Submission to Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative
Committee Secretariat
House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
PO Box 6021
Parliament House
CANBERRA
Canberra ACT 2600
Executive Summary
Play Matters Australia (Play Matters) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Thriving Kids Inquiry and highlight the critical role of playgroups and peer parenting support in identifying and supporting children with disability or developmental delay.
Operating for over 50 years, Play Matters delivers inclusive, culturally responsive, and evidence-based programs that strengthen family capability and child development. In 2024–2025, Play Matters conducted activities across more than 403 postcodes, engaged with over 21,000 families, and delivered hundreds of programs within diverse communities throughout Australia.
Playgroups are a vital part of the early childhood ecosystem. These are everyday environments where families connect, learn and engage in play. They offer low-barrier, community-based environments where early identification, peer support, and warm referral pathways can occur—often before families engage with formal systems. Recent research commissioned by Playgroup Australia (Causal Inference in the AEDC, 2024) found that playgroup attendance significantly reduces developmental vulnerability.
Play Matters delivers a suite of inclusive playgroup and peer parenting support models, which support families of children with disability or developmental concerns. These models are scalable and have demonstrated strong community engagement and developmental impact.
The Active Inclusion program, funded under the Information Linkages and Capacity-Building (ILC) until June 2024, exemplifies best practice in inclusive early childhood engagement. It supported over 700 children and families, trained 440 professionals, and embedded inclusive practices across Queensland. An independent evaluation by Griffith University found overwhelmingly positive outcomes for children, families, and facilitators. It is a model that is ready to be scaled for greater impact.
Recommendations
Play Matters Australia recommends that future policy and funding frameworks for the Thriving Kids initiative:
- Acknowledges playgroups as important settings for early intervention and inclusion. Additionally, pathways should be established to enable playgroups to function as referral
partners and resource hubs, offering evidence-based materials such as fact sheets, online tools, and facilitated workshops. 2. Explicitly invests in flexible, place-based approaches that meets families where they are and supports culturally responsive playgroup models. 3. Establishes formal partnerships with health services to enable developmental screening and warm referral pathways. Ensuring referral pathways are embedded into all playgroup settings through navigator roles to assist families transitioning to formal early childhood education and care, school and other supports. 4. Invests in inclusive playgroup models and a national workforce training framework for playgroup facilitators. We also recommend resources are provided to employ qualified playgroup facilitators that can work alongside volunteers, ensuring sustainability. 5. Scales up supported playgroups and models such as Active Inclusion, building on the evidence of what we already know works, instead of duplicating new services.
With sustained investment and national coordination, playgroups and peer parenting support can enable every child, and their family is supported to thrive.
Play Matters Australia
Operating for over 50 years, Play Matters was founded in Brisbane, Queensland, and now operates nationally as a not-for-profit organisation with a vision for Playful Connected Communities.
At Play Matters, we recognise families as their child’s first teacher and focus on enhancing parent-child relationships by building family capabilities and confidence. Our programs and services are designed with this foundational principle in mind, delivering both universal and targeted support that is place-based, culturally responsive, and grounded in evidence-based methodologies.
Our comprehensive suite of services ranges from universal volunteer-led playgroups, supported playgroups, peer parenting support, early years navigation, inclusion programs, and specialist therapeutic services.
Play Matters also deliver the evidence-based Sing&Grow program, with a team of dedicated registered music therapists across every state and territory in Australia.
In 2024-2025, Play Matters:
- Operated in over 403 postcodes across Australia
- Actively engaged more than 15,000 Queensland families through playgroups and online resources
- Supported 303 active volunteer playgroup facilitators
- Delivered over 320 Sing&Grow programs to over 8,200 families and workers, including in some of Australia’s most culturally diverse communities in Mirrabooka (WA), Miller in (NSW) and Inala (Qld).
- Delivered and supported playgroups across Queensland with a wide range of communities, including inclusion-focused, intergenerational, LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), First Nations and rural and remote groups. In communities from as far north as Horn Island in the Torres Strait to Coolangatta on the NSW border.
Terms of Reference for Inquiry
Play Matters appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the Thriving Kids Inquiry conducted by the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability.
This submission responds to Terms of Reference, with a particular focus on:
- The critical value of playgroups and peer parenting support in identifying and supporting families and children with disability or developmental concerns.
- The importance of community-based, culturally responsive early intervention.
- The effectiveness of the Active Inclusion model, funded under the Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program until June 2024.
Through this submission, Play Matters seeks to highlight how inclusive playgroups and peer-led support can serve as low-barrier, high-impact platforms for early identification, family empowerment, and community connection—especially for families who may not yet be engaged with formal systems of care.
Why playgroups
Playgroups are more than just a place to play, they are a powerful platform for early childhood development, social connection for families, and community engagement. They form an essential part of the early years’ ecosystem, bridging developmental needs from the earliest age and parenting peer support.
As a playgroup family has shared:
“When we got our son’s diagnosis of ASD, I didn’t know where to start. A lot of information was thrown at me in Doctors and educators offices but I wasn’t able to take it all in, it felt overwhelming. I decided to seek out other parents caring for children with disability and I turned to playmatters for help. Thankfully Playmatters found the right playgroup for us and from the first session I knew this was the right place. We felt included, supported and my anxiety lowered as I observed my child being able to participate in his own way and being supported by facilitators who understood us. I could discuss my concerns and make decisions about my child’s care without being overwhelmed with too much information. Playmatters turned out to be a great place for me to start our journey in preparing my child for school. The course of my child’s development was changed in a very positive way due to our participation in the Playmatgters playgroup. Now, when I come across a family struggling to navigate support options for their special needs child, I send them to playmatters to find those right connections so they may have the same positive experience as I did.”
The 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) results reveal a concerning decline in the percentage of children developmentally on track across all five domains of physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. At the same time, rates of developmental vulnerability have increased, particularly among children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
Research commissioned by Playgroup Australia, Causal Inference in the AEDC (Lam, Terauds & Brinkman, 2024), provides compelling evidence of the developmental benefits of playgroup attendance. The study found that:
- Playgroup attendance reduces the risk of developmental vulnerability on one or more domains by 40%, and on two or more domains by 50%—a result comparable to preschool.
- Combined attendance at playgroup and preschool reduces the risk of developmental vulnerability by 60% (one or more domains) and 70% (two or more domains).
- Children who attend both playgroup and preschool are 1.7 times more likely to be developmentally on track across all five AEDC domains.
These findings underscore the importance of playgroups as a complementary and accessible form of early childhood development experiences, particularly for families who may face barriers to accessing more formal early childhood education and care (ECEC)services.
Light-touch, high-impact Supported Playgroups
Supported playgroups—those facilitated by skilled paid employees—offer a low-cost, light-touch model of parenting support, specifically designed to engage families who are disadvantaged or marginalised. These playgroups aim to:
- Enrich children’s early learning and developmental opportunities
- Build parenting confidence and skills
- Foster social connectedness
- Strengthen community engagement and inclusion.
An extensive evaluation conducted by Queensland University of Technology (Williams, Berthelsen, Viviani, & Nicholson, 2016) found that:
- Supported playgroups enhance children’s developmental outcomes, particularly in social and emotional domains
- Parents reported increased confidence, improved parenting skills, and stronger social networks
- Facilitators emphasised the importance of flexibility, cultural responsiveness, and community partnerships
- The model was found to be highly acceptable to a diversity of communities, with strong engagement from families who may not otherwise access formal services.
The role of playgroups in early identification and support
Playgroups are often the first point of contact for families navigating concerns about their child’s development, particularly for families where it is their first child and have not been accessing other formal ECEC or supports. They offer a welcoming, community-based environment where early signs of developmental delay or disability can be observed and supported in a non-stigmatising way.
Playgroups provide:
- Low-barrier access to early childhood development activities
- Peer support for parents and caregivers
- Opportunities for informal observation, screening and early identification of developmental concerns
- Safe, nurturing environments for children to build social, emotional, and communication skills.
For families of children with disability, playgroups can be a lifeline—reducing isolation, building confidence, and connecting them other families sharing similar experiences or with services and community supports. The informal, relational nature of playgroups allows for gentle conversations about child development, often before families engage with formal systems. Built-in referral
pathways to primary and allied health professionals ensure families are seamlessly connected to specialist assessment or therapy when early concerns arise. This makes playgroups a critical site for culturally responsive early intervention, particularly for families who may be hesitant or unaware of available supports.
“Attending a setting where a lot of children have disabilities it was nice to be in a supported space where my child could play freely and happily in a safe space whilst also learning so much from guest speakers or other parents.”
Examples of inclusion models
Play Matters delivers a suite of inclusive playgroup and peer parenting support models designed to meet the diverse needs of families with children who have disability or developmental concerns. These models are delivered as part of national consortiums, grounded in evidence-based, culturally responsive practice, at a place-based level.^1
Sustained and long-term investment in inclusive playgroup models is essential to ensure that families, particularly those facing barriers to formal services, have sustained access to culturally responsive, community-based early intervention that supports both child development and family wellbeing.
Each of these inclusive playgroup models can be scaled up to be delivered in more communities across Australia.
PlayConnect+
PlayConnect+ is a welcoming and inclusive early childhood initiative delivered by Play Matters under a national consortium led by Autism Queensland.
The program supports children aged birth to 8 years with disability or developmental challenges, along with their families’ siblings, without requiring any formal assessment diagnosis.
“Attending this playgroup provides a safe space for my daughters to be their true NeuroSparkly selves. To flap, twirl, jump, etc. For them to feel part or the majority, not the minority.”
Play and Learn Supported (PALS)
PALS is a playgroup program offered in Southeast and Northern Queensland, delivered as part of a national consortium led by Playgroup Australia. It welcomes families of children with disabilities or developmental concerns for shared learning, and connection.
Skilled facilitators lead activities and share helpful strategies with families. The program also includes sessions focused on Cultural, Arts, Sports and Recreation (CASRS) to encourage broader community engagement.
MyTime
In partnership with the Parenting Research Centre, Play Matters delivers MyTime in Southeast and Northern Queensland, as well as through an online group. MyTime provides peer support for parents
^1 Each of these programs have been evaluated and consortium leads can provide further advice on the efficacy of each model.
and carers of children aged birth to 18 years who have a disability or complex health and medical needs.
“It’s great to be able to meet other people in similar circumstances in a group setting which most of us wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.”
Active Inclusion: A model for inclusive community engagement in playgroup
Under the Australian Government’s Information Linkages and Capacity-Building (ILC) investment, Play Matters delivered the Active Inclusion program until June 2024.
The program was designed to support families of children with autism, global developmental delay, and speech and language delays to connect with mainstream playgroups. It achieved this by:
- Providing individualised engagement and support for families
- Building the capacity of playgroup facilitators and communities to welcome and include children with developmental concerns
- Creating pathways into mainstream playgroups, reducing isolation and increasing participation.
The Active Inclusion model worked flexibly with families, scaling support to meet individual needs—from simple referrals to intensive one-on-one assistance, including home visits, interpreter support, and tailored playgroup preparation.
This approach was grounded in best practice principles for early childhood inclusion:
- Family-centred and strengths-based support
- Place-based delivery to reduce barriers to access
- Peer support and community connection as protective factors for child and caregiver wellbeing.
The program’s success demonstrates the power of community-based, culturally responsive early intervention in reaching families who may not yet be engaged with formal systems. It also highlights the importance of trusted relationships, flexible delivery, and localised support in building inclusive environments where all children can thrive.
The key components of the Active Inclusion Program
The Active Inclusion program was designed to be flexible, scalable, and deeply embedded in community contexts. Its success was driven by a set of interconnected components that together created a robust framework:
- Pathways to Playgroups: Facilitated inclusive playgroups provided tailored support for families of children with disability or developmental concerns. Families were supported through individualised engagement and guided transitions into volunteer-led community playgroups, ensuring continuity and sustainability.
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Playgroup for Everyone, Everywhere: The program actively collaborated with remote and First Nations playgroups, embedding inclusive practices in culturally responsive ways. Capacity building was delivered through training, resource development, and relationship-based support, ensuring that inclusion was locally led and contextually relevant.
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Inclusion Engagement Events: To reach families who may not be aware of developmental norms or available supports, Active Inclusion delivered place-based engagement events in everyday settings—such pop-up events in parks and community centres. These events offered inclusive activities and gentle conversations that helped families reflect on their child’s development and connect with services.
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Geographic Reach: Inclusion Support Officers were embedded across Queensland, including:
- Cairns
- Townsville
- Rockhampton
- Sunshine Coast
- Brisbane
- Logan
- Ipswich
- Scenic Rim
- Toowoomba
- Gold Coast
This statewide presence ensured that families in both urban and regional areas had access to in-person support tailored to their local context.
- Workforce Development: The program addressed workforce gaps and built longer-term capacity through:
- Training for Play Matters Regional Managers to sustain inclusive practices
- Development of online learning modules, instructional videos, and printable tools
- Integration of inclusion support into existing staff roles across the organisation.
Play Matters has strengthened workforce capability organisation wide, through the Active Inclusion program, and now partners with the Queenslanders with Disability Network to deliver All Abilities traineeships, creating inclusive employment pathways and embedding lived experience into service delivery.
Evaluation & Impact
The Active Inclusion program demonstrated strong effectiveness across multiple systems, including maternal and child health, early childhood education, allied health, and community services. The program’s reach and outcomes were significant:
- Supporting more than 2,600 children and their families, facilitators and professionals
- 100% of surveyed parents felt more confident to participate in playgroup
- 80% continued to attend a playgroup after receiving support
- Facilitators reported increased confidence and capacity to create inclusive environments
- Parents reported improved understanding of child development and reduced isolation.
An independent evaluation conducted by Griffith University (Paynter, Sulek, & Marsh, 2023) found overwhelmingly positive outcomes for children, families, and facilitators.
Parents shared how playgroup participation supported their child’s development and helped them feel welcomed and included:
“Our child has developmental delay and has been so supported attending playgroup. We are able to attend and fit in even without deficit ties.”
Facilitators expressed increased confidence and capacity to create inclusive environments, describing how the program helped them tailor playgroup experiences to individual children:
“It starts before the family even comes to the playgroup… I ask about their child’s interests… that means we need the train set today.”
The program also fostered peer connection and normalised shared challenges among families:
“Sometimes parents can be worried… and for another parent to say, ‘yeah, that’s normal,’ is really powerful.”
While the evaluation acknowledged limitations due to pandemic-related constraints, the consistency of positive feedback across surveys and interviews highlighted the program’s success in building inclusive, responsive playgroup environments and strengthening community connections.
Recommendations
Playgroups are a vital part of the early childhood ecosystem, particularly for families of children with disability or developmental delay. They offer low-barrier, community-based environments for screening, early identification, and supported warm referral—often before families engage with formal systems of care.
The Active Inclusion Program has demonstrated that with the right support, playgroups can become powerful platforms for early identification, inclusive practice, and community connection. Its decentralised model, flexible support pathways, and culturally responsive delivery offer a blueprint for scalable, sustainable inclusion across mainstream systems.
Aligned with each Term of Reference, Play Matters offers the following recommendations for the Thriving Kids initiative:
Recommendation 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.
Playgroups serve as inclusive environments where developmental differences are initially observed.
We recommend that the inquiry acknowledge playgroups as important settings for early intervention and inclusion. Additionally, pathways should be established to enable playgroups to function as
referral partners and resource hubs, offering evidence-based materials such as fact sheets, online tools, and facilitated workshops.
Recommendation 2:
Identify equity and intersectional issues, in particular, children who identify as First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse.
Playgroups are culturally safe and trusted within communities, especially when facilitated in partnership with local community leaders.
We recommend the Thriving Kids Initiative explicitly invests in flexible, place-based approaches that meets families where they are and supports culturally responsive playgroup models.
Recommendation 3:
Identify mechanisms that would allow a seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs.
Playgroups are a bridge between home and formal systems.
We recommend the Thriving Kids Initiative establishes formal partnerships with health services to enable developmental screening and warm referral pathways. Ensuring referral pathways are embedded into all playgroup settings through navigator roles to assist families transitioning to school and other supports.
Recommendation 4:
Identify gaps in workforce support and training required to deliver Thriving Kids.
The current playgroup workforce is underfunded and often lead by volunteers or part-time facilitators.
We recommend the Thriving Kids Initiative invests in inclusive playgroup models and a national workforce training framework for playgroup facilitators. We also recommend resources are provided to employ qualified playgroup facilitators that can work alongside volunteers, ensuring sustainability.
Recommendation 5:
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.
Playgroups are effective in reaching families with don’t engage with formal health and education systems.
We recommend the Thriving Kids Initiative scales up supported playgroups and models such as Active Inclusion, building on the evidence of what we already know works, instead of duplicating new services.
With sustained investment and national coordination, Active Inclusion and similar models can transform the early years landscape to ensure every family feels seen, supported, and empowered in their child’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Conclusion
Playgroups provide a vital everyday environment where families connect, and children learn and play. Playgroups are a cost effective existing mainstream service that are already well embedded within communities. They provide a safe space for family capacity building, developmental screening and referral pathways. The Active Inclusion model is a key example of evidence-based services that guide parents and help children thrive. With the right investment and workforce support playgroup models such as Active Inclusion can be scaled to better support families and children in settings they are already connected fo.
References
Department of Education. (2025). Australian Early Development Census: National Report 2024. Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/about/data-and-reports/australian-early-develooment-census
Lam, B., Terauds, V., & Brinkman, S. (2024). Causal Inference in the AEDC - analysis of the impact of ECEC attendance on child development. Commissioned report for Playgroup Australia.
Paynter, J., Sulek, R., and Marsh, C. (2023). Final Report Active Inclusion Program Evaluation. Commissioned report of Play Matters Australia. (Unpublished)
Williams, K., Berthelsen, D., Viviani, M., & Nicholson, J. (2016). Queensland Supported Playgroup Evaluation: Final Report. Commissioned report of the Queensland Department of Education (Unpublished)
This Submission has been prepared by:
Penny Creamer
Chief Executive Officer
Play Matters Australia
86 Orchid Street, Enoggera, QLD 4051
For further information please contact:
redacted | 1 800 007 529