IPC Health
House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
3 October 2025
Thriving Kids Initiative — IPC Health’s response
About IPC Health
IPC Health is one of the largest providers of community health services in Victoria. By focusing on an integrated health services model, we provide almost 500,000 services each year to people in the growth corridor of Melbourne’s west.
Summary
IPC Health welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative and supports the development of a statewide delivery platform that embeds community health as a central pillar in supporting children aged 8 years and younger and their families across Victoria.
As a leading provider of integrated, person-centred care in Melbourne’s west, IPC Health is committed to delivering services that address the full spectrum of children’s needs — physical, psychological, social and developmental — through a holistic, multidisciplinary model. Our experience in delivering early intervention and wraparound supports positions us strongly to inform system design that is equitable, responsive and sustainable, and be a lead implementing partner of Thriving Kids in Victoria.
We have proven that our Service Model — person-centred integrated health and wellbeing coordination — is effective in driving positive health outcomes. One example is IPC Health’s impact as the lead agency of the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health & Wellbeing Local (‘the Children’s Local’). ‘The Children’s Local’ provides integrated, holistic support to children up to age 11 and their families, co-funded by the State and Federal governments. In FY 2024-25, the Children’s Local supported 523 children and their families. Many have mild to moderate developmental delays and autism, as well as other physical and mental health challenges. Delivering this service through a community health organisation with integration at its core, means coordinated multi-disciplinary care is the rule, not the exception. This means children like Trinity Huntly, with several challenges but not eligible for the NDIS, can thrive. As her mother, Rachel notes, ‘Having everything under one roof has been a game-changer. We’re not running around to 50 different places anymore. It’s way less stressful than it was with my son, who was diagnosed with autism many years ago. It’s so much easier for our family. The difference for Trinity and the whole family has been amazing.’
IPC Health would welcome the opportunity to discuss this submission and its capacity to be a lead implementing partner in Victoria for the Thriving Kids Initiative.
For more information, please contact:
Jayne Nelson | CEO | IPC Health
redacted
An introduction to IPC Health
Our journey as a community health service provider began 50 years ago in Deer Park. Over this time, we have tackled emerging health epidemics and witnessed the power of holistic, community-based care to improve lives. This is encapsulated in our vision, Well for Life, that guides us to ensure that we improve the quality of life for the people and communities we serve by maximising access to health and wellbeing services. Therefore, at every age and every stage of life, people are well at home, well at school, well at work and well at play.
Our service model, that guides how we care for people, places health and wellbeing coordination at the centre of delivering integrated services. It simultaneously addresses the biological, environmental, physical, psychological, economic and social determinants of health.
We currently operate six campuses in the Western Growth Corridor of Melbourne, which covers the Local Government Areas of Brimbank, Wyndham, Hobson’s Bay, Melton, Maribyrnong and Moorabool. According to Planning Victoria, these areas will experience significant population growth, reaching over 1.1 million people by 2036[^1].
IPC Health is committed to serving these communities and meeting their health needs. In the last financial year, we delivered 489,522 services to 49,830 unique clients. Children under 9 years of age make up over 16% of all our clients. Over a third of our clients (34%) overall used two or more of our services[^2]. This mirrors residents reporting multiple co-existing health challenges in the
[^1] Planning Victoria data. Available from: Victoria in Future
[^2] IPC Health internal data, FY 24-25, as recorded in TrakCare, Titanium and Best Practice.
communities that we serve. For instance, 28.3% of Brimbank and 22.4% of Wyndham Vale residents reported living with one or more long-term health conditions[^3]. Moreover Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data shows that children in these LGA’s are significantly more likely to be developmentally vulnerable across physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and communication indicators. For example, in some years, more than 26% of children in Brimbank were considered vulnerable in at least one indicator, compared to 19.9% across Victoria.
As a strong community partner, IPC Health had 17,346 total referrals in the same period into our allied health and mental health services. The percentage of clients using 2 or more services and being referred to IPC Health is expected to grow in line with the population.
The NDIS and children
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has fundamentally changed the way in which people living with a disability and their carers access health services in Australia. Given the number of lives that it has directly and indirectly impacted, the NDIS is the most important social reform since the introduction of Medicare in the country. However, the design of the NDIS has seen it grow by about 24% per annum on average between 2020 and 2024, putting immense pressure on the Commonwealth Budget.
The Thriving Kids Initiative is a response to this growth in uptake of the Scheme. It is a considered approach to returning the NDIS to its original mandate of supporting Australians with severe and lifelong disabilities. The Thriving Kids Initiative will contribute to this objective by identifying and providing support specifically to children aged 8 years and under with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism. This is a timely action since children aged 8 years or younger are overrepresented in the number of active participants in the scheme. 23.4% of NDIS participants are in the 0-8 years age cohort[^4] vs. 11% in that age group within the broader population (ABS 2021). In Victoria, data shows that one in five children begins school developmentally vulnerable[^5].
Investing in IPC Health and ‘upstream’ intervention: supporting children to thrive
The well-known adages that ‘prevention is better than the cure’ and ‘better to build a fence at the top of the cliff, rather than provide an ambulance at the bottom’ support the case for investing in community health in general and IPC in particular given its breadth of service delivery in the Western region of Melbourne. If hospitals, emergency departments and admissions are ‘the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ or ‘the cure’, community health services are the fences that enable greater health outcomes.
International research continues to show that community health providers, like IPC Health, that provide holistic, integrated care services, save lives, improve people’s quality of life and save health systems money. For example, a systematic review found that integrated care models, often enabled
[^3] profile.id.com.au
[^4] National Disability Insurance Agency, Explore NDIS data. Available from: Explore data | NDIS
[^5] Australian Government Department of Education. (2024). Australian Early Development Census.
by co-located, purpose-built facilities, can reduce emergency admissions by up to 50%, hospital readmissions by 30%, and average hospital stays by 1–7 days[^6].
Similarly, as noted in the Infrastructure Victoria report, based on estimates from the Productivity Commission, community health can help reduce emergency department presentations and save money. In 2023–24, there were 546,000 emergency department visits in Victoria that could have been avoided if managed in primary or community health settings. These avoidable visits represent an estimated $554 million in potential savings for Victoria’s public hospitals annually[^7].
- Out of every 10 Australians who live with chronic diseases, at least 4 could have avoided that burden through preventative healthcare. Research by the Department of Health and Aged Care[^8] indicates that every dollar directed to preventive health can generate more than $14 in savings to the health system.
The power of early intervention is also true in the context of mild to moderate developmental delays and autism in younger children. Not all children require long-term, intensive therapy[^9]. There is existing evidence[^10] that shows that early intervention approaches coupled with parental or carer education and capacity-building leads to better health outcomes for neurodivergent children. That is, when families are supported to embed therapeutic tactics in daily routines, children demonstrate improvements in communication, social participation, adaptive functioning, and learning, with gains sustained into adolescence and adulthood. This is how IPC Health sees the Thriving Kids Initiative.
Proof of concept: Key Learnings from the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health & Wellbeing Local, an analogous model for Thriving Kids
IPC Health is the lead agency in the ‘the Children’s Local’. The Children’s Local is a free service for children aged up to 11 years and their families in the Brimbank and Melton LGA’s. It provides integrated, holistic support to families as a unit, so that early interventions are more effective. The service, co-funded by the Victorian and Federal governments, is delivered in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital and Western Health. Referral partners include Maternal and Child Health services, select schools in the LGA’s and other health and educational professionals. The Children’s Local was created in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health system, so care for mental health issues is also an area of focus.
[^6] Damery, S., Flanagan, S., & Combes, G. (2016). Does integrated care reduce hospital activity for patients with chronic diseases? An umbrella review of systematic reviews. BMJ Open, 6, Article e011952. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011952\
[^7] Infrastructure Victoria. (2025). Investing in community health infrastructure.
[^8] Australian Government: Department of Health and Aged Care. Budget 2024-25: A Fit and Healthy Australia.; 2024
[^9] Professionals & Researchers in Early Childhood Intervention, Effect of pre-emptive intervention on developmental outcomes among infants showing early signs of autism: A randomized clinical trial of outcomes to diagnosis. Available from PRECI - Early Intervention
[^10] Parenting & Family Research Alliance, Submission to the Joint Standing Committee Inquiry – Current scheme implementation and forecasting for the NDIS; Available from: PAFRA NDIS Submissionv2.0
Children’s Locals were co-designed with families, communities and people with lived experience to improve access to integrated, community-based, culturally safe and non-stigmatised services for children and their families.
Services are age and culturally appropriate, and include:
- Helping parents and other carers navigate the healthcare system to achieve the best possible outcomes and care options for their children.
- Coordinating a family’s care needs through a single point of contact.
- Offering mental health services, including cognitive and neurodevelopment assessments.
- Providing medical care with paediatricians.
- Incorporating allied health services, like occupational therapy and speech pathology.
- Engaging family support workers to ensure a conducive environment for care.
- Referrals for any member of the family, including parents, to other supports including mental health and care coordination, following a bio-psycho-social model of integrated care.
Guided by our Well for Life strategy, every interaction is intentionally designed to be accessible, culturally safe, multidisciplinary, family-centred, and well-connected. This ensures children and families receive holistic, coordinated care that meets them where they are and supports their wellbeing at every stage.
Every interaction is designed to be:
- Accessible - easy to find, navigate and attend
- Culturally safe - respectful of all backgrounds and identities
- Multi-disciplinary - providing wrap around care through teams that work together
- Family centred - supporting and coaching carers to build the skills and confidence they need to raise their family.
Case study: One family’s journey to integrated care
When Rachel and Adam Huntly of Melton first sought help for their 10-year-old daughter Trinity, they were already familiar with the challenges of navigating the health system. Years earlier, their eldest son’s epilepsy and autism diagnoses involved ‘so much running around’ — multiple appointments across different locations, endless paperwork, and long delays. This time, things were different. Trinity was struggling with anxiety and handwriting difficulties, and her parent’s suspected autism. The family needed timely assessments, therapy, and practical support. But with both parents working full-time and another child at home, the thought of repeating the exhausting process was overwhelming.
Through the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health & Wellbeing Local, Rachel and Adam found a coordinated, multi-disciplinary team under one roof. Within a week of Rachel’s first call, Trinity had an intake appointment. Soon after, she received a neurodevelopmental assessment, which later led to an autism diagnosis, occupational therapy, mental health support, and occupational therapy referrals, all in the same location. The family also connected with a lived experience worker who provided guidance on independence, future employment pathways, and even overcoming housing challenges. The empathy and advice from someone with lived experience of these challenges was invaluable.
For Rachel, Adam and their kids, the difference was life-changing; less stress, better care.
‘Having everything under one roof has been a game-changer. We’re not running around to 50 different places anymore. It’s way less stressful and so much easier for our family.’ Rachel Huntly
When your child has complex needs, you need a lot of support. Having it all in one place makes a huge difference. Not just for my daughter, but for the whole family. They also organized mental health support for us as parents, so that helped us as a family.
Adam Huntly
To 30th June 2025, the Local has supported 523 children and their families to access integrated health services[^11].
- 96% were aged under 11 years
- 6.3% identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- 8% were children born overseas
- 75% of children had contact with more than one service
- 681 also accessed services IPC Health Children’s Allied Health
[^11] IPC Health client data as sourced from Trak Care, Titanium and Best Practice, 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025
Why this model works
As noted by Rachel and Adam Huntly, the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health & Wellbeing Local model of providing integrated care works for children and families because it builds a team around the child and family that is focused on ensuring they can access wrap-around care. The model emphasises early intervention, holistic, non-stigmatising care. The efficacy of this treatment is enhanced by considering the broader determinants of health and empowering families with the tools and resources to successfully care for their children at home. Lastly, Child and Family Hub Models like this one enables seamless access to multi-disciplinary services, so a full suite of health and psychosocial factors are addressed simultaneously. This model would result in similar transformative impact implementing the Thriving Kids initiative.
Why IPC Health should implement Thriving Kids in Victoria
As a community health service, we are passionate about making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people and communities we serve. IPC Health is one of Victoria’s largest community health providers, with over 50 years delivering services from six campuses across Melbourne’s west. Our reach extends across the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham, Melton, Maribyrnong, and Moorabool. As we are deeply embedded in our communities, we understand the unique needs of the clients we serve.
Our commitment to supporting people at every age and every stage is encapsulated in our “Well for Life” strategy. Well for Life means we strive to holistically support the physical, mental, and social health needs of the people and communities we serve. Our approach is collaborative, client-centred, coordinated, and tailored to individual need and preference. We intervene at the point of need, delivering our integrated range of health and wellbeing services when and where they fit community need, and where we can create positive social impact.
IPC Health is uniquely equipped to deliver the Thriving Kids initiative.
The total number of NDIS participants in the primary and secondary LGAs served by IPC Health is 33,400[^12]. Assuming 23.4% of those are aged 8 or under (based on current NDIS age breakdowns), a total of 7,816 of current younger-child NDIS participants reside in the IPC Health catchment area. At a conservative estimate, if 10% of those with NDIS funding could be moved into the Thriving Kids initiative, it would mean IPC Health could support 782 children with appropriate care at a lower cost.
Our proposed service model is below.
Thriving Kids Pathway to Support
- A parent, carer or health / educational professional has concerns about child’s development
- Referral from aligned healthcare provider, such as a paediatrician, GP, MCHN / Self-refer to IPC Health / Referral from a community partner e.g. kinder, school
- Initial screening for mild to moderate developmental delays or autism
- Enrol in Thriving Kids at IPC Health
- Holistic multi-disciplinary evaluation to determine functional & emotional strengths and support needs
- Further diagnostic assessments as required / Integrated care plan & care team led by Wellbeing Coordinator / Referral to NDIS if needs are beyond mild-moderate or progress
- Other external referrals or liaison as required / Provide appropriate early intervention care and support
[^12] National Disability Insurance Agency, Explore NDIS data. Available from: Explore data | NDIS
IPC Health have a strong track record of delivering integrated holistic care to clients of all ages. We design our service model and innovations based on leading local and international evidence. Indeed, IPC Health maintains strong partnerships with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Centre for Community Child Health. For example, The IPC Health partnered with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute on the NHMRC-funded Wyndham Vale Hubs project. This was partly in response to the seminal Child Maltreatment study, and it examined how practitioners could better identify and respond to childhood adversity. The subsequent National Hubs Network is continuing collecting evidence that the Child and Family Hub Models are the most efficacious way of providing services to children and families.
In FY 2024-25, 34% of IPC Health clients access more than IPC Health service. We completed almost 5,000 internal cross-service referrals. We have breadth, depth and evidence of impact in delivering care to children with developmental delays, including autism. In addition to supporting 523 children in The Children’s Local, our broader Children’s and Family Services teams supported 766 families[^13].
The Thriving Kids initiative aligns strongly with IPC Health’s Well for Life strategy, in both vision and practice. Both research and our experience show that children achieve the best health outcomes when their medical needs are addressed alongside the social determinants of health like housing, financial support, and linkages into the community.
Under this model, the “wrong door” barrier that some parents currently face – where they are refused care because they did not enter the correct service point – is replaced by a “one stop shop” for accessing services. This gives parents and carer’s confidence that regardless of the needs of the child, they will be taken care of in a seamless manner, without worrying about excessive administrative work or financial balancing as is the current case under the NDIS.
Recommendations
Based on our service delivery experience and a strong evidence base, we propose the following recommendations to strengthen system design and implementation supporting children age 8 and under with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism:
- Enable flexible funding mechanisms that allow for tailored service responses and seamless linkage across health, education, disability and social support systems. This flexibility is essential to build effective wraparound care pathways for children and families.
- Embed early intervention as a foundational principle in system architecture. Early, targeted support not only improves developmental outcomes but also reduces long-term reliance on more intensive services, aligning with the goals of foundational supports outside the NDIS.
[^13] IPC Health client data as sourced from Trak Care, Titanium and Best Practice, 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025
- Invest in system navigation roles and infrastructure to reduce wait times, improve service accessibility, and support families through transitions. Navigation supports are critical to ensuring that children do not fall through the cracks due to administrative or eligibility barriers.
- Design for equity and inclusion, recognising the complexity of diagnosis pathways and the need for assertive outreach. The system must build on the success of integrated community health models that prioritise access for families facing socioeconomic disadvantage, cultural and linguistic barriers, and service fragmentation.
We believe that the Thriving Kids initiative offers a unique opportunity to reimagine how foundational supports are delivered in Victoria, and we stand ready to partner with government to ensure its success. For both Federal and State governments, IPC Health and community health services represent the nexus between positive health outcomes, especially for the most in need groups; sustainable, quality and affordable healthcare services; and medical and service delivery innovation.
For parents and carers, community health organisations intervene at every point of need, giving them services that work, without worrying about finance and administrative procedures. It allows them to focus solely on improving the health outcome of their child.
For children, community health organisations are their pathway to responsive and appropriate care services where they are most familiar and comfortable. It is care designed with children at its core.
IPC Health’s Well for Life strategy reinforces our commitment to prevention, early intervention, and holistic care and we look forward to partnering with government in ensuring Victorian children and families are empowered to thrive.
IPC Health
References
Australian Government: Department of Health and Aged Care. Budget 2024-25: A Fit and Healthy Australia.; 2024
Australian Government Department of Education. (2024). Australian Early Development Census.
Damery, S., Flanagan, S., & Combes, G. (2016). Does integrated care reduce hospital activity for patients with chronic diseases? An umbrella review of systematic reviews. BMJ Open, 6, Article e011952. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011952
idcommunity. (n.d.). SEIFA by Local Government Area — City of Brimbank (IRSD 2021 = 913). https://profile.id.com.au/brimbank/seifa-disadvantage
idcommunity. (n.d.). SEIFA by Local Government Area — Hobson’s Bay City (IRSD 2021 = 1,021). https://profile.id.com.au/hobsons-bay/seifa-disadvantage
idcommunity. (n.d.). SEIFA by Local Government Area — City of Melton (IRSD 2021 = 985). https://profile.id.com.au/melton/seifa-disadvantage
idcommunity. (n.d.). SEIFA by Local Government Area — City of Wyndham (IRSD 2021 = 1,006). https://profile.id.com.au/wyndham/seifa-disadvantage
Infrastructure Victoria. (2025). Investing in community health infrastructure.
IPC Health client data as sourced from Trak Care, Titanium and Best Practice, 1 July 2024 — 30 June 2025
National Disability Insurance Agency, Explore NDIS data. Available from: Explore data | NDIS
Planning Victoria data. Available from: Victoria in Future
Professionals & Researchers in Early Childhood Intervention, Effect of pre-emptive intervention on developmental outcomes among infants showing early signs of autism: A randomized clinical trial of outcomes to diagnosis. PRECI - Early Intervention
Parenting & Family Research Alliance, Submission to the Joint Standing Committee Inquiry — Current scheme implementation and forecasting for the NDIS; Available from: PAFRA NDIS Submissionv2.0
Victorian Government 2020, Trends from the Australian Early Development Census. Available from: https://www.vic.gov.au/trends-from-aedc