This year, CYDA surveyed more than 1200 children and young people with disability, and parents or caregivers, about their views on the government’s new Thriving Kids program.
Announced by Disability Minister Mark Butler on 20 August 2025, the program is intended to be a targeted supports alternative to the NDIS for children with developmental delay and autism under nine.
It will launch in July 2026, with access changes to the NDIS beginning from mid-2027.
CYDA’s survey report, Masking is not Thriving, comprehensively outlines the views, concerns, and suggestions we gathered from the people who will be most impacted by these changes.
Based on their responses, CYDA is calling on the government to:
- Coordinate a systems-level response guaranteeing supports to all children in need
- Co-design, pilot, and evaluate with the user group
- Design and invest in equity of access
- Provide tailored, holistic, and neuro-affirming practices and messaging
- Build trust and accountability through oversight
You can download the PDF and Word versions of our full submission using the buttons above.