Submission 246 — Queensland Catholic Education Commission — Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

Queensland Catholic Education Commission
Level 3, 143 Edward Street, Brisbane Qld 4000
GPO Box 2441, Brisbane Qld 4001
Ph +61 7 3316 5800 Fax +61 7 3316 5880
email: enquiries@qcec.catholic.edu.au
www.qcec.catholic.edu.au\ ABN: 57 525 935 419

Thriving Kids

October 2025

Introduction

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on behalf of Queensland Catholic education on the development of the Australian Government’s Thriving Kids initiative.

QCEC is the peak strategic body with state-wide responsibilities for Catholic schooling in Queensland. This submission is provided on behalf of the five Diocesan Catholic school authorities and 18 Religious Institutes and other incorporated bodies which, between them, operate a total of 312 Catholic schools that educate more than 160,000 students in Queensland.

The Queensland Catholic sector provides early childhood education for children in the year before full-time schooling (termed kindergarten in Queensland) via kindergarten programs delivered at sessional kindergarten services and in long day care (LDC) services. Sessional kindergartens typically operate from 8:30am to 2:45pm during school terms only.

QCEC has direct oversight of sessional kindergarten services that offer kindergarten programs approved by the Queensland government. This is due to the Queensland government implementing a governance arrangement to manage the distribution of funding to sessional kindergarten services, whereby sessional kindergarten services are required to be a member of a Central Governing Body (CGB). QCEC is currently the CGB for 29 approved sessional Catholic kindergarten services dispersed across the state.

In preparing this submission, QCEC engaged with Queensland Catholic School Authorities and Queensland Catholic Early Childhood Education and Care providers, whose feedback has shaped the sector’s submission.

This submission responds to each of the headings outlined in the Terms 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. QCEC welcomes the examination and publication of a reliable evidence base to help parents identify if their child has a mild to moderate developmental delay and to access credentialled services for support and diagnostic review. Clear definitions are needed to ensure consistent diagnosis and application of disability terminology, including imputed disability (see the Disability Discrimination Act 1992). Although the initiative aims for regular developmental reviews through mainstream services like GPs, maternal health clinics, and early learning centres, access is often inconsistent and sometimes difficult, especially for families in rural/remote locations or those from First Nations or Culturally

and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Furthermore, there is no certainty that every professional is sufficiently trained in developmental screening or equipped to guide families toward appropriate supports.

Without clear pathways and culturally safe resources, parents will continue to struggle to identify and/or share their concerns about their child and navigate the complex service system. Thriving Kids can improve outcomes by endorsing services that offer equitable access and clear pathways to diagnostic support, enabling timely and effective early intervention for families and children.

2. Examine the effectiveness of current (and previous) programs and initiatives that identify children with developmental delay, autism or both, with mild to moderate support needs to 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. QCEC supports the evaluation of programs that support the identification of children with developmental delay and/or autism and/or both. Many children with mild to moderate support needs are not identified until school age. Early intervention is widely acknowledged as beneficial, but support should be available across all stages of development. Ongoing low-level support can be critical in helping some young people achieve meaningful life outcomes and may reduce the need for NDIS involvement through adolescence and adulthood.

   Local child development hubs, which provide integrated medical and allied health services, have declined or become more specialised, supporting children with severe disability, reducing access. This model of service could offer seamless wrap-around supports for families across settings where their children live, learn and play.

   Thriving Kids aims to provide localised support; this requires equitable access to local mainstream systems and includes families in rural and remote areas, where they often face limited availability and travel challenges. Long waitlists for diagnostic services, medical and allied health services, and financial barriers further restrict access; ideally, all diagnostic services would be fully supported through Medicare. Telehealth helps but does not always meet families’ needs, especially in the early stages of the journey.

   Smooth NDIS transitions require clear and transparent eligibility criteria and coordinated service provision. Without this, fragmented services and frustration will persist. Overburdening schools and early childhood education settings with additional responsibilities risks staff burnout, as educators are not allied health professionals.

   Success depends on enabling allied health professionals to work with families alongside educators within a wrap-around service delivery model. Universal, evidence-informed approaches and best practice knowledge are needed to enable professional collaboration. Geographic differences should not be a barrier; a truly national systemic approach is required.

   Educators often lack the referral knowledge and confidence to raise developmental concerns with families and long wait times mean children may miss early intervention windows. Access is uneven, especially in rural and remote communities, due to workforce shortages and fragmented systems.

3. Identify equity and intersectional issues, in particular, children who identify as First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse. Thriving Kids can address persistent cultural and systemic barriers to support for children with mild or moderate developmental needs and/or autism. Professionals need access to cultural training and use diagnostic tools that reflect cultural norms and lived experiences to reduce risks of misdiagnosis or exclusion. Culturally responsive services should actively engage with families, including those from CALD backgrounds, and provide interpreters with first-language resources to close cultural safety gaps and support navigation of complex system processes. For non-citizen children, such as

refugees and asylum seekers, exclusion from timely and appropriate services raises concerns about meeting international obligations under conventions like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the UN Human Rights Declaration.

Key factors contributing to inequity include:

• Limited culturally appropriate and responsive assessment and service/therapy options, leading some First Nations families and families with a CALD background to avoid services.
• English literacy barriers and confusing digital entry points restrict access to available supports.
• Families not involved in local mainstream services, such as playgroups or community groups, may miss information about available supports.
• Geographic isolation, workforce shortages and fragmented service systems especially affect rural and remote communities, limiting both access and continuity of supports.
• Financial barriers, such as fees and associated costs for attending appointments and assessments, and digital tools and resources, further limit regular access to services.
• Inconsistent bias awareness training for service providers leaves cultural safety gaps unaddressed.

A coordinated, culturally and community-response approach is needed; one that builds trust and improves access to services for all families, regardless of background or geographic location.

4. Identify gaps in workforce support and training required to deliver Thriving Kids. The Thriving Kids initiative highlights significant workforce challenges, particularly around capacity, role clarity, and training needed to support children with developmental needs and/or autism. Access to experienced allied health providers is especially limited in regional, rural and remote areas, and without targeted investment, the initiative risks further straining an already stretched workforce.

Key workforce gaps include:

• Persistent challenges with recruiting and retaining allied health staff, worsened by travel demands and limited incentives for regional/rural placements.
• Educators in schools and kindy programs are increasingly expected to fill allied health service gaps or implement intervention programs, despite not being qualified clinicians. This blurring of roles undermines both education and therapy, placing unrealistic expectations on school/kindy staff.
• Lack of dedicated funding for allied health services in education settings leads to inconsistent and informal collaboration.
• High workloads and workforce shortages are particularly acute in rural and remote locations throughout Queensland, affecting both education settings and allied health sectors.
• Structural systemic barriers, such as arbitrary local government and/or state and territory government boundaries, result in inconsistent service delivery for communities that are near each other.

Opportunities for improvement:

• Invest in workforce development through integrated child-centred service models that move with the child across education settings.
• Maintain clear professional roles to protect the integrity of both education and clinical practice.
• Ensure all staff are well-trained and credentialled.
• Foster wrap-around support for families to enhance continuity and trust.
• Prevent the spread of unregulated businesses that offer inconsistent or unverified support.

In summary, addressing workforce and training gaps is essential for the Thriving Kids initiative to be successful. A coordinated, well-resourced approach is needed to deliver high-quality integrated services.

5. Draw on domestic and international policy experience and best practice. Effective programs are well-funded, provide regular screening at key developmental stages by skilled practitioners, and actively involve families throughout their child’s journey.

   Examples of government resources that can help educate and support families:

   • Red Flags Early Identification Guide (Birth to 5 years) brochure (Qld Gov)
   • Red Flags School-age Guide (Qld Gov)
   • Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards (ACECQA)
   • Early Years Connect (Qld Gov)
   • Maternal and child health (Vic)

   International models offer milestone monitoring, scheduled health visits and universal screening, demonstrating the value of culturally responsive and family-centred approaches. For example:

   • Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early (USA)
   • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Bright Futures (USA)
   • Well Child Tamariki Ora Programme (NZ)

6. Identify mechanisms that would allow a seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs. Mechanisms that allow for a seamless transition through mainstream systems include:

   • Provide adequate and targeted funding for workforce recruitment, retention, development, and paid collaboration time, with specific incentives to attract and retain staff in rural and remote areas
   • Secure information sharing systems between education settings and services, and a continuous record of child development from birth to 8 years, including universal transition protocols such as joint planning to support children.
   • Universal screening at key developmental junctures, with outcomes attached to service provision.
   • Clear referral pathways, to enable timely and affordable diagnostic services.
   • Parent education to support transitions for their child, not just access to websites and reading materials, like the Triple P program.

Conclusion

The Thriving Kids review/design team must prioritise clear, consistent communication, especially regarding the NDIS eligibility and the scope of Thriving Kids, as well as the rationale for these changes.

There is notable apprehension, particularly in relation to children with autism, regarding the continuity of support for a lifelong disability. Clear, consistent and timely communication with professionals, referral agencies and mainstream services such as schools and early years education settings must be aligned so that stakeholders and families are not subjected to conflicting information.

Communication must accurately reflect the realities of access and support within communities to foster trust and confidence in the Thriving Kids initiative. The current NDIS program has encountered significant difficulties in efficiently identifying and supporting all children with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism, resulting in pressure on the scheme and a perception that the NDIS is

the sole avenue for assistance. This highlights a critical gap in the early intervention services outside the NDIS, which requires families to navigate a complex and often confusing system.

The Thriving Kids initiative proposes to address these challenges by scaling and enhancing existing mainstream and community services, including schools and early childhood education settings. However, further clarification is needed regarding the specific nature of services in these settings and how scaling will occur without further overburdening an already overstretched workforce.

It is essential to recognise that children with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism often require support beyond the age of eight. This initiative’s design must have representation from all education providers (government and non-government) from the outset, as this has not been the experience with the work to date on Foundational Supports. While operational similarities exist across educational settings, unique characteristics must be integrated into the program design from the outset, as retrofitting solutions after implementation is unlikely to be effective.

Thank you for your consideration of this submission.

Allan Blagaich
Executive Director QCEC