Over the past five years, the number of Australian children in
out-of-home care has increased by 40%, according to a report
released today by the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare.
The report, Child protection Australia 2005-06,
contains data on children in out-of-home care, children on care and
protection orders and children subject to child protection
notifications, investigations and substantiations.
In 2001 there were 18,241 children in out-of-home care,
increasing to 25,454 children in care in 2006. Similarly, the
number of children on care and protection orders has increased
significantly, rising by 37% from 19,917 in 2001 to 27,188 in
2006.
Ms Deidre Penhaligon, of the Institute's Children, Youth and
Families Unit, said 'the increase is due, in part, to a greater
community awareness of child abuse and neglect, but also to the
cumulative effect of children entering the system at a young age
and remaining on care and protection orders for longer
periods.'
Jurisdictional studies also indicate that children enter care
for increasingly complex family situations associated with a range
of factors including low income, parental substance abuse, mental
health issues and family violence.
According to the report, the majority of children in care were
either in foster care (53%) or living with relatives (41%), with
only 4% of children in residential care as at 30 June 2006.
The number of substantiated cases, where there was reasonable
cause to believe that harm had occurred or would occur, rose from
46,154 cases in 2004-05 to 55,921 in 2005-06, largely due to
increases in substantiations in New South Wales.
'Some of this increase reflects jurisdictional changes in child
protection policies and practices but is also an indication of
increased public and media awareness of child protection concerns
and the willingness to report these to the authorities,' Ms
Penhaligon said.
Emotional abuse was the most common reason for substantiation in
most jurisdictions, followed by neglect and physical abuse.
Although the quality of the data on Indigenous status varies
between states and territories, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children were clearly over-represented in the child
protection system. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
were nearly five times as likely as other children to be the
subject of a substantiated claim, over six times as likely to be on
a care and protection order, and more than seven times as likely to
be in out-of-home care compared to other children.
25 January 2007
Further information: Ms Deidre Penhaligon, tel.
02 6244 1201, mob. 0418 271 395; or Dr. Indrani Pieris-Caldwell,
tel. 02 6244 1162.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Child protection
Australia 2005-06.