Thriving Kids: Podiatry supports early childhood development from the ground up
6 Mar 2026
The APodA lodged a comprehensive submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability Inquiry into the Thriving Kids (TK) initiative in October last year. Our submission called for better inclusion of podiatry in future supports and funding models, highlighting how podiatrists can help contribute to early identification, assessment and treatment for children experiencing developmental delays and/or autism.
The Thriving Kids Advisory Group was also established at that time, and on 5 February this year the advisory group released its final report in response to the Inquiry, with a proposed national model. Read the final report here >>
About Thriving Kids
The Thriving Kids initiative aims to enhance mainstream and community services for children aged 9 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs. Delivered as part of a wraparound early intervention support for children, podiatrists are qualified to assess and treat children with mild to moderate developmental delays, by identifying, assessing and treating lower limb and foot conditions that may impact their development.
Why podiatry should be included in Thriving Kids
Our submission emphasises that meaningful inclusion of podiatry helps strengthen the entire Thriving Kids model. Gross motor skills such as walking, balance, and coordination are central to a child’s developmental progress. Podiatrists play a significant role in identifying “red flags,” intervening with evidence-based treatments, and empowering children and families to engage more comfortably and confidently in learning and play.
Children with developmental delays and/or autism can present with a range of lower-limb, gait or gross motor challenges that affect mobility, participation and overall development.
As qualified allied health professionals with expertise in assessing foot and lower limb function, podiatrists can identify early motor indicators and intervene to help improve gait, balance and motor skill development. Within multidisciplinary care teams, this early intervention supports broader developmental progress.
Key recommendations from our submission
In our submission, we made a series of practical recommendations to help strengthen the Thriving Kids model by ensuring podiatry is recognised and appropriately funded as part of holistic care for children:
- Include Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) on the Thriving Kids Advisory Group to ensure allied health perspectives inform design.
- Include expert allied health practitioners, such as podiatrists, in consultations shaping the initiative.
- Establish funding mechanisms that allow children to access podiatry care for clinical assessment, treatment, and case conferencing under Thriving Kids.
- Ensure podiatrists are eligible for Medicare items under the initiative.
- Support multidisciplinary and collaborative consultations across services.
- Adopt flexible visit numbers based on clinical need rather than rigid visit caps.
- Develop priority eligibility checklists to ensure children with greatest need access services promptly.
- Create educational resources for families outlining pathways to allied health services including podiatry.
- Develop education for GPs and maternal and child health services about the varied allied health roles for developmental concerns.
- Build clear referral pathways from GPs, Maternal Child Health Nurses and other primary contacts to allied health services, including podiatry.
- Include podiatry in broader Medicare programs for complex neurodevelopmental conditions.
These recommendations aim to strengthen early identification, improve access to clinical care and ensure a multidisciplinary approach that’s child-centred and evidence-based.
Read our full submission to the Thriving Kids Inquiry >>
What’s next for Thriving Kids?
In the Thriving Kids Advisory Group final report, podiatry is included as one of the allied health professions as a Targeted Support. From the report, “Targeted Supports should improve developmental outcomes in everyday activities through the provision of lower intensity or periodic early childhood supports. These supports should be delivered by professionals trained in disciplines such as occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, podiatry, audiology and psychology.”
- Thriving Kids is scheduled to commence on 1 October 2026, with full implementation planned for 1 January 2028.
- Thriving Kids will operate as a standalone program, distinct from the NDIS.
- State governments will be responsible for implementing the initiative, rather than the federal government.
- The program will focus on children aged 9 and under with mild to moderate developmental delay and/or autism.
- Children with permanent and significant disabilities will continue to receive support through the NDIS.
- Key processes including entry, assessment, treatment pathways, and exit have not yet been defined.
- It is also unclear whether these processes will be applied consistently across states.
APodA will continue to work with the AHPA to represent podiatry in this area.
Join the APodA’s dedicated Australian Paediatric Podiatry community
We encourage podiatrists who treat children’s foot and lower limb conditions to join the Australian Paediatric Podiatry (APP) special interest group (SIG).
Joining the APP SIG connects you with peers who share insights, support and expertise that help you deliver the best possible outcomes for children and families.
As an APP member you’ll also benefit from:
- An engaged professional community focused on paediatric practice.
- Dedicated resources tailored to best practice child-centred care.
- Discounted professional development opportunities.
- Access to our library of APP-focused webinar recordings covering best practice in paediatric assessment and intervention.
If this is of interest, please click here to learn more about joining the APodA as a member, and here for all the details about signing up to the APP SIG.
