Can I get Better Start?
A child must be under the age of six years and have been diagnosed with one of the qualifying disabilities to be eligible for Better Start funding.
Age Threshold
A child must be under the age of six years and have been diagnosed with one of the following disabilities to be eligible for Better Start funding.
Disabilities included in Better Start
- Cerebral palsy
- Deafblindness
- Down syndrome, including mosaic Down syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome with full mutation
- Hearing impairment
- Sight impairment
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- Williams syndrome
- Angelman syndrome
- Kabuki syndrome
- Smith-Magenis syndrome
- CHARGE syndrome
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome
- Cri du Chat syndrome
- Microcephaly
Eligibility thresholds
Cerebral palsy
All children with a confirmed diagnosis of cerebral palsy will be eligible for Better Start.
Down syndrome
All children with a confirmed diagnosis of Down syndrome, including those with mosaic Down syndrome, will be eligible.
Hearing impairment
Children will be eligible if they have a hearing loss in both ears that meets either of the following two criteria:
- A permanent conductive or sensorineural hearing loss that has a four frequency average hearing loss of 40dBHL or greater in the better-hearing ear
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder diagnosed in both ears
Sight impairment
Children will be eligible if they have vision of less than or equal to 6/18 or equivalent field loss, in the better eye with correction.
Parents or carers who have questions about the disability thresholds should contact the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs directly through the dedicated mailbox better.start@fahcsia.gov.au.
Information on the assessment and registration of your child for Better Start is included in Steps to Better Start.