Care and protection orders are legal orders or arrangements that give child protection departments partial responsibility for a child’s welfare. Between 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2021, the rate of children on care and protection orders increased slightly from 10 to 11 per 1,000 children. Over the same period, the rate of Indigenous children on care and protection orders increased from about 60 to about 71 per 1,000 children.
Out-of-home care is overnight care for children less than 18 years who are unable to live with their families due to child safety concerns. This includes placements approved by the department responsible for child protection for which there is ongoing case management and financial payment (including where a financial payment has been offered but has been declined by the carer).
Nationally, the number of children in out-of-home care at 30 June increased by 7.3%, from 43,100 to 46,200 between 2017 to 2021, although the rate remained relatively stable at 8 per 1,000 children. As at 30 June 2021, the vast majority (91%) of children in out‑of‑home care were in home‑based care, mostly with relative or kinship carers (54%), or in foster care (36%). Another 7.3% were living in residential care, mainly used for children with complex needs. Approximately 31,400 (68%) of the 46,200 children in out-of-home care at 30 June 2021 had been in long-term care (2 years or more). This included:
- 27% who had been in out-of-home care for between 2 years and less than 5 years.
- 41% who had been in out-of-home care for 5 years or more.
Most (82%) children who had been in out-of-home care for 2 years or more were on long-term guardianship or custody orders. Another 5.1% were on short-term guardianship or custody orders (Figure 4).
Permanency planning is used in all states and territories with a view to achieving a stable long‑term care arrangement for all children in out‑of‑home care (AIHW 2016). More than 9,900 children (17% of the 56,900 children in out-of-home care during 2020–21) exited to a permanency outcome in 2020–21. Almost 5,400 children were reunified with family during 2020–21, with a further 1,300 children leaving out-of-home care to third-party parental care arrangements.