A Parent's Guide to Using NDIS Funding for Children's Therapy
If your child has an NDIS plan – or you're in the middle of applying for one – figuring out what's funded, how to use it, and how to get the most out of each plan year can feel like a full time job on top of an already full time job.
This guide cuts through the jargon. Here's what NDIS therapy for children actually covers, how funding categories work, what NDIS school holiday programs are, and how to make the most of your child's plan before the next review.
What NDIS Paediatric Therapy Covers
Most therapy for children with a disability or developmental delay is funded through the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living budget. This is where the bulk of paediatric therapy sits.
Under this category, NDIS paediatric therapy can include:
Occupational therapy (OT)
Psychology and positive behaviour support
Functional capacity assessments and therapy reports
Parent coaching and carer training sessions
Some children also have funding in Core Supports, which can cover things like support workers or therapy assistance in everyday settings. Unlike Capacity Building funding – which is locked within its specific category – Core Supports are the most flexible budget and can often be moved between categories as your child's needs shift.
What can't move between budgets is Capacity Building funding. If your child has $5,000 allocated for therapy services, that funding stays locked to its category and can't be shifted to another support type. It's worth knowing this before your plan review so you can make sure each budget is sized correctly for what your child actually needs.
How Plan Management Affects Your Choices
How your NDIS plan is managed affects which providers you can access and how much admin lands on your plate.
Agency managed – the NDIA pays providers directly, but you're limited to registered NDIS providers only
Plan managed – a plan manager handles invoices and payments on your behalf, and you can access both registered and unregistered providers, which opens up more options
Self managed – you pay providers directly and claim reimbursement, with the most flexibility but the most administrative responsibility
For most families, plan management hits the sweet spot: more provider choice without the paperwork burden. And plan management itself is funded through your NDIS plan – it doesn't come out of your therapy budget.
At EveryKid, we accept self managed and plan managed participants. If you're not sure what applies to your child's plan, our admin team can walk you through it.
Getting the Most From Your Child's NDIS Plan
Tie Everything to Goals
NDIS funding is tied to your child's individual goals – and this is where a lot of families leave money on the table. If your child's plan goals are vague or outdated, it's harder to justify the therapy they need at review time.
Work with your therapist to set goals that are specific and measurable. "Improve fine motor skills" is less useful than "hold a pencil with a functional grip to write their name independently by the end of the plan year." The more specific the goal, the stronger the case for continued or increased funding.
Use Your Reports
Your therapist's progress reports and functional capacity assessments are your most important evidence at plan review. Keep copies. Ask your therapist to be clear about what progress has been made, what still needs to be achieved, and what therapy is recommended going forward.
Starting NDIS paediatric therapy as early as possible gives your child more time to work towards their goals – and NDIS plans are typically 12 months long, so the clock is always ticking.
Don't Let Budgets Expire Unused
From May 2025, the NDIA introduced quarterly funding periods, meaning your funding is released gradually rather than all at once. Check in with your plan manager or support coordinator regularly to make sure you're using your therapy budget at a pace that serves your child's needs.
NDIS School Holiday Programs: What They Are and Why They Matter
NDIS school holiday programs are therapist led group programs that run during the holiday periods. They're not babysitting or holiday care. They're structured programs designed around specific therapeutic goals – social skills, communication, sensory regulation, fine motor skills – delivered in a fun, peer based environment.
For children who thrive in social settings, or who find group dynamics challenging and need supported practice, these programs offer something individual 1:1 therapy can't: the chance to practise real skills with real peers, in a low pressure, high fun environment.
NDIS school holiday programs are typically funded under Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living, the same budget as regular therapy. Many families don't realise these programs are claimable – but for plan managed and self managed participants, they absolutely can be.
EveryKid runs NDIS friendly school holiday programs across our key therapy areas.
What's Changing: The Thriving Kids Update
If your child is under nine and on the NDIS – or you're in the process of applying – it's worth knowing about upcoming changes to how early childhood supports are accessed.
The Australian Government's Thriving Kids program is a new national initiative for children aged eight and under with developmental delay or autism assessed as having low to moderate support needs. The plan is to move those children into a new, state delivered, community based support model. It's funded jointly by federal and state governments at $4 billion over five years.
Thriving Kids begins rolling out from 1 October 2026.
Children with permanent and significant disability remain on the NDIS. Children under eight with developmental delay or autism and substantially reduced functional capacity also remain. The change specifically targets the low to moderate support group.
What does this mean for your family right now?
If your child is currently on the NDIS, nothing changes immediately. But it's a good reason to make sure your child's goals, assessments, and progress reports are well-documented and up to date before any review or reassessment.
If you're unsure how these changes might affect your child's plan, our team is happy to talk it through with you.
EveryKid Is a Registered NDIS Provider
At EveryKid, our full range of NDIS paediatric therapy is available to NDIS funded children and families, including occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, feeding therapy, and positive behaviour support – all under one roof in Parramatta.
We work with self managed and plan managed participants, and our team can support you with goal documentation, therapy reports, and making sure your child's intensive or ongoing therapy is set up to be claimed correctly.
Ready to get started? Call 0404 939 490 or book online – our admin team will help you work out the right pathway for your child.