Supporting the workforce
People who work with children and families play a critical role in helping children connect with extra supports when they need it. This includes:
- school and early childhood education and care professionals
- nurses, GPs, paediatricians
- allied health professionals
- social and community workers
- others who regularly support children and families.
Thriving Kids will provide information, resources, and training to help the workforce:
- identify developmental concerns early
- understand child development, developmental delay and autism
- have conversations with families about developmental concerns
- understand how Thriving Kids can help
- connect families with appropriate supports.
This will also include supports that help to strengthen the First Nations workforce and ensure services are appropriate for culturally and linguistically diverse families and First Nations families.
Medicare Healthy Kids Check
A Medicare Healthy Kids Check will be added to the Medicare Benefits Schedule for 3-year-olds from November 2026. The service will support GPs to assess the child’s physical, social and emotional development, health and wellbeing. This assessment will help families identify, with the help of their GP, children who may require additional supports, further monitoring, referral to appropriate supports (including Thriving Kids supports) or further assessment.
Connect with supports
If you are supporting a child or family and you have questions about their development, you can speak to a maternal and child health nurse for expert information and advice on childhood development and behaviour for children aged 8 years and under.
Call 1800 882 436 or Video call 7am to midnight, 7 days a week.