MORNINGTON I FRANKSTON I DROMANA
16/1140 Nepean Highway Mornington 3931
t: 59751500 f: 59751505
e: admin@penplus.com.au
www.penplusplus.com.au
Submission to the Thriving Kids Program Consultation
From: Peninsula Plus
Introduction
Peninsula Plus welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed Thriving Kids program. As a community-based allied health provider with deep roots in family-centred, evidence-based practice, we are committed to ensuring that all children—regardless of diagnosis, geography, or socioeconomic status—have access to the supports they need to thrive.
We are deeply concerned that the current design of Thriving Kids, as outlined in the government fact sheet, risks repeating past mistakes by moving away from the social model of disability and the proven benefits of a diverse, agile, and innovative allied health marketplace.
The Social Model of Disability: The Foundation for Modern Support
The social model of disability recognises that disability is not an inherent trait of the individual, but a result of barriers in the environment—physical, attitudinal, and systemic. This model has underpinned the most significant advances in disability support in Australia over the past decade, including the establishment of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Thriving Kids risks reverting to a medical model, where children “fit in” to mainstream or generic community services, rather than having services adapt to their unique strengths, needs, and contexts. It is all about fixing them rather than building capacity and support.
Why This Matters
- Inclusion is not achieved by simply placing children in mainstream settings. True inclusion requires that services, environments, and attitudes be adapted to support every child’s participation and sense of belonging.
- The social model demands flexibility, individualisation, and a focus on removing barriers. Thriving Kids must be built on this foundation, not on outdated assumptions that failed families in the past.
Children Aged 0–9: The Critical Window
The early years (ages 0–9) are a critical window for brain development, relationship-building, and the formation of self-concept. Intensive, individualised intervention during this period is essential.
Why This Matters
During these formative years, children’s brains and nervous systems are most adaptable. High-quality early intervention lays the foundation for lifelong learning, well-being, and participation. Without targeted support, children risk falling behind academically, socially, and emotionally. The NDIS was designed on this principle: that early, quality supports reduce the need for more intensive supports later in life. If Thriving Kids does not deliver on this, children may require ongoing, higher-level support in the future.
The Risks of Reverting to Outdated Models
The fact sheet proposes scaling up mainstream and community services—such as GPs, playgroups, and schools—to deliver early intervention. This approach was used prior to the NDIS and failed to provide meaningful outcomes for many families, particularly those with complex needs or living in rural and remote areas. Services were fractured, parents were confused, and results were mixed.
Key Risks
- Loss of Family Choice and Continuity: Families may lose the ability to choose their provider, setting, and approach, which can erode trust, compromise therapeutic relationships, and ultimately impact outcomes.
- Collapse of Private Providers and Workforce: Many small, specialised allied health businesses may close, leading to a loss of expertise, local access, and workforce diversity.
- Bureaucratic Complexity and Provider Exclusion: Larger, centralised systems often become bogged down in red tape, excluding innovative providers and reducing efficiency.
- Diluted, Less Effective Support: Without adequate funding and specialist involvement, children risk receiving generic, less effective interventions.
Evidence from the Past Before the NDIS, families faced long waitlists, limited choice, and fragmented services. The introduction of the NDIS brought a vibrant, competitive marketplace, driving improvements in quality, responsiveness, and outcomes. Reverting to old models will not address the needs of today’s families and risks undoing years of progress.
Inclusion and Resilience are more than just words. Kids need to belong.
We see policies that state “inclusion” and “resilience” within their programs. However, the actual application of programs often places responsibility onto the child, rather than adapting environments to meet their needs.
The term “inclusion” can refer to being allowed into a space without being genuinely accepted or having the environment adapt to one’s needs. On the other hand, “resilience” can suggest that children should endure stress or adjust to unsupportive surroundings. What children truly require is a sense of belonging—being valued for who they are in environments that adapt to them. This sense of belonging fosters safety, connection, and the ideal conditions for authentic growth.
Parent Capacity as the Key to Child Well-being
Parent well-being and capacity are crucial to achieving positive child outcomes and must be integrated into program design.
Why This Matters Research consistently shows that parental distress predicts child social-emotional difficulties, while warm, consistent parenting promotes Resilience and positive adjustment. Thriving Kids must prioritise parent coaching, support, and practical strategies to empower parents as the primary support of their child’s development.
The Real Cost of Meaningful, Goal-Oriented Services
The Thriving Kids program does not address the real cost of delivering high-quality, goal-oriented therapy. Instead, it assumes that existing mainstream services can absorb this work without additional funding, training, or resources.
Why This Matters
- Meaningful outcomes require investment in skilled professionals, multidisciplinary collaboration, and flexible, individualised service delivery.
- Underfunding or underestimating these costs will result in diluted, less effective support for children and families.
- Thriving Kids must be built on the actual cost of what it takes to help children thrive—not on assumptions or wishful thinking.
The cost of delivering effective early intervention is not just about the time spent with a child. It includes multidisciplinary planning, parent coaching, resource development, travel (especially in rural areas), and ongoing professional development.
Private Practice: The Engine of Innovation and Connection
Private practices have been the place of innovation in early intervention. They are agile, responsive, and deeply connected to their communities. Private practices are the first to adopt new evidence-based approaches, respond quickly to local needs, and build trusted relationships with families.
Why Private Practice Matters
- Agility: Private practices can rapidly adapt to new evidence, family needs, and local circumstances.
- Innovation: The diversity of the marketplace has driven the development of new models, such as nature-based therapy, neuro-affirming practice, and integrated family supports.
- Connection: Private providers are embedded in their communities, offering continuity and trust that larger organisations often struggle to achieve.
Larger organisations, while sometimes necessary, often become inefficient, with resources lost to administration rather than direct support. The current marketplace thrives on diversity, flexibility, and the ability to tailor services to each family.
The Marketplace Has Changed—We Cannot Go Back.
The disability support marketplace has transformed over the past decade. Families now expect choice, flexibility, and high-quality, evidence-based support. The old models—centralised, generic, and inflexible—did not work then and will not work now.
Key Points
- Families want and deserve choice and control.
- The workforce is highly skilled, diverse, and passionate about delivering best practices.
- Innovation flourishes in a diverse marketplace, not in centralised, bureaucratic systems.
The High Stakes if Thriving Kids Fails
If Thriving Kids is not built on the lessons of the past decade, the risks are significant:
- Loss of family choice and continuity of care
- Collapse of private providers and the workforce
- Bureaucratic complexity and provider exclusion
- Diluted, less effective support for children
- Widening inequity for rural, remote, and disadvantaged families
Recommendations
Peninsula Plus calls on the government to:
- Build Thriving Kids on the social model of disability, prioritising flexibility, inclusion, and family choice.
- Fund services based on the real cost of delivering meaningful, goal-oriented support, including multidisciplinary collaboration and parent coaching.
- Partner with private practices as engines of innovation and community connection, rather than relying solely on large mainstream providers.
- Avoid repeating outdated models that have already proven ineffective.
- Protect family choice, continuity, and access to skilled professionals.
- Ensure that Thriving Kids is a step forward, not a step back, for children and families.
Conclusion
Children and families deserve better than a return to the past. Thriving Kids must be built on the principles of the social model of disability, genuine inclusion, and the real cost of delivering high-quality, goal-oriented support. The stakes are too high to get this wrong.
Peninsula Plus stands ready to partner with government, families, and communities to ensure that every child can thrive—not just in programs, but in life.
Megan Ingram
CEO
Peninsula Plus