Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative
Submission to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS)
Introduction
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd (KAMS) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Thriving Kids Inquiry. As the peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in the Kimberley, KAMS auspices the Kimberley Supports Consortium (the Consortium) - a partnership of eight Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCHSs and ACCOs) working collectively to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children and families living with disability. The Consortium is comprised of:-
- Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS)
- Derby Aboriginal Health Service (DAHS)
- Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS)
- Kununurra Waringarri Aboriginal Corporation (KWAC)
- Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC)
- Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services (NEH&S)
- Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service (OVAHS)
- Yura Yungi Medical Service (YYMS)
Kimberley Supports Consortium
The Kimberley Supports Consortium (the Consortium) was established in 2019, following consultation and co-design with the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Department of Social Services, to deliver a block-funded program that ensures Aboriginal families in remote Kimberley communities can access culturally safe, timely and effective early childhood supports.
This submission highlights the work of the Consortium and in particular, the Remote Early Childhood Supports (RECS) Program, and outlines its impact in improving developmental outcomes for Aboriginal children, while identifying key challenges and opportunities relevant to the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
The RECS Program – Thriving Kids in Action
Since early 2020, KAMS and the Consortium have delivered the RECS Program for families with children under 9 years experiencing developmental delay or disability. Its purpose is to provide short-term, early intervention services that:
- Engage families early to identify developmental delays and support needs,
- Provide early intervention services to address delays with the aim to limit the need for long term support
- Where needed, provide linkages and support for a smooth transition to long-term supports
- Strengthen family and community capacity to support child development.
The guiding principle is to ensure children receive the right supports at the right time, giving them the best chance to thrive in the early years.
Workforce Model
KAMS and the Consortium operate under a Model of Care which ensures our services are delivered in a holistic way, taking account of foundational elements such as connection to family, culture, country, languages and community having a direct impact on our physical emotional and spiritual health. Cultural safety is embedded into the RECS programs and is not an add on and is underpinned by community engagement, Aboriginal workforce, cultural safety and the multi-disciplinary approach.
The RECS program operates through a partnership workforce of:
- Allied Health professionals: A multi-disciplinary team (speech pathologists and occupational therapists) providing regular outreach services to remote communities deployed from regional hubs of Broome and Kununurra
- Aboriginal Family Support Workers (FSWs): Local community members employed by Consortium member organisations, leveraging existing community cultural expertise, experience, recognition, trust and relationships.
Program Delivery
Accessing the program is a straightforward process for the children and families living in a community where the program is delivered. Referrals to the RECS program can come from anywhere, including parents, family, school, play groups, the local clinic, specialists and community organisations.
Once accepted into the program, participants enter into the service phase of 6 months provision of individual assessment, intervention and consultation. Once the 6-month period is over, the child’s progress is reviewed. Should they require additional services they stay on for another 6 months, if not they are discharged. Discharging a child involves linking up with appropriate services available in respective communities.
FSWs act as the first point of contact for families, engaging initially with the child and family to build trust and provide a culturally informed overview of the RECS program. Throughout the child’s journey in the program, FSWs continue to work closely with the family, providing continuity between Allied Health visits. They conduct culturally appropriate developmental assessments, such as the ASQ-TRAK, and support families to embed therapy strategies into daily routines, ensuring that interventions are both practical and sustainable within the family’s cultural and community context.
The FSW role also creates local employment and career pathways, building long-term workforce capacity.
The Allied Health staff provide assessments, therapy, education and linkages. Engagements are done working with the FSW ensuring cultural safety. The allied health services are family-centred and carried out according to the ACCHS model of care which is holistic and driven from an Aboriginal world view approach.
Challenges
While the Kimberley Supports Consortium has made strong progress with delivering the RECS program, several systemic challenges remain that limit the effectiveness of the program and outcomes for families. These align closely with the Standing Committee on the Thriving Kids Program Terms of Reference.
Funding arrangements
A key challenge of the RECS program is the reliance on short-term funding arrangements, which creates instability in service delivery and undermines workforce retention. Without long-term, flexible agreements, it is difficult to plan sustainably, invest in local workforce development, or provide continuity of care to children and families. There is a pressing need for multi-year, flexible funding that supports ACCHSs and ACCOs to deliver enduring, community-led services. Funding is often inadequate, given the considerable increase in all costs when delivering services to remote towns and communities.
Continuity of services
Children in the Kimberley also frequently fall between the gaps of existing services and the NDIS. Many with mild to moderate developmental delay are ineligible for NDIS supports but still require intervention past the age of 9. This leaves families without assistance during critical developmental windows. Expanding resourcing and/or allowing flexibility for ongoing supports outside of the NDIS and specified eligibility criteria would ensure that no child is left unsupported once discharged from the program.
Cultural safety
Ensuring cultural safety and embedding an Aboriginal model of care is foundational to the way that KAMS and the Consortium deliver the RECS program. Mainstream service models often do not align with Aboriginal ways of caring for children, kinship systems, and cultural responsibilities. This mismatch reduces engagement and the effectiveness of services. Strengthening investment in ACCHSs and ACCOs, who are trusted by their communities, ensures service delivery is grounded in cultural safety and community leadership.
Thin market
The principle of choice and control, which is central to the NDIS, is difficult to realise in the Kimberley due to the extremely thin service market. The vast travel distances to remote communities mean there is little incentive for conventional NDIS service providers to operate in these areas, leaving families with limited or no access to services, and effectively no real choice. In many cases, the RECS program has supported children to gain access to the NDIS, only to find that there are no local providers available to provide services. In these situations, families are often better served by continuing to receive support through the RECS program. Addressing this challenge requires innovative service delivery models in thin markets that expand the options for thriving kids providers in remote areas to also service NDIS participants.
Diagnostic services
Finally, in the Kimberley, families face major barriers in accessing diagnostic services and specialist infrastructure. Long waitlists, high travel costs, and limited availability of paediatricians, speech
pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists mean that children are often delayed in receiving a diagnosis and more targeted early intervention. These delays compound disadvantage and reduce the effectiveness of early supports. Investment in regionally based diagnostic services, specialist infrastructure, and outreach models embedded in ACCHSs and ACCOs is essential to ensure equitable access and timely identification.
Conclusion
The Consortium’s RECS program demonstrates culturally safe and community-led approaches to supporting Aboriginal children and families, reducing reliance on long long-term disability supports, and build Aboriginal workforce capacity. The RECS program shows that when Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations lead, and services are designed with community voices at the centre, families engage, children thrive, and long-term developmental outcomes improve.
We urge the Inquiry to consider how existing programs like RECS can be strengthened and sustained, and how the Thriving Kids initiative could work alongside models that are already in place. By building on what is already working in remote communities, government investment can avoid duplication, address service gaps, and ensure that Aboriginal children across the Kimberley have the best opportunity to grow up strong, healthy and on track. KAMS and the Kimberley Supports Consortium urges the Committee to prioritise:
- Partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled sector in the development and delivery of the Thriving Kids programs
- Long-term and adequate funding commitment,
- Investment in Aboriginal community-led service models,
- Improved access to diagnostics and early intervention, and
- Strategies to address thin markets in remote regions.
By acting on these priorities, governments can help ensure that all Aboriginal children in the Kimberley, and across Australia, are given the best opportunity to thrive in their early years.
Yours sincerely,
redacted
Vicki O’Donnell OAM Chief Executive Officer Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services
3^rd^ October 2025
About Us
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd (KAMS) is a member based, regional Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS). We provide support to and representing the interests of eight independent Aboriginal organisations:
- Beagle Bay Futures Indigenous Corporation
- Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange
- Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service
- Derby Aboriginal Health Service
- Milliya Rumurra Aboriginal Corporation
- Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services
- Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service
- Yura Yungi Medical Service
Kimberley Renal Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of KAMS, that delivers dialysis, prevention and support through a Mobile Dialysis Unit and renal health centres in Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing and Kununurra.
We are governed by a Board of highly respected and experienced Aboriginal representatives from our Member Services and the communities they serve.
We provide a broad range of services and programs to support our Member Services and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Kimberley Aboriginal people and communities. These include:
- Advocacy and leadership relating to Aboriginal health and wellbeing at regional, state, and national forums – in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
- Remote Services – delivering comprehensive primary health care in the remote Aboriginal communities of Balgo, Beagle Bay, Billiluna and Mulan
- Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing – supporting individuals and families through clinical and culturally informed programs, including auspicing headspace Broome
- Integrated Support Services – providing disability, allied health and aged care services/programs and delivering population health programs tailored to community needs
- Kimberley Aboriginal Health Research Alliance – leading and supporting Aboriginal-led health research and evidence translation
- Workforce and Registered Training Organisation – building a strong, skilled, and culturally safe Aboriginal health and wellbeing workforce through accredited training, mentoring, and professional development
- Corporate and clinical support – including finance, ICT, communications, human resources, work health and safety, medical services, public health, policy, and sector strengthening