ABSTRACT
The introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, which is currently being trialled for full implementation by 2019, will change the nature of services for all persons with a disability, including young children. In its trial phase, the NDIS is promoting a model of service delivery that involves a transdisciplinary approach with one member of the early childhood intervention team, being a primary service provider or key worker, supporting a family and child participation in natural environments. The introduction of a national approach to services for young children with disabilities represents a significant departure from a past, in which each State and territory developed its own approach to early childhood intervention (ECI). In Victoria, a model similar to that being proposed by the NDIS has been evolving over the past decade or so. One of the significant features of the Victorian approach has been the coordination of all its early childhood services, typically regarded as covering birth to six years of age. One of the dilemmas in the introduction of the NDIS is the separation of services for children with a disability from services for children without disabilities and delays.
