Extra maternal and child health nurse visits for children in Victoria under Thriving Kids program
The Thriving Kids program will roll out from October. (Supplied: Central Goldfields Shire Council)
In short:
The Thriving Kids program will provide supports for children with "mild to moderate" developmental delays or autism.
Only children with high support needs will remain covered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Co-funded by the Victorian and federal governments, Thriving Kids will provide additional assessments of children who are in kindergarten and starting school to identify supports they may need.
All Victorian children will get two extra visits to identify developmental delays as the state prepares to launch its Thriving Kids program for those to be shifted off the National Disability Scheme (NDIS).
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said the state would review the existing 10 visits with maternal and child health nurses available for children from when they are born to the age of about three and a half.
The state has also digitised the green book, where parents track their baby's progress, through the Service Victoria app.
Last week the state reached an agreement with the Commonwealth to begin rolling out Thriving Kids from October.
The program is for children aged eight and under with "mild to moderate" developmental delays or autism, who will be shifted off the NDIS in phases until 2028.
Children with high support needs will remain with the NDIS.
The Senate is separately presiding over public hearings into a bill which would pave the way for the biggest ever cuts to the NDIS.
Ms Blandthorn said all Victorian children would get two extra assessments, with clinicians and allied health professionals, before they entered kindergarten and as they start school to identify any developmental delays.
The state-led Thriving Kids would then provide the necessary support.
The Victorian Government is set to provide a digital alternative to the My Health, Learning and Development Record, distributed to new parents, commonly known as the 'green book'. (Supplied: Mitchell Shire)
The government said Victoria will employ more allied health professionals and support workers, co-located with maternal child health, kindergartens and early parenting centres.
The final details of how the $874.3 million agreement will be allocated over the first five years are yet to be finalised.
Victoria invested $514 million of this, compared to the Commonwealth's $360 million.
Ms Blandthorn insisted all children would benefit overall but acknowledged services would be different under Thriving Kids than the NDIS.
"A child that gets a plan today [under the NDIS], that might look different to what these services look like in the future," she said.
"But what we want to do, and what we've heard very clearly from families, is they want it to be easier, more efficient, meeting them where they're at.
"Some children just need a little bit of support at some point in time with motor skills or speech or developmental milestones. And some kids will need ongoing support from Thriving Kids services."
The Victorian Liberals on Wednesday announced a $156 million pledge to help identify neurodiverse children at the start of their schooling from 2028.
Shadow Education Minister Brad Rowswell said students needing further specialists would receive a $500 subsidy for an initial appointment.