Building the Future of Wellbeing: Reflection on Australian Early Intervention, Whole School Programs and the Path Ahead with Thrive

As Australia prepares for the rollout of Thrive, our landscape for supporting vulnerable children is shifting once again. We're moving from a patchwork of models — Helping Children with Autism, Better Start for Children with Disability, and most recently the NDIS — towards placing timely, multidisciplinary intervention in the heart of our schools and communities.

For those of us who have spent decades in education and child development, this change is both overdue and full of possibility.

Australia's early intervention journey has taught us much. Early funding models gave families access to critical therapies before school, supporting neurodiverse and developmentally vulnerable children in their most important years. The introduction of NDIS promised greater reach but also introduced complex navigation and uneven support. Through it all, one lesson stands out: the earlier and more embedded the support, the more children and families flourish.

The shift to Thrive seeks to address these gaps. Instead of relying on external or clinical settings, Thrive aims for intervention where children spend their days — mainstream schools, early learning centres and community hubs. This model closely aligns with global research and experience, showing that child wellbeing is maximised when support is proactive, coordinated and built into the fabric of everyday environments.

After more than twenty years in Australian schools, clinics and leadership, I have seen firsthand how wellbeing is often 'added on' rather than ingrained. When programs are fragmented, staff feel stretched, families feel isolated, and children's needs grow more complex. I was driven to create the Whole School Connection and Wellbeing Program (Sirv) from these lived realities and from the mounting international evidence: true change happens when families, students and teachers walk the journey together.

Sirv was designed as a holistic, flexible framework, giving schools a choice of Foundation, Growth or Whole School pathways. Each pathway includes key workshops for teachers, students and parents, plus options for peer leadership development and resources across the year. Supporting programs such as girls' leadership, boys' resilience and confidential teen coaching respond directly to what communities have asked for and what the research supports.

Unlike many short-term or siloed initiatives seen globally, Sirv strives for integrated, sustainable support. Behavioural science underpins every aspect, and resources are delivered to create ongoing capacity, not just a one-time boost. The impact is visible not only in individual wellbeing, but in stronger school cultures, improved family engagement and better outcomes for all.

Globally, there is growing proof that embedding wellbeing into whole-school life has transformative effects. Schools that invest in multidisciplinary support see greater resilience, higher engagement and improved learning. Effective programs break down silos; they support not only students, but teachers and families as well, creating communities better equipped to face challenges and grow together.

However, the reality is many systems remain reluctant. Budgets are tight, competing priorities loom large, and wellbeing can still be seen as 'extra' rather than essential. Yet, as Thrive sets higher expectations and puts more responsibility on schools, the need for comprehensive, embedded support has never been clearer.

Thrive offers Australia a chance to build a lasting foundation of care in every school. But it will only be successful if implementation marries vision with detail. This means providing funding to schools to resource multidisciplinary support, building strong partnerships with families and health professionals and advocating for wellbeing to be at the centre — not the sidelines — of school practice.

The journey of early intervention in Australia has been marked by progress and setbacks, but it has always been propelled by those who care deeply about children and their futures. As we step into Thrive, the challenge and opportunity are to go beyond policy — to embed proactive, sustained wellbeing in every layer of our children's lives.

I am grateful for the work already done and energised for the critical work ahead. Together, by investing in whole-school wellbeing and building strong collaborative systems, we can ensure every child and teacher flourishes — now and for generations to come.