The Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) is preparing to cut up to 45 early childhood coordinator roles in Victoria as it shifts its service focus and responds to changing demand across disability support programs.

The affected positions are funded through a contract with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with the organisation indicating a stronger need for adult disability services compared to its early childhood programs.The proposed reductions include coordinators across multiple Melbourne regions, including the bayside peninsula, northern and western areas.

While BSL has stressed that the funding for its current contract is not directly linked to upcoming federal NDIS reforms, the job losses come at a time of broader uncertainty in the sector.

Planned changes to the NDIS aim to reduce participant numbers by around 300,000 nationally, including autistic children aged eight and under, who are expected to transition into a new state-based system called Thriving Kids from 2027.

BSL has stated that maintaining the current scale of early childhood coordinator roles is not financially sustainable under existing funding arrangements.The organisation is consulting with staff and considering a mix of redundancies and redeployment opportunities within its broader services.It has also indicated that families affected by the changes will still be able to access support through other providers.Staff consultation documents suggest the organisation is rebalancing its workforce to better align with demand, particularly in adult services.

However, the Australian Services Union has strongly criticised the cuts, arguing that the short consultation period and job losses during a cost-of-living crisis are unacceptable and could harm service quality for vulnerable children and families.Workers and families have reportedly expressed concern about the uncertainty created by overlapping contract changes and forthcoming policy reforms.

BSL says it is continuing discussions with government stakeholders to clarify the future structure of the Thriving Kids program and to ensure its workforce planning aligns with future service needs.