often the first point of contact for many families who later go on to receive more intensive and ongoing allied health support through the NDIS. These families are often of low-socioeconomic status, residing in public housing or from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds and are already experiencing challenges in accessing affordable healthcare. Following assessment, cohealth supports these families to access NDIS services that their children require, through referrals and advocacy channels.
The literature indicates that families experiencing heightened vulnerability frequently encounter additional challenges in accessing early intervention services1. cohealth’s experience in supporting families through the referral process confirms this, highlighting the complexities of navigating the NDIS, which often involves multiple steps, appointments, and extended waiting periods. Many vulnerable families are at risk of falling through the gaps at various stages. It is therefore crucial that any reform of the current system addresses both the present and future complexities associated with dual assessment processes for state-based services and potential NDIS eligibility.
Risks and Considerations
The evidence to support the critical nature of early intervention is well documented, particularly the impact of appropriate wrap-around services on improving overall wellbeing and social participation. 2,3
In reviewing the proposed Thriving Kids’ Initiative, cohealth has concerns that some cohealth families will no longer be eligible to access NDIS supports under the
developmental delay criteria and that the Thriving Kids program will reduce access to appropriate early intervention supports.
cohealth is also concerned that families with children who are no longer eligible for NDIS supports, but who still require individualised, family-centered allied health services, will place additional pressure on community health services.
Cohealth, and other primary care organisations, that provide low-cost services currently lack the capacity and funding to deliver the intensive, ongoing care these children need, potentially resulting in delays in access to support and poorer outcomes for affected children
Recommendations
To ensure that the Thriving Kids Initiative meets the needs of all children and their families, particularly those from CALD backgrounds, those living in public housing and other vulnerable communities, cohealth make the following recommendations:
1 - Ensuring early intervention supports are accessible to all families who need it, by addressing complexity in pathways to services for those children who may no longer qualify for NDIS but still require intervention and support.
2 - To simplify access to services for individuals who face challenges with mainstream support by streamlining referral processes and reducing the steps and time required to receive assistance
3 - Consider the implications for community health and low-cost primary care services of the proposed Thriving Kids changes, including the need to increase funding to organisations such as cohealth to manage any rise in demand from children and families who may lose eligibility or experience reduced access to services
References
1 – Healthy Trajectories. (2023). Best practices in early childhood intervention: A position paper and desktop review. Retrieved from https://healthy-trajectories.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6.-Best-Practices-in-Early-Childhood-Intervention_A-Position-Paper-.pdf
2 - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025). The National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention: A guide for policy makers. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-09/the-national-best-practice-framework-for-early-childhood-intervention-a-guide-for-policy-makers.pdf
3 - Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Early support for a child with disabilities. State Government of Victoria. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/early-support-for-a-child-with-disabilities