NDIA Accountability Project

Submission 99 — Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia — Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

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Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia

October 2025

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About Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia, and pay respects to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia is the national leadership body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. As a community-controlled organisation, it is governed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and peak bodies, working in these areas to promote collective excellence in mental health care.

Gayaa’ means happy, pleased, and proud, and ‘Dhuwi’ means Spirit, in the Yuwaalarayy and Gamilaraay languages of north-west New South Wales.

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia’s vision is the highest attainable standard of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

About the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability’s Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative

On 2 September 2025, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, referred an inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative to the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability. The Australian Government has announced its commitment to contribute $2 billion towards Thriving Kids, commencing from 1 July 2026 as part of its broader review and reforms to the NDIS. According to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Thriving Kids will be an alternate support pathway to the NDIS, with a focus on identifying developmental concerns earlier, and establishing a national system of supports, for children aged eight and under with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism, and their families. Children with permanent and significant disability will continue to be supported through the NDIS (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2025).

This inquiry is relevant to Gayaa Dhuwi, as the Thriving Kids Initiative is a structural reform that will directly impact the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Ensuring access to culturally safe and holistic care is foundational to ensuring that our children can, in fact, thrive into their futures.

Summary

As the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention, Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia (Gayaa Dhuwi) has an interest in ensuring that the Thriving Kids Initiative is designed and delivered in alignment with the needs of our children and communities. A thriving future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children depends on culturally safe, strengths-based approaches that reflect our definition of social and emotional wellbeing (Dudgeon et al., 2021). To be effective for our children, the Thriving Kids Initiative must incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, cultural knowledge, and community-led solutions.

Gayaa Dhuwi calls for the Committee to consider this opportunity to invest in holistic, culturally safe models of child wellbeing that are grounded in connection to culture, Country, and community. We urge the Committee to centre the Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan (2025), which has been endorsed by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and outlines national best practice for designing initiatives that

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impact the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and communities.

To ensure that the highest attainable social and emotional wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can be realised, Gayaa Dhuwi makes the following recommendations to the House Standing Committee, in line with their Terms of Reference:

Recommendations:

  1. Centre the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan when designing the Thriving Kids Initiative. Full implementation of the Plan will lead to mainstream systems of social and emotional wellbeing service provision that are culturally safe and holistic. This will allow our children with mild to moderate supports needs, and their families, to navigate mainstream health systems in ways that support positive social and emotional wellbeing outcomes. This is the best practice policy and practice roadmap for delivering thriving services for our communities. Further, its implementation will support seamless transitions through mainstream systems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

  2. Ensure that the Thriving Kids Initiative is strengths-based, inclusive, and easy to understand. This includes ensuring inclusive eligibility criteria, clear communication, and smooth system

  3. Ensure that the Thriving Kids Initiative is designed and delivered in ways that support the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This includes ensuring that the Initiative is culturally safe, can be tailored to local need, and is developed under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance for our communities.

  4. Ensure that the workforce delivering the Thriving Kids Initiative has access to adequate funding to build capability to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who access it. This includes workforces delivering this Initiative in regional, rural, and remote community settings.

Background

The House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability (the Committee) is undertaking an inquiry ahead of the commencement of the Thriving Kids Initiative. This forms part of a broader process of consultation and input as the federal government seeks to finalise the design and implementation arrangements for Thriving Kids.

The federal government seeks to refocus the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on “supporting people with permanent and significant disability and ensuring the Scheme remains sustainable” (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2025). The Thriving Kids Initiative forms part of the new architecture that will divert children with “mild to moderate” developmental delay or support needs to supports outside of the NDIS.

The development of the Thriving Kids Initiative presents an opportunity to develop strengths-based, holistic care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. However, the realisation of that opportunity relies heavily on whether this Initiative is designed and delivered in ways that are culturally safe, and grounded in our ways of being, knowing, and doing.

As the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention, Gayaa Dhuwi has already developed the roadmap for the design and delivery of culturally safe programs for our children and communities in the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration (2015) and Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan (2025). Gayaa Dhuwi urges the House Committee to commit to the implementation of these existing solutions for our children, and to contribute to an end of the cycle of review without reform. Such commitment would truly support our children, who are our future, to thrive.

The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan is a roadmap for our children to thrive

The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan, which has been endorsed Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia THRIVING KIDS 3

by the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing, should be centered and drawn upon when designing a new initiative that will impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of our children. It emphasises the importance of centring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership within services delivering social and emotional wellbeing services, in order to achieve the highest attainable standard of care for our communities. The five central themes of the Declaration promote a transformational approach to the delivery of social and emotional wellbeing services, emphasising cultural safety and competence in conjunction with best clinical practice.

The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan was launched in February 2025 and provides a long-term framework and short-term initiatives needed to deliver on this vision. The document was developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, mental health professionals, and community stakeholders to translate the principles of the Declaration into practical, impactful actions. It therefore contains the roadmap to designing new initiatives which can impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of our children in ways that are culturally safe, strong, and impactful.

What is social and emotional wellbeing?

Social and emotional wellbeing is a holistic concept that encompasses the mental, emotional, cultural and spiritual health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It emphasises interconnectedness, recognising that individual wellbeing is inseparable from the health of the community, relationships, Country, and cultural identity. Social and emotional wellbeing is not just about mental health but integrates physical health, cultural practices, and spiritual connections, forming a comprehensive framework for overall health and resilience (Dudgeon et al., 2021).

Access to Thriving Kids must be accessible, inclusive, and navigable

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), while intended to provide support, introduced additional complexity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Many children do not meet narrow eligibility thresholds, are not formally diagnosed, or fall through the gaps between state and Commonwealth service systems. The Scheme often relies on Western models of disability and assumes access to advocacy, assessments, and documentation that may not be readily available in community settings (Gilroy et al., 2022).

The challenges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families have encountered in accessing the NDIS must not be replicated in the Thriving Kids Initiative. To ensure that all children who require support at the critical ages of eight or younger, the Initiative must be designed with access and inclusion in mind. Consideration must be given to the multitudes of feedback that applicants and participants have expressed regarding challenges understanding the eligibility criteria for the NDIS (Commonwealth of Australia, 2023), so that this feedback can be learnt from and genuine improvements can be made. Broader eligibility criteria, which are simpler to navigate and demonstrate, will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to more readily engage with this scheme, especially those living in community settings where the metrics to demonstrate NDIS eligibility are not always as available.

Gayaa Dhuwi further calls for the Thriving Kids Initiative to be developed with due consideration for smooth system navigation. Again, feedback from NDIS applicants, participants, and their families indicates that system navigation presents challenges to attaining positive outcomes and beneficial care (Commonwealth of Australia, 2023). The development of this Initiative presents the opportunity to implement the scheme in a way that actively addresses the barriers to smooth system navigation. This includes designing clear referral pathways, reducing administrative complexity, and ensuring families can access the right supports at the right time without confusion or delay.

Culturally safe initiatives for our children are imperative to a lifetime of thriving

Our children are our future, and so for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the concept of thriving kids cannot be separated from our holistic understandings of thriving futures throughout the lifespan. Evidence shows that for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, poorer life outcomes including contact with the criminal justice system, reflect a long trail of missed opportunities for care. This includes at the intersections of health, disability, housing, education, and child protection systems (Baldry, Dowse and Clarence 2012).

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These children are not failing, but the systems around them are not designed to meet their needs in ways that are safe, respectful, or culturally informed (Gee et al., 2014).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with a disability, particularly those with cognitive and psychosocial disabilities, are often pushed to the edges of systems. Their experiences of trauma, disability, and disadvantage frequently go unidentified in services that are already difficult to navigate, especially for families in remote areas or without support (Baldry, Dowse and Clarence, 2012; Shepherd et al., 2022). Psychosocial disability in particular is often misunderstood or overlooked, and children are left without the culturally safe and community-based supports they need to remain engaged in school and connected to their families and communities (Cunneen and White, 2011; Gee et al., 2014).

Among other lifespan issues, this can lead to overrepresentation in systems of detention. Many children in detention are living with neurodevelopmental differences, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other learning differences (Bower et al., 2018). The critical opportunity that the development of the Thriving Kids Initiative presents, therefore, is to develop an upstream, early intervention model of support that will enable children to develop strong social and emotional wellbeing, and stay grounded and well. It is therefore critical that the existing roadmaps which outline the path to developing such models, outlined in the Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan, are centered as the Thriving Kids Initiative is designed and delivered.

It is imperative that the Thriving Kids Initiative be designed and delivered in ways that support the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This must include ensuring that the Initiative is culturally safe, and that it can be tailored to local need. It must also include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance in the development and delivery of the Initiative as it relates to our children and communities.

A culturally safe workforce will be integral to success

As with any new initiative, Thriving Kids will require workforce capacity building to ensure readiness to deliver the new scheme. Addressing the workforce’s capacity to deliver culturally safe and appropriate care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families will be essential to supporting the trust and uptake that our communities will have in this new Initiative.

The House Standing Committee should consider the opportunity that the development of this Initiative presents, in ensuring that the workforces responsible for delivering this program have the resourcing and capacity to do so in culturally safe and appropriate ways. Due consideration must also be given to workforce capability to support healthcare workers in regional, rural, and remote settings to deliver yet another service in contexts where they may already be overburdened.

A workforce with knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and healing practices can deliver more effective services and uphold cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Workforce capacity building should incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and be grounded in the principles of cultural safety (Commonwealth of Australia, 2022).

Existing examples of success can lead the way

Culturally strong programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and communities exist across Australia, and can be drawn on by the House Standing Committee to inform this inquiry. Koorie Kids Supported Playgroups, delivered by the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), offers a strong model of culturally strong and community-led early intervention that delivers strong outcomes for our children and communities. Highlighted as a case study exemplar in the SNAICC – National Voice for our Children ‘Doing it Our Way’ early intervention program, these playgroups are designed not only to support early children development and kindergarten readiness, they also service to foster social and emotional wellbeing, and instill pride in culture and identity (SNAICC, 2023).

Koorie Kids Supported Playgroups demonstrate a prevention-based model of care that supports families upstream and early, provide soft entry points into other health and education services, and embed mechanisms for community voice, involvement and continuous quality improvement. Strong cultural governance, community ownership and involvement, cultural safety, holistic responses, and a prepared and resourced workforce are all factors that have enabled the success of this program (SNAICC, 2023). By embedding community leadership throughout the program’s design and delivery, and taking a holistic approach to social and emotional wellbeing and child development, Koorie Kids Supported Playgroups demonstrate how culturally safe early intervention can delivery both immediate benefits and long term impact. Gayaa Dhuwi encourages the House Senate Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia THRIVING KIDS 5

Inquiry to consider the strength of our communities’ successes in designing and delivering culturally strong programs for our children when considering the Thriving Kids Initiative in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Conclusion

The development of the Thriving Kids Initiative presents an opportunity to learn lessons from the NDIS, and develop a program that truly supports all children to thrive, both now and into their futures. To support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, the design and delivery of this Initiative must be strengths-based, grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, and platform holistic understandings of child development, social and emotional wellbeing, and disability.

The pathway forward already exists. Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia has already developed a nationally endorsed roadmap, the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan, which outlines the key components of culturally safe, community-led models of care. What is now required is the political will to implement it in full, to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are no longer left behind, but empowered to live full, connected, and thriving lives.

References

  1. Baldry, E., Dowse, L. and Clarence, M. (2012). People with mental and cognitive disabilities: pathways into prison. Background paper for the Australian Human Rights Commission.

  2. Bower, C., Watkins, R.E., Mutch, R.C., Bullen, T., Fitzpatrick, J.P. et al. (2018). ‘Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice: a prevalence study among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia’, BMJ Open, 8(2), e019605.

  3. Commonwealth of Australia. (2022). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021–2031. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/03/national-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-workforce-strategic-framework-and-implementation-plan-2021-2031.pdf.

  4. Commonwealth of Australia. (2023). Working together to deliver the NDIS: Independent Review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme: Final report. Retrieved September 2025 from: https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/sites/default/files/resource/download/working-together-ndis-review-final-report.pdf.

  5. Cunneen, C. and White, R. (2011). Juvenile Justice: Youth and Crime in Australia. 3rd ed. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

  6. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2025). Thriving Kids program. Retrieved September 2025 from: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-08/thriving-kids-fact-sheet.pdf.

  7. Dudgeon, P., Gibson, C., & Bray, A. (2021). Social and emotional wellbeing: “Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands.” In T. A. Carey & J. Gullifer (Eds.), Handbook of rural, remote, and very remote mental health (pp. 599- 621). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/978-981-15-6631-8 28.

  8. Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia. (2015). Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration. Retrieved September 2025 from: https://www.gayaadhuwi.org.au/gayaa-dhuwi-proud-spirit-declaration/.

  9. Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia. (2025). Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan. Retrieved September 2025 from: https://www.gayaadhuwi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GDPSA-Implementation-PlanWEB.pdf.

  10. Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A. and Kelly, K. (2014). ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing’, in Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H. and Walker, R. (eds.) Working Together. 2nd ed. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, pp. 55–68.

  11. Gilroy, J., Dew, A., Lincoln, M. and Hines, M. (2022). ‘Disability and Indigenous Peoples in Australia: A review of the literature’, Disability & Society, 37(4), pp. 645–667.

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  1. Shepherd, S.M., Adams, Y., McEntyre, E., Walker, R. and Teague, R. (2022). ‘Cultural and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in contact with the criminal justice system: a literature review’, Health and Justice, 10(1), pp. 1–18.

  2. SNAICC – National Voice for our Children. (2023). ‘Early Intervention Profile: VACCA – Koorie Kids Supported Playgroups. SNAICC. Retrieved September 2025 from: https://www.snaicc.org.au/resources/doing-it-our-way-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-led-early-intervention-program-victorian-aboriginal-child-care-agency-kk/.

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