Foundational Supports for Children

Foundational supports for children under 9

The NSW Government is working hard to deliver on our commitment to ensure that children across NSW get the best start in life and learning, no matter their postcode or background.

We are working with the Australian Government and other states and territories to design foundational supports for children under nine with autism and developmental delay. These supports would help children with low-to-moderate support needs and their families, carers and kin.

Foundational supports will help children to meet developmental milestones, learn, be social, and support them with their emotional, physical and mental health. Supports are also being designed to give families, carers and kin the right information to understand and support their child’s needs.

Governments are working together on how and when these services could be rolled out after they sign a long-term agreement on foundational supports.

Community consultation

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is pleased to open registration for community and sector consultation on Foundational Supports for children in NSW.

We will be traveling across NSW to meet with people who are interested in how foundational supports can meet the needs of children and families in NSW.

We want to hear from parents, carers and kin, people with disability, and people working in early childhood education, disability or early intervention services.

Unless otherwise specified, all sessions will be open to people living in the community and working in the sector. If you are a service provider that works directly with children and families, we encourage you to share these links across your networks to ensure we are hearing directly from people who will benefit from foundational supports.

As numbers are strictly limited, we ask that you do not register more than one representative of your agency, and encourage you to register on behalf of interested families.

The following dates and locations for the community consultation sessions are currently scheduled for October and November 2025:

Date	Location	Time	Attendees	Registration link
Monday 27 October	Gosford	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 3 November	Wollongong	Morning	Parents, carers and people who support children with developmental delay or autism	Register here
Monday 3 November	Wollongong	Afternoon	Sector	Register here
Tuesday 4 November	Batemans Bay	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 10 November	Newcastle	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Tuesday 11 November	Lake Macquarie	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 17 November	Penrith	Morning	Open to all	Register here

We’ve held consultation sessions across several locations including Liverpool, Parramatta, Seven Hills, Campbelltown, Regents Park, Wagga Wagga, Bankstown and two sessions at both Chatswood, Randwick, Lithgow, Dubbo, Broken Hill, Redfern, Armidale, Tamworth, Ballina and Coffs Harbour. 

We are committed to ensuring the First Nations targeted consultation sessions are culturally appropriate, meaningful, and led by a suitable Aboriginal facilitator. Creating the right environment for these important conversations takes time and we want to make sure we get it right. We will schedule these sessions as soon as dates and locations are confirmed. 

Webinars Registration

To support broader engagement with the Foundational supports initiative, we are pleased to confirm that six webinars are planned for November 2025. These sessions offer a more accessible option for those unable to attend face to face Community consultations.

Each webinar provides an opportunity to learn more about Foundational supports for children under nine with autism and developmental delay, and to share your insights and experiences.

We encourage parents, carers, kin, and professionals working in early childhood education, disability, or early intervention services to register and participate in the webinar designed for their group, as each session targets a specific audience.

If you're unable to attend the webinar tailored to your focus group, we also offer an Open Webinar that is available to everyone.

Five of the six webinars have confirmed dates and are open for registration. The remaining sessions will be available soon.

Date	Time	Focus Group	Registration Link
Wednesday 5 November	12:00pm to 2:00pm	Families	Register here
Thursday 6 November	6:00pm to 7:30pm	Families	Register here
Wednesday 12 November	6:00pm to 7:30pm	Allied Health Providers	Register here
Wednesday 19 November	10:00am to 11:30am	Remote/Regional Communities	Register here
Thursday 20 November	1:00pm to 2:30pm	Open Session	Register here

Have you Say Survey

This survey is another chance to help shape how Foundational supports for children should work and be delivered in NSW.

To complete the survey, please visit the Survey page.

Advisory group

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice has established a Foundational Supports for Children Advisory Group. This includes peak bodies, advocates and service providers who will share their expertise and insights.

The following organisations are members of the Advisory Group:

• People With Disability Australia
• Family Advocacy 
• Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association NSW 
• First Nations Peoples Disability Network 
• AbSec 
• Autism Awareness Australia
• National Disability Services
• Local Community Services Association
• NSW Family Services
• NSW Council of Social Services
• Marathon Health
• Sydney Region Aboriginal Corp
• We Care NSW 
• Plumtree
• Ethnic Community Services Co-operative
• Koorana 
• Orange District Early Education Program
• A Growing Understanding Speech Pathology
• Occupational Therapy Paediatric Services 
• EarlyEd.

The Advisory Group is meeting fortnightly from July to September 2025.

Further information

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice, the Cabinet Office, NSW Health, the NSW Department of Education and Aboriginal Affairs NSW are all working together to design effective, community-based supports.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

The Australian Government asked the community about foundational supports from September to November 2024. You can read the discussion paper and watch a video of the ‘What we heard’ webinar on the DSS Engage website.

Where to get support

If you are worried about how your child is growing and learning, talk to your child's doctor or the Community Nurse at your local Child and Family Health Centre.  

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – Early Childhood Approach helps  children under 9 with developmental delay or disabilities. They focus on early intervention and support. To find an NDIS Early Childhood provider, go to the NDIS website.

Additional information:

• DSS Disabilities and carers – information about support for people with disabilities and their families, carers and kin. 
• Disability Advocacy Futures Program – information disability advocacy services.  
• NSW Education Inclusive learning support – information about the Disability Advocacy Futures Program for students.
• DCJ Early Intervention Programs - free services across NSW that support children, young people and families experiencing a range of issues.
• Family Connect and Support - connects families with support services and community resources to help keep children and young people are safe and well.
• Aboriginal Child and Family Centres - culturally-safe services for families with Aboriginal children aged up to 8 years of age.
• Brighter Beginnings – services and resources to help children during the first five years of life.
• Finding early childhood education and care – information to help families, carers and kin choose an early childhood education service.
• NSW Health Disability services and initiatives – information about accessible health care options for people with disabilities.

Date	Location	Time	Attendees	Registration link
Monday 20 October	Ballina	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Tuesday 21 October	Coffs Harbour	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 27 October	Gosford	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 3 November	Wollongong	Morning	Parents, carers and people who support children with developmental delay or autism	Register here
Monday 3 November	Wollongong	Afternoon	Sector	Register here
Tuesday 4 November	Batemans Bay	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 10 November	Newcastle	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Tuesday 11 November	Lake Macquarie	Morning	Open to all	Register here
Monday 17 November	Penrith	Morning	Open to all	Register here