Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

SVA’s submission to the inquiry into Thriving Kids, a new foundational supports initiative from the Federal Government, focuses on practical solutions drawn from our expertise in the early years.

Our submission to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability draws on SVA’s expertise in the early years space and our work developing a strong body of evidence of what children need to thrive in early childhood, recognising this critical window to change trajectories and alleviate disadvantage. This submission draws on our work through Nurture Together and Restacking the Odds.

The Thriving Kids initiative, commencing on the 1st of July 2026, will focus on identifying developmental concerns earlier and establishing a national system of supports for children aged 8 and under with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism, and their families. The Australian Government will work with the states and territories to design and implement Thriving Kids.

• In this submission, we:
  • Recommend the Committee consider opportunities to ensure systematic, sustained, flexible funding for early childhood hubs, including funding for integration as core infrastructure as an essential foundation for Thriving Kids delivery, and
  • Recommend the Committee consider opportunities for needs-based funding to support enhanced models of ECEC to ensure Thriving Kids can be delivered in communities with high early childhood disadvantage.
• We also endorse two other submissions:
  • The Centre for Community Child Health submission including ‘Thriving Kids Core Elements’ which recommends an uplift of mainstream health and education, local solutions with national guardrails, and a focus on enabling parents to understand and act, and
  • The National Child and Family Hubs Network submission, including their recommendations
    to strengthen, and leverage these hubs for delivery of Thriving Kids