T:
Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Thriving Kids
3 October 2025
From
SaDnderjit Kaur, OccupaDonal Therapist
Best Life Therapy Company
About Us
We are a small occupaDonal therapy provider primarily supporDng CALD families, including Indian, Bangladeshi, African, Vietnamese, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with auDsm, ADHD, global developmental delay, and complex co-occurring disabiliDes such as language impairment, intellectual disability, and mental health needs.
We work directly with families every day, delivering both NDIS and Medicare-funded services. We regularly support children in early childhood educaDon and school seXngs, with a focus on building capacity for parents, families and educators within their homes, schools and everyday environments. We are already implemenDng the kind of model Thriving Kids describes. This gives us clear insight into its potenDal and its blind spots.
Summary
In this submission we provide feedback to key components of the Thriving Kids program, based on our current working experiences. We focus on five key points including eligibility criteria, scaling community services, reviewing seXngs families are connected to, digital supports and supporDng parents with rouDnes and advice.
Table of Contents
- POINT 1 “MILD TO MODERATE DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY AND AUTISM”
- POINT 2: SCALING MAINSTREAM & COMMUNITY SERVICES
- POINT 3: SETTINGS FAMILIES ARE ALREADY CONNECTED TO
- POINT 4: DIGITAL & PHONE-BASED SUPPORTS
- POINT 5: SUPPORTING THE PARENT OR CARERS WITH ROUTINES AND ADVICE
- CONCLUSION
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Our Feedback
Point 1 “mild to moderate developmental delay and au=sm”
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This eligibility criteria is harmful and needs to be reconsidered. Children presenDng as mild in one context oZen show significant distress at home or vice versa.
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There can however be mul$ple co-occurring diagnoses like auDsm and severe language impairment, or auDsm and adhd, auDsm and intellectual disability, auDsm and mental health difficulDes. Such complex presentaDons usually have more complex needs.
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We’ve seen mulDple cases where diagnoses e.g., moderate intellectual disability have been missed by families, schools and even school based psychologists/ OTs. This has required repeated alerts from our service to have updated diagnosDc records including liaisons with paediatricians, GPs, speech therapists, psychologists and more.
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Delays in support lead to escalaDon, increased stress, and higher later NDIS demand. Rigid eligibility lines exclude children who need and can benefit from early intervenDon most. FuncDonal needs, best assessed by OccupaDonal Therapists can beber guide access, not labels.
2
Point 2: Scaling Mainstream & Community Services
We are commibed to trialling and delivering quality OccupaDonal Therapy services - both 1:1 and group services at local community centres for families. However, this cannot be considered scaling exisDng services; when there is no mainstream infrastructure to build upon. Rather, these are grassroots iniDaDves requiring substanDal government support. For example, our previous abempts to provide preventaDve OT via local council spaces, maternal health clinics, and GP referral pathways have had limited success. Even free parent programs at local council centres have failed due to:
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Rigid booking requirements
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High markeDng costs
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Parents unable to abend due to work commitments
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Low-income families unable to afford respite care for children
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Cultural sDgma and barriers
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Lack of understanding of allied health roles, parDcularly OccupaDonal Therapists To promote viability of OccupaDonal Therapy in Australian community centres we recommend:
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Community-funded OT roles staffed by clinicians experienced in populaDon health
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Social Workers, Community Engagement Officers, Allied Health Assistants to provide preparatory support for families not yet ready for goal-directed therapy; helping families understand the healthcare landscape, how to engage, set goals and build confidence
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Provision of respite support to enable parent parDcipaDon in training and therapy
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Invested markeDng targeDng culturally and linguisDcally diverse (CALD) communiDes, including culturally appropriate materials and health professionals
AddiDonally, we recommend increased availability and streamlined access to micro-grants that promote innovaDon in inclusive community programs, including sports, music, and play iniDaDves. In pracDce, we have repeatedly encountered challenges in idenDfying suitable programs for referral that support children’s development and wellbeing. For example, directories such as the AAA Directory do not always list programs tailored to children with diverse needs, accessible locaDons, or acDviDes beyond sports. EffecDve programs will require adequately funded and trained staff to support peer interacDons, ensure sustainability, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
AddiDonally, investment into neuro-affirming, locally available and culturally responsive parent support groups and workshops are recommended.
3
Point 3: SeEngs Families Are Already Connected To
(Maternal & child health, GPs, playgroups, early childhood educa$on, schools)
Disability and developmental needs require qualified health professionals - OccupaDonal Therapists,
Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists, Social Workers, DieDDans, Nurses, Psychologists; whose
specialised experDse cannot be replaced by educaDon, childcare, or medical systems.
Maternal & Child Health Clinics:
- Brief consultaDon models do not allow observaDon of real daily rouDnes
- No capacity for environmental modificaDon or sustained follow-up
- Limited Dme prevents proper assessment or skill-building for carers
GP Clinics
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GPs are severely Dme-poor and have limited understanding of allied health roles
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For example, our outreach in 2025 to 20+ GP clinics yielded only one successful referral partnership for preventaDve OccupaDonal Therapy services, despite availability
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PaDents with clear goals and understanding of OT achieve faster, beber outcomes, but GPs oZen cannot provide this educaDon and there is a systemic gap in this capacity building.
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Families consistently cannot afford private or gap fees and request bulk-billed services
Schools & Early Childhood EducaDon
- Frequent staff turnover and teachers’ compeDng prioriDes with 20-30 other children
- Schools oZen address classroom behaviour reacDvely rather than developmental health
- Educators/aides can unintenDonally develop dependence without skilled training
- Some schools block therapy, causing funcDonal deterioraDon unDl reacDve care occurs
- Strained relaDonships due to parents feel overwhelmed, rushed, ashamed, or helpless
- Neuro-affirming, trauma-informed approaches require significant investment These seXngs are currently not safe, regulaDng learning environments for families.
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When working with mainstream supports, our most consistent outcomes have come from:
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Home, school and community based therapy delivered specific to occupaDonal needs e.g., supporDng mealDmes at home, or enabling friendships in the playground. That is, delivering capacity building services in natural environments where skills are needed.
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Focusing on capacity building with parents, educators and assistants with demonstraDons, reverse-shadowing, reflecDve discussions, easy-read summaries.
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Flexible Dming and delivery to support busy, working parents and also educators.
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Respeckul engagement with educators with co-developed school therapy plans Rather than forcing therapy into unsuitable seXngs, we recommend:
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Train GPs and educators to understand scopes and efficiently refer to suitable allied health professionals, including how to communicate key informaDon to maximise efficiency
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Develop screening tools to facilitate appropriate discipline-specific referrals
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NaDonwide or state-wide integraDon between schools, workplaces and therapy systems for consistency, predictability and equality towards therapy access
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As per point 2, transiDon pathways in local community centres to provide preparatory support for families and teachers
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Flexible therapy funding models that are responsive to family and school needs, including the recogniDon of non-face to face work. We are happy to share further data and insights on service delivery models if requested.
SeXngs where families are already connected offer opportunity to improve iden$fica$on and referral processes, but they are fundamentally unsuitable as primary therapy delivery sites.
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Point 4: Digital & Phone-Based Supports
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EffecDve therapy requires individual tailoring, accurate professional assessment, environmental assessment. This is parDcularly important for CARM populaDons. Digital plakorms cannot replace these core therapeuDc elements.
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We have frequently seen parents inaccurately reporDng their child’s needs based on what an acquaintance has shared, which would lead to poor outcomes without intervening. This risk of inaccurate self-assessment is significant.
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Digital formats also lack capacity for hands-on guidance, meaning strategies are oZen misunderstood or misapplied unless reviewed closely by supporDng professionals.
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We have developed innovaDve flexible therapy combining in-person and digital elements, including phone call and SMS check-ins for accountability and progress tracking, alongside flexible 15-30 minute sessions for targeted support. CriDcally, these approaches are only effecDve aZer clear occupaDonal goals are established and comprehensive in-person assessment has been completed, including thorough environmental evaluaDon.
Digital supports are valuable adjuncts, not subs$tutes, for professional in-person intervenDon. They excel in accountability between sessions, progress tracking and monitoring, brief check-ins for already-established strategies, and maintaining engagement between in-person visits.
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We recommend availability of research grants and funding to further develop and evaluate digital innovaDons, including tracking meaningful outcomes rather than siloed metrics.
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We recommend investment into shared, secure, interoperable communicaDon systems to reduce repeated storytelling, emoDonal distress and administraDve burdens.
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AddiDonally, we recommend revisiDng the current NDIS model for group coaching, as the current method does not promote innovaDon or engagement, given logisDcal barriers.
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Point 5: Suppor=ng the parent or carers with rou=nes and advice
Evidence without translaDon into daily life is meaningless for overwhelmed families and systems. We have seen children successfully:
- TransiDon to school
- Reduce self-harm
- Improve classroom parDcipaDon These outcomes require structured, culturally appropriate, targeted therapy support. Some general themes may repeat across families, and an introductory module may help, but it cannot replace individualised therapy.
Parents need embodied learning: modelling, scaffolding, and repeDDon in real environments where skills will actually be used. This is a therapeuDc process of teaching professional health and caregiver skills beyond standard parenDng, requiring adequate Dme, support, and experDse.
Families oZen present overwhelmed. Many are challenged to adopt parenDng strategies they never needed with other siblings, because supporDng a child with addiDonal needs is different. For example, teaching consistent boundaries despite learning, emoDonal, or abenDonal differences. Families with first-born children, an only child with a disability, immigrant backgrounds, or mulDple children oZen require addiDonal support to develop confidence and workable family systems.
Therapy goals also vary in intensity. Some can be achieved in hours, while others require months or years. At iniDal assessment to our service, families typically present with 5 – 15 goals but can only realisDcally work on 1 - 2 at a Dme, requiring close support to prioriDse and maintain moDvaDon.
Subsequently, funding must cover the full scope including
- Assessment and development of tailored therapy programs
- Travel to provide assessment and support in natural everyday seXngs
- Follow-up accountability contacts (brief calls, SMS, emails)
- Non-face-to-face tasks including coordinaDon, documentaDon and advocacy. A naDonal neuro-affirming, trauma-informed and culturally-responsive introductory program can be designed as an entry point, but not a subsDtute for individualised therapy.
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Conclusion
As a small community provider, these insights come from years of direct work with families; learning through trial, failure, and refinement what truly makes a difference in children’s lives. They reflect real children, parents and teachers we’ve supported through gaps in the system. We share these observations with humility and hope that they contribute to building better supports, and we remain
ready to assist in any way that serves this goal.