Juvenile detention population in Australia 2012
This report presents information on the juvenile detention population in Australia, focusing on quarterly trends from June 2008 to June 2012. On an average night, there were about 1,000 young people in detention, about half of whom were unsentenced. Numbers and rates of young people in detention remained relatively stable over the 4 years; however, the level of Indigenous over-representation increased, particularly in unsentenced detention.
Serious childhood community injury in New South Wales 2009-10
This report provides summary data on hospitalised injury of children and young people (aged 0-17 years) in New South Wales from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. During the 12 months, more than 23,000 children and young people were hospitalised as a result of an injury. Falls were the most commonly reported cause of hospitalised injury (39% of cases), and these frequently involved playground equipment. Transport injuries were also common (14%).
Adoptions Australia 2011-12
This report contains comprehensive information relating to adoptions in Australia, including characteristics of adopted children, adoptive families and birth mothers. For the first time, the report also contains information on the processing times for intercountry adoption. During 2011-12 there were 333 finalised adoptions across Australia; the lowest annual number on record. Among these:45% were intercountry, 17% were local and 39% were `known' child adoptions; 58% of adopted children were aged under 5; 86% of intercountry adoptees came from Asia; 54% of `known' adoptions were by carers, such as foster parents.
Indigenous young people in the juvenile justice system
Although only about 5% of young Australians are Indigenous, almost 2 in 5 (39%) of those under juvenile justice supervision on an average day in 2010-11 were Indigenous. There were 2,820 Indigenous young people under supervision on an average day and 5,195 during the year. Indigenous young people first entered supervision at younger ages than non-Indigenous young people, on average, and spent longer under supervision during the year.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification in community services data collections: an updated data quality report
This report examines the identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients in a number of Australian Institute of Health and Welfare community services data collections, by analysing where Indigenous status is missing/not stated. It makes a number of recommendations, including that data collection manuals and training materials reflect the National best practice guidelines for collecting Indigenous status in health data sets. Where necessary, jurisdictions should consider modifying client forms and client information management systems to ensure consistency with these guidelines.
Children and young people at risk of social exclusion: links between homelessness, child protection and juvenile justice
Following the release of a study exploring the feasibility of linking three community-sector data collections, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was funded to link available child protection, juvenile justice and Supported Accommodation Assistance Program data. Analysis of the linked data shows that children and young people who are involved in one of these three sectors are more likely to be involved in another of the sectors than the general population. While the results are limited by data availability, the project highlights the valuable information that can be gained by data linkage.
Linking SAAP, child protection and juvenile justice data: technical report
Following the release of a study exploring the feasibility of linking three community-sector data collections, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was funded to link child protection, juvenile justice and Supported Accommodation Assistance Program data. This report describes the process used to link these collections. The analysis of the linked data is in a companion report, Children and young people at risk of social exclusion: links between homelessness, child protection and juvenile justice.
A picture of Australia's children 2012
This report provides the latest information on how Australia is faring according to key indicators of child health, development, and wellbeing. Deaths rates for infants and children have declined since 1986, rates of risky drinking and smoking among children aged 12-14 are down, and most children achieve above the minimum standards for reading and numeracy. But there is still room for improvement. Almost one-quarter of children are developmentally vulnerable at school entry, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children in socioeconomic disadvantaged areas are likely to fare worse across a broad range of indicators.
Fissure sealant use among children attending school dental services: Child Dental Health Survey Australia 2008
The Child Dental Health Survey provides information on patterns of oral health and service provision among children attending school dental services in Australia in 2008. The report shows that decay is relatively common in Australian children, and there has been an increasing tendency to provide fissure sealants to children at risk of caries. Fissure sealants among 12-year-old children increased until 2001, but decreased thereafter.
Perinatal depression: data from the 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey
Data from the 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey showed that 1 in 5 (20%) mothers of children aged 24 months or less had been diagnosed with depression. More than half of these mothers reported being diagnosed with depression during the perinatal period. Perinatal depression was more commonly reported among mothers who were younger (aged under 25), smokers, overweight/obese and from lower income households.
Child Dental Health Survey Australia 2007: 30-year trends in child oral health
The Child Dental Health Survey provides national information on the dental health of children attending school dental services in Australia, and shows that decay is relatively common in Australian children. This publication describes trends in oral health of Australian children between 1989 and 2007. Over this period, caries has declined markedly in the permanent teeth of children aged 12, but declined far less in the deciduous teeth of children aged 6.
Social and emotional wellbeing: development of a children's headline indicator
A child's social and emotional wellbeing is integral to their overall health, development and wellbeing. Children with high levels of social and emotional wellbeing are more likely to successfully negotiate physical, intellectual and social challenges during childhood and adolescence. This report describes the process of developing a Children's Headline Indicator to measure social and emotional wellbeing. It presents research evidence on the links between social and emotional wellbeing and children's health, development and wellbeing outcomes; assesses potential indicators and data sources; and recommends an indicator of social and emotional wellbeing for Australian children.
Juvenile detention population in Australia 2011
On an average day, around 1,000 young people are detained throughout Australia. This report provides information on the demographics and legal status of those in detention and explores recent trends.
Child protection Australia 2010–11
This report contains comprehensive information on state and territory child protection and support services, and the characteristics of Australian children within the child protection system. Key findings include: since 2009-10, the number of children subject to a notification decreased by 13% from 187,314 to 163,767; since 2006-07, the number of children subject to a substantiation of a notification has decreased by 7% from 34,028 to 31,527 (6.9 to 6.1 per 1,000 children); the number of children in out-of-home care has increased by 5% from 35,895 in 2010 to 37,648 in 2011.
Adoptions Australia 2010-11
This report contains comprehensive information relating to adoptions in Australia, including characteristics of adopted children, adoptive families and birth mothers. During 2010-11 there were 384 finalised adoptions across Australia–the lowest annual number on record. Of these adoptions: 56% were intercountry, 12% were local and 32% were 'known' child adoptions; 62% of adopted children were under 5 years of age; the majority of intercountry adoptees came from Asia (80%). The three most common countries of origin in Asia were China (24%), the Philippines (17%), and Taiwan (12%). Ethiopia was the most common country of origin outside the Asian region (19%).
Juvenile justice in Australia 2009-10: an overview
This bulletin is an overview of Juvenile justice in Australia 2009–10, which presents information on the young people under juvenile justice supervision, both in detention and under community-based supervision, and the characteristics of their supervision. For more information on the juvenile justice system in Australia and the data used in this bulletin, see Juvenile justice in Australia 2009–10 (AIHW 2011).
Juvenile justice in Australia 2009-10
In Australia, around 7,250 young people were under juvenile justice supervision on any given day in 2009-10. These young people spent, on average, a total of 6 months under supervision during 2009-10. Most (86%) were under community-based supervision, with the remainder in detention, and almost half of those under supervision in 2009-10 had never been in detention. This report presents information on the characteristics of young people under community-based supervision and in detention and the type and length of their supervision.
Headline indicators for children's health, development and wellbeing, 2011
This report provides the latest available information on how Australia's children aged 0-12 years are faring according to the Children's Headline Indicators-19 priority areas covering health status, risk and protective factors, early learning and care, and family and community environments. The Children's Headline Indicators are designed to help guide and evaluate policy development by measuring progress on agreed priority areas for children, and have been endorsed by Ministerial Councils for health, community and disability services, and education. Australian children are faring well, but results vary between states and territories, and across particular population groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and those in remote or socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. It is clear, therefore, that there is scope for further gains across a number of indicators.
National outcome measures for early childhood development: development of indicator based reporting framework
The Council of Australian Governments released the National Early Childhood Development Strategy, Investing in the Early Years in July 2009. The ECD Outcomes Framework in the strategy focuses on what Australia needs to achieve to fulfil the vision that 'by 2020 all children have the best start in life to create a better future for themselves and for the nation'. The early years of a child's life lays the foundation for future health, development, learning and wellbeing. This report outlines the process of developing an indicator-based reporting framework for early childhood development, and establishes a recommended high-level set of indicators to measure progress against the ECD Outcomes Framework in the strategy. It presents the results of a review of existing national and international frameworks related to early childhood development; research evidence on aspects of early childhood development most strongly associated with child health, development and wellbeing outcomes; and outlines the selection process for identifying indicators.
Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011
This report is the fourth in a series of national statistical reports on young people aged 12-24 years, produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It provides the latest available information on how Australia's young people are faring according to a set of national indicators of health and wellbeing. Death rates have fallen considerably among young people, mainly due to declines in injury deaths. Most young people are achieving national minimum standards for reading, writing and numeracy, are fully engaged in study or work, and have strong support networks. There are some favourable trends in risk and protective factors, such as declines in smoking and illicit substance use. But it is not all good news. There is a high rate of mental disorders among young people, and road transport accidents, although continuing to decline, are still a major cause of death among young males. Too many young people are overweight or obese, are not doing sufficient physical activity or eating enough fruit and vegetables, and are drinking alcohol at risky levels. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are far more likely to be disadvantaged across a broad range of indicators.
Juvenile justice in Australia 2008-09
In Australia, around 7,200 young people were under juvenile justice supervision on any given day in 2008-09. Most (90%) were under community-based supervision, with the remainder in detention. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people continue to be over-represented, particularly in detention. This report presents information on the young people under community-based supervision and in detention and the type and length of their supervision. For the first time, detailed information on all community-based orders supervised by juvenile justice agencies is presented, as well as new analyses on the remoteness and socioeconomic status of young people's usual residence.
Child protection Australia 2009-10
This report contains comprehensive information on state and territory child protection and support services, and the characteristics of Australian children within the child protection system. Across Australia in 2009-10 over 187,000 children were the subject of a child protection notification; just over 31,000 children were the subject of a substantiation; around 37,000 children were on care and protection orders; almost 36,000 children were living in out-of-home care; and there were almost 8,050 foster carer households.
Juvenile justice in Australia 2008-09: Interim report - main tables
In Australia, around 7,200 young people were under juvenile justice supervision on any given day in 2008–09; almost 90% were under community-based supervision, with the remainder in detention. This interim report contains the main tables from the forthcoming Juvenile justice in Australia 2008–09 (full report).
Adoptions Australia 2009-10
This report contains comprehensive information relating to adoptions in Australia, including characteristics of adopted children, adoptive families and birth mothers. During 2009-10 there were 412 finalised adoptions across Australia-the lowest annual number recorded since reporting commenced. Of these adoptions: 54% were intercountry, 15% were local and 31% were `known' child adoptions; 65% of adopted children were aged less than 5 years. The majority of intercountry adoptees came from the Asian region (82%). The three most common countries of origin in Asia were the Philippines (22%), China (14%), and South Korea (14%). Ethiopia was the most common country of origin outside the Asian region (15%).
Family social network: development of a Children's Headline Indicator
A strong family social network provides access to support and resources, and is linked to better outcomes for children's health, development and wellbeing. This report describes the process of developing a Children's Headline Indicator designed to measure the quality of families' social interactions. It presents research evidence on the importance of the quality of family social networks for children's outcomes, assesses potential indicators and data sources, and recommends an indicator based on the ability of a family to get help when needed.