You’ll hear the phrase “foundational supports” more and more as the NDIS changes roll out, and it’s worth understanding, because it’s central to where the whole system is heading. As the NDIS tightens who it funds and how much, a new tier of support is being built to sit outside the individualised scheme. Here’s the plain-language guide to what foundational supports are, who they’re for, and how they’re meant to work.
What Foundational Supports Are
Foundational supports are services and support for people with disability that sit outside the individualised NDIS. Rather than being funded through a personal NDIS plan, they’re delivered more broadly, often through mainstream services, community organisations and state-run programs, and are intended to be available to a wider group of people with disability, not just NDIS participants.
The idea comes from the original vision for the disability system, which always intended two tiers: individualised NDIS packages for those with significant needs, and a broader layer of support available to the wider disability community. That broader layer was never really built. Foundational supports are the attempt to build it now.
Why They’re Being Created
The context is the NDIS reforms. The government is narrowing NDIS eligibility and reducing some funding, aiming to bring the scheme’s growth under control and refocus it on people with significant and permanent disability. For people who no longer qualify, or who have lower-level needs, foundational supports are meant to be the alternative.
“The government has committed to developing alternative Foundational Supports for people who no longer qualify,” one reform summary explains.
A capped amount of around $10 billion over five years has been committed to these supports, shared 50-50 between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. So this isn’t a vague promise, there’s funding and structure behind it, though much of the detail is still being designed.
The Two Main Streams
Foundational supports are broadly taking shape in two streams. General supports are aimed at the wider disability community, information, advice, peer support, help navigating systems, and building the capacity of mainstream services (like schools and health services) to include and support people with disability. The $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund, resourcing community organisations to be genuinely inclusive, sits in this space.
Targeted early intervention supports are more specific, focused especially on children. The centrepiece here is Thriving Kids, the program for young children with developmental delay or autism, beginning its rollout from 1 October 2026, along with measures like Medicare-funded health checks for three-year-olds to identify developmental needs early.
Who They’re For
Foundational supports are intended for a broad group: people with disability who aren’t NDIS participants, people with lower-level needs who may not qualify for an individual plan, young children (through Thriving Kids), and, in some cases, to complement the supports of people who are on the NDIS. The aim is a system where support doesn’t only exist if you have an individual NDIS plan, but is available more widely through the community and mainstream services.
If you’re a current NDIS participant, your plan continues as it is, foundational supports are an additional layer being built, not a replacement for your existing funding, and any changes to your plan happen only at reassessment. If understanding how your current NDIS budget works would help, our free NDIS budget explainer walks through it in plain language.
The Big Open Question
It would be incomplete not to name the central concern. Foundational supports are being built at the same time as NDIS eligibility narrows and some budgets reduce, and disability advocates have consistently warned about sequencing: whether these alternatives will genuinely be ready, and good enough, before people lose NDIS support. There’s also uncertainty because the supports are jointly delivered with states and territories, and not every state has fully signed on, Queensland, for instance, has resisted the Thriving Kids arrangement.
So foundational supports are a genuinely important idea with real funding behind them, but their success depends on whether they’re actually built and accessible in time. That’s the thing to watch as the reforms roll out.
What to Do
Practical steps. If you’re a current NDIS participant, keep using your plan as approved and prepare for your reassessment as normal, foundational supports don’t change your existing funding. If you or your child may be affected by narrowing eligibility, stay informed about what foundational supports become available in your state, and keep evidence of need current. And watch official channels as the detail is designed and rolled out, since much is still being worked through. The authoritative source is the Department of Health’s foundational supports information.
The Bottom Line
Foundational supports are a new tier of disability support being built outside the individualised NDIS, funded at around $10 billion over five years, delivered through mainstream services and community organisations, and available more broadly than NDIS plans. They include general supports for the wider disability community and targeted early intervention like Thriving Kids. The idea is sound and long overdue, but its success hinges on whether it’s genuinely ready before the NDIS narrows. Understand what’s coming, watch how it rolls out where you live, and keep your evidence current. This is general information, not disability, legal or financial advice.
Epik Wire covers the NDIS in plain language for participants and families. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.
