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From October 2026, we will start to provide new services for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs, and for their families, carers and kin.
You can read more about how Thriving Kids will be delivered in NSW here (PDF, 152.7 KB) (PDF, 152.7 KB).
Thriving Kids will provide two types of services:
General supports
Available to families who have concerns about their child’s development.
These include:
Targeted supports
For children who need extra help for a specific period of time. Supports are goal‑focused, and include coordination of Thriving Kids supports for the family.
These include:
Thriving Kids services will be delivered by NSW Government agencies alongside non-Government organisations (NGOs) commissioned by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). The information in this section is about the procurement of services to be delivered by NGOs. There will be separate processes for NSW Government agencies to deliver Thriving Kids services, as well as to establish any arrangements with private providers where required.
Procurement will commence in May 2026 for new services to commence from October 2026. This will involve two stages, with an expression of interest (EOI) to be followed by a request for tender (RFT). Further procurement activities will occur for additional services to commence in 2027.
Watch the recording of the Thriving Kids EOI information session on 13 May 2026. You can also view the slides used in the information session here (PDF, 1.7 MB).
You can view the information session to learn more before deciding whether to submit an EOI. This session is for information only and does not form part of the procurement process.
To apply to provide Thriving Kids services, you must register with both the buy.NSW Supplier Hub and DCJs Procurement Central portal.
All NSW Government suppliers must register on the buy.NSW Supplier Hub under Procurement Board Direction PBD-2023-04.
You will complete your tender application(s) in DCJs Procurement Central.
If your organisation is already registered with either system, please use your existing login.
How to register on buy.NSW
For help with buy.NSW, contact [email protected] or call 1800 679 289.
How to register on Procurement Central
How to use Procurement Central to respond to the Thriving Kids EOI:
You can submit questions about the EOI via the Messages board in Procurement Central.
If you’re having trouble logging in to an existing account, submit a ticket via the supplier webform or visit the JAGGAER support page for more information.
We will be updating this section with new questions and answers over time. Please check back regularly.
Do service providers need to apply to provide both general supports and targeted supports?
No. You can apply to provide general supports, targeted supports, or both.
Who can apply to provide general supports?
Organisations interested in providing Thriving Kids general supports must have:
Who can apply to provide targeted supports?
Organisations interested in providing targeted supports must have:
I’m a private provider, can I apply to provide Thriving Kids supports?
DCJ is seeking to contract not-for-profit organisations to deliver Thriving Kids services. This aligns with DCJ’s Pricing, procuring, contracting and funding human services policy.
There may be limited circumstances in which DCJ engages private providers to deliver specialised or professional services that are not available from not-for-profit organisations.
Private providers may submit an EOI. Responses will be recorded and may be considered if exceptional circumstances arise.
Submitting an EOI does not guarantee an invitation to participate in a future Request for Tender.
Providers should read the full Pricing, procuring, contracting and funding human services policy for more information.
My organisation hasn’t contracted with DCJ before. What’s involved?
The Working with us section of the DCJ website helps providers understand DCJs procurement policies and processes. It explains how DCJ works in partnership with service providers to deliver human services, including relevant contract management policies and procedures.
Please read this information before you apply.
The Department of Communities and Justice has been consulting with families, communities and service providers across NSW since July 2025 to inform our approach to Thriving Kids services.
From July 2025 to February 2026, we convened a Foundational Supports for Children Advisory Group, with representatives from disability, early childhood and allied health sectors, advocacy groups and service providers experienced in working with rural and remote, Aboriginal and culturally and linguistically diverse families and communities.
From August to November 2025, we held community consultation sessions across NSW. You can read a summary of the community consultations here (PDF, 3.4 MB).
From October to December 2025, we delivered a ‘Have Your Say’ survey, seeking input from parents, carers, health professionals, and people with experience in the disability, early childhood education, and early intervention sectors. You can read a summary of the survey responses here (PDF, 1.1 MB).
To receive updates on Thriving Kids in NSW subscribe to our mailing list.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
The Australian Government has published information about Thriving Kids on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.
The Australian Government has published the National Agreement on Foundational Supports on the Federal Financial Relations website.
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