Summary
This report presents statistics on cases of child abuse and neglect reported to State and Territory welfare departments for the year 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995. It does not provide details about all child abuse and neglect in Australia as many occurrences of child abuse and neglect are unreported and the coverage of data collections varies by State and Territory. While this report contains considerable detail on the number and nature of reported child abuse and neglect cases in Australia, it does not include information about the level of seriousness of cases or the type and extent of support services provided.
- State and Territory welfare departments substantiated 30,615 cases of child abuse and neglect in 1994-95. These accounted for 45% of. finalised cases. A further 2,796 cases (4%) were not substantiated but the child was assessed as being at risk. Together these cases represent an increase of 7% over 1993-94.
- There were 31,464 cases in which no abuse or neglect was found and a further 3,043 cases where no action was possible.
- The 30,615 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect involved 26,544 children.
- Of the 30,615 substantiated cases of abuse and neglect 29% were physical abuse, 28% emotional abuse, 16% sexual abuse and 26% neglect.
- There were more boys than girls in substantiated cases of physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, while girls were represented in three-quarters (76%) of sexual abuse cases.
- The highest numbers of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect were those for children aged 13 and 14 years (2,264 and 2,452 respectively).
- The highest number of finalised cases of child abuse and neglect were reported by friends and neighbours (16% of finalised cases where the source of report was known), school personnel (15%), parents/guardians (13%) and police (12%).
- Reports of abuse and neglect from police had the highest rates of substantiation (61%), followed by cases reported by the subject child (58%), hospital and health centre staff (55%), and social workers (55%). Reports from anonymous persons (26%), siblings (29%) and friends and neighbours (30%) had the lowest rates of substantiation.
- For the three States and two Territories for which data were provided, more cases involved children from female single parent families (39%) than families with two natural parents (30%) or other two-parent families (such as families with a step-parent) (21%). Of neglect cases, 47% involved children from female single parent families compared with 26% from families with two natural parents.
- Ten per cent of children aged 0-16 years in substantiated cases of abuse and neglect were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, a much higher proportion than they represent of the Australian population aged 0-16 (3%).
- Rates of substantiated abuse and neglect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (19.1 per 1,000 children 0-16 years) were much higher than for other children (5.6 per 1,000). The corresponding rates for neglect cases were 7.7 and 1.3 respectively.
- In New South Wales, the primary actual abuse was bruising in 22% of physical abuse cases, the parent's alcohol or drug abuse causing emotional harm to the child in 22% of emotional abuse cases, sexual fondling in 42% of sexual abuse cases and the child being left without adequate supervision in 45% of neglect cases.