Thriving Kids rollout begins: What GPs need to know

October 1 marks the start of Thriving Kids – big promises have been made about the program’s impact, but what exactly does it mean for GPs and how will it change their day-to-day consults?
 
The $2 billion Federal Government program, matched by an equal sum from participating states and territories, is part of wider reforms designed to reduce pressure on the NDIS.
 
The initiative aims to support children aged eight and under with low to moderate support needs and return primary care to the centre of child development.
 
The major reform coming is in January 2028, when these children will be cut off from the NDIS,  instead receiving all support through Thriving Kids.
 
Before that, the first stage of the rollout will focus on information, advice and navigation supports.
 
As of Thursday, GPs can point families towards new online resources, a national child development advice line, and an autism-specific helpline.
 
GPs can then expect their first on-the-ground change on 1 November this year, when the new Medicare Healthy Kids Check is due to commence – an initiative long supported by the RACGP.
 
The Medicare-funded assessment follows recommendations from both a Parliamentary inquiry and the Thriving Kids Advisory Group, which backed the introduction of a nationally consistent developmental health check.
 
Dr Tim Jones, RACGP Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health Chair and member of the advisory group, said that as of 1 October, GPs can expect questions from families at their practice, as well as identifying and engaging with those who need support early.
 
‘There are lots of good conversations happening between the states and representatives of the RACGP around how we can provide care, so it actually looks and feels cohesive for families,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘We need to show that we can deliver that wraparound care and we are seeing other little bits of Medicare funding come in to support that.
 
‘There’s been a massive expansion of item number 139, which dramatically increases the eligible funding available to families.
 
‘That’s an item number where we are now, in general practice, far better placed to utilise to support care to families who need it most.’
 
Dr Jones also said the three-year-old health checks will provide an opportunity to spend a full hour with a family, helping to build a relationship of understanding and trust.
 
‘We know that in general practice there are so many families that could be receiving that level of care that we’re still not getting to, so this is a wonderful opportunity to really make sure that we’re getting to all families and using that Medicare support to get to as many as possible,’ he said.
 
Dr Jones added that one of the struggles of the NDIS was the complexity and stress involved in accessing it.
 
‘The most fundamental work in child development is not done in systems, it’s done in families,’ he said.
 
‘Some of the best interventions we see are often around very low-level support. Helping get a child’s sleep right, helping to get a child exercising better, helping a child who is a little bit behind on their reading or writing skills to get that family support to read and write with their child. These are not complex interventions, but we forget about their importance.
 
‘As GPs, this is stuff we just know, but we need to have those conversations with families and have them really early before they’re deeply struggling and stressed.’
 
While Thriving Kids has been developed to fit a nationally agreed model, the actual community based services delivered through the program will vary between states and territories.
 
Early elements of the initiative include measures to address gaps identified in the NDIS review, which indicated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse families weren’t accessing early support for themselves at the same rates as other families.  
 
Additional supports will roll out progressively through 2027, including parenting programs, peer support, facilitated playgroups and targeted allied health services.
 
Dr Jones said consultation with general practice had been integral to developing Thriving Kids and it is an opportunity to demonstrate the strengths of general practice in providing care for the whole family.
 
‘We’re hopeful that as these reforms continue that general practice will be given greater and greater support and funding to deliver that care,’ he said.
 
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