A child's FCA looks at participation in everyday activities and the help the child needs. This may include getting dressed, eating, moving around, communicating, playing and taking part in family or community routines.
The assessment needs to consider the child's age and circumstances. It should not apply adult expectations or assume that every child with the same diagnosis has the same needs.
What is the assessment for?
Before booking, explain the question the report needs to answer. It might concern a change in assistance, a transition or a particular request for evidence.
An FCA is not automatically needed simply because a child has a diagnosis or an NDIS plan. Existing treating reports and information from the family or education setting may already answer part of the question.
How your child can contribute
The child's participation should be planned around age, communication and what is workable. They may contribute through conversation, their communication system, activities or information about their preferences.
Parents and other supporters can provide important observations. Those accounts should be identified as theirs rather than presented as though the child said them. An assessment should not assume that a child has nothing useful to contribute because they do not take part in a conventional interview.
Consent and the authority of the person arranging the assessment also need to be confirmed.
Looking across settings
Home, school and community settings make different demands. They may also provide different routines, equipment and levels of assistance.
For example, a child may manage a task at school with visual instructions but need more help at home when those instructions are not available. That is a hypothetical explanation of why context matters. A difference between settings should be investigated, not automatically attributed to masking, parenting or a lack of effort.
The assessor needs to describe the activity, the support and who observed it. Where accounts differ, the report should explain the difference or acknowledge that it remains unclear.
Choosing useful evidence
Relevant information may include treating reports, an existing assessment, a school support plan or a brief description of a routine that has changed. You do not need to produce a complete history of every service your child has used.
Measures must suit the child's age and the question being assessed. An adult questionnaire should not be applied by default. Parent ratings and direct assessment also provide different kinds of information.
Recommendations and service responsibilities
Recommendations should explain the child's support needs and priorities. They may concern participation, skill development, maintaining abilities or adapting an activity.
Not every need is an NDIS funding responsibility. Teaching adjustments and clinical treatment may sit with education or health services. A report can explain a need without implying that one scheme must fund every response.
As at 22 September 2026, Thriving Kids is an announced, phased program with services beginning from October 2026 and further changes planned through January 2028. Availability and any NDIS implications need to be checked against current official advice. Do not assume that an announcement automatically changes your child's existing plan.