ARACY’s Thriving Kids submission calls for transformational reform to ensure every child in Australia has the chance to thrive. We have a rare opportunity to shift systems away from being reactive, programmatic and medicalising – towards preventative, systemic and enabling.

Our position is clear:

  • Adopt a public health approach, with investment in prevention and early intervention.

  • Use The Nest – Australia’s first holistic framework for children’s wellbeing – to guide design and delivery.

  • Shift to a social model of disability that enables environments rather than focusing on deficits.

  • Embed genuine co-design with children, families and communities, with accountability for their voices.

Key recommendations include:

  • Prevention and early intervention: Expand maternal nurse home visiting, link developmental checks to immunisations, and invest in public awareness campaigns.

  • The Nest wellbeing domains: Apply a common language across sectors to ensure children are seen as whole people.

  • Equity and inclusion: Partner with First Nations organisations, address intersectional needs, and recognise systemic trauma.

  • Strengthen mainstream services: Resource Child and Family Hubs, build cross-sector capability, and ensure supports beyond age eight.

  • Embed voices: Ensure co-design at every stage and act on lived experience.

By making these shifts, we can move from fragmented, short-term responses to systemic, lasting solutions – creating an Australia where every child can thrive.

Note: The proposed Thriving Kids program is an initiative of the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and is separate from the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership (TQKP). TQKP is a partnership of people and organisations working to transform systems so all young Queenslanders can thrive. Find out more at tqkp.org.au