Vulnerable children and their parents will have to jump through fewer hoops as part of an overhaul of $300 million in support payments.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek announced on Thursday community organisations providing support payments to struggling families would benefit from a simpler process.
The government plans to replace five existing programs - Child and Parenting Support, Communities for Children, Family and Relationship Services, Specialised Family Violence Services and Family Mental Health Support Services - with one national program.
The reforms are designed to give providers more flexibility to tailor programs for different communities - an idea celebrated by children's charity The Smith Family, one of the partners in the Communities for Children program.
Kids in western Sydney have very different needs to those in the remote Northern Territory, chief executive Doug Taylor said, so being able to customise programs in a streamlined way was a good step forward.
"The more flexible we can be and more focused on the needs of children and families, the better," he told AAP.
"As long as we keep them at the centre of all these potential reforms ... that's going to get much better outcomes in the long term."
More than a third of the 240 organisations that administer payments through these schemes receive funding across multiple programs and often have to meet different criteria for each.
"Community organisations have told us loud and clear - too much red tape and admin is holding them back," Ms Plibersek said.
"We're proposing to make changes so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time delivering services Australians rely on."
Other reforms including expanding online and after-hours services will also encourage more families to engage with community organisations, Mr Taylor said.
"The way people live their lives today is very different to what it has been," he said.
Families and organisations relying on the existing programs will have their payments extended through 2026 while the government conducts a consultation process.
The national program is expected to begin in early 2027.
