What Australia can learn from the UK's "Experts at Hand" approach

Australia's early childhood, disability and education systems are undergoing significant change.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is being reformed, governments are reviewing approaches to early childhood intervention, and policymakers continue to explore ways to improve inclusion and support for children with developmental delay, disability and additional needs.

At the same time, families continue to report that navigating support systems remains challenging. Understanding where to seek help, which services are available and how different systems connect can be overwhelming, particularly when concerns about a child's development first emerge.

Against this backdrop, a new initiative emerging in the United Kingdom offers an interesting perspective on a challenge that is equally familiar in Australia.

Known as Experts at Hand, the model is designed to provide parents with accessible information, practical guidance and specialist expertise without requiring them to navigate multiple agencies, referral pathways or eligibility processes before receiving support.

While Australia already has a range of programs that seek to strengthen early support for families, including initiatives such as NSW's Thriving Kids program and broader reforms focused on improving system navigation,  the UK approach raises important questions about how support is coordinated, communicated and accessed.

The challenge is often navigation, not availability

Australia invests significantly in services that support children with disability, developmental delay and additional needs.

However, families frequently describe difficulties understanding how those services connect.

Parents may find themselves engaging with health professionals, early childhood education and care services, allied health providers, state-funded programs, schools and NDIS pathways, often simultaneously.

Each system serves an important purpose, yet families can experience fragmented information, inconsistent advice and uncertainty about what steps to take next.

The challenge is not always the absence of support. More often, it is knowing how to access the right support at the right time.

The Experts at Hand model seeks to simplify this experience by providing families with clear, practical information and direct access to expertise early in the journey.

For Australia, the concept raises an important question: how can systems become easier for families to understand and navigate?

Providing support before a diagnosis

One of the most notable features of the UK initiative is its emphasis on responding to need rather than waiting for formal diagnoses or eligibility determinations.

This is an issue that resonates strongly across Australia.

Families can face lengthy waiting periods for developmental assessments, specialist appointments and therapy services. In some regions, those waits can extend for many months.

During this period, concerns may already have been identified by parents, educators or health professionals, yet practical support can remain difficult to access.

Research consistently highlights the importance of acting early when developmental concerns emerge.

Increasingly, Australian policy discussions are recognising that families should not have to wait for a formal diagnosis before receiving guidance and support.

The UK's approach reinforces the value of providing practical assistance as early as possible, helping families respond to concerns while assessment processes continue.

Supporting families, not just children

Another strength of the model is its focus on family capability.

Rather than positioning professionals as the sole source of expertise, the initiative seeks to equip parents with practical strategies that can be used in everyday routines and interactions.

This reflects a growing understanding that families are children's most important and consistent influence.

Australian early childhood intervention services already embrace family-centred practice as a core principle. However, access to coaching, resources and practical guidance can vary considerably depending on geography, funding arrangements and service availability.

Expanding opportunities for families to access evidence-informed advice and practical strategies may strengthen confidence and improve outcomes for children regardless of formal diagnosis status.

Recognising the role of educators

The model also highlights the important role educators play in supporting children and families.

Early childhood educators are often among the first professionals to notice developmental differences, identify emerging concerns and engage in conversations with families.

They are frequently the trusted professionals families turn to when seeking reassurance and guidance.

However, educators themselves can face challenges accessing specialist advice, particularly as the complexity of children's needs continues to increase.

Greater access to professional learning, specialist consultation and practical inclusion support may help strengthen educator confidence and capability.

This aligns closely with Australia's ongoing commitment to inclusive practice through the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework.

Putting family experience at the centre

Perhaps the most important lesson from the UK's approach is its focus on family experience.

The model recognises that seeking support can be both emotionally and practically challenging.

Rather than expecting families to navigate complex systems independently, support is designed around the information, guidance and reassurance families need at the point they need it.

This principle is increasingly reflected in Australian reform discussions.

Whether through NDIS changes, early childhood intervention reforms or initiatives such as Thriving Kids, there is growing recognition that systems should be easier to understand, more responsive and less dependent on families becoming experts in service navigation.

Looking beyond programs to principles

Australia is unlikely to replicate the UK's Experts at Hand model directly, nor should it.

The two countries operate within different policy environments, funding arrangements and service systems.

However, the initiative highlights several principles that are highly relevant to Australia's current reform agenda: providing support earlier, simplifying access to information, strengthening family capability, supporting educator confidence and responding to need before challenges escalate.

As reforms continue across the early childhood, disability and education sectors, the question is not whether Australia should adopt another country's program.

The more important question is whether families can easily access the practical, coordinated and timely support they need when concerns first arise.

For many families, the answer to that question may shape not only their experience of the system, but also the opportunities available to their children in the years ahead.