Politics Now What is Thriving Kids? | Insiders On Background
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Feb 6, 2026 Professor Frank Oberclade, paediatrician and researcher who co-chaired the Thriving Kids Advisory Group, explains the government's new model for early childhood supports. He outlines a continuum-based approach to identifying needs, how targeted referrals and services will work, plans to upskill GPs and community workers, and how states will manage funding and equity challenges.
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Diagnosis-Driven System Distorts Care
- The NDIS for children created perverse incentives by requiring diagnoses before treatment and funding.
- Frank Oberclade says this distorted clinical practice and increased parental anxiety instead of improving outcomes.
Support Families, Not Just Children
- Thriving Kids reframes child support as a continuum, emphasising parent support and prevention over diagnosis-driven funding.
- Frank Oberclade argues outcomes depend more on confident, supported families than on therapy hours.
Build Targeted Referral Pathways
- Ensure professionals in childcare, GPs and maternal health are trained to spot and refer concerns early.
- Refer children to targeted services (e.g., speech therapy) rather than giving open-ended funding buckets.