Summary
This report is based on the following three national child protection data collections:
- notifications, investigations and substantiations of child abuse and neglect;
- children on care and protection orders; and
- children in supported out-of-home overnight care.
These data are collected each year by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from the community service departments in each State and Territory. The data in this report cover the 1997-98 financial year. Each State and Territory has its own legislation, policies and practices in relation to child protection, so there are differences between jurisdictions in the data provided. Australian totals have generally not been provided for child abuse and neglect because of these differences.
The main points of interest in the report are:
- The number of notifications of child abuse and neglect in 1997-98 was higher than in 1996-97 in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
- In most jurisdictions, the majority of notifications in 1997-98 were subject to an investigation. Although the outcomes of investigations varied across States and Territories, in all jurisdictions a large proportion of investigations were not substantiated, that is, there was no reasonable cause to believe that the child was being, or was likely to be, abused or neglected or otherwise harmed. For example, 49% of finalised investigations in Victoria and 60% in South Australia were not substantiated.
- Across Australia, the number of substantiations has fallen since 1994-95, mainly due to a large decrease in the number of substantiations in New South Wales.
- Rates of children who were the subject of a substantiation of abuse and neglect ranged from 1.1 per 1,000 aged 0-16 years in Tasmania to 5.9 per 1,000 in Victoria.
- Indigenous children were over-represented in substantiations of child abuse and neglect. For example, the rate of Indigenous children who were the subject of a substantiation was 15.8 in Queensland compared with 4.5 for other children, and in South Australia the rate for Indigenous children was 26.3 compared with 4.0 for other children.
- At 30 June 1998, there were 16,449 children on care and protection orders in Australia. This is an increase of 731 on the number of children on care and protection orders at 30 June 1997.
- Of those children on orders at 30 June 1998, 75% were on finalised guardianship or finalised custody orders, 11% were on finalised supervisory and other finalised orders, 10% were on interim and temporary orders and 4% were subject to administrative and voluntary arrangements.
- There were 3.5 children per 1,000 aged 0-17 years on care and protection orders in Australia at 30 June 1998 compared with 3.3 at 30 June 1997. The rate of children on care and protection orders varied across States and Territories from 1.7 in Western Australia to 4.2 in Tasmania.
- Indigenous children were much more likely to be placed on a care and protection order than other children. The rate of Indigenous children on care and protection orders was 15.5 per 1,000 compared with 3.0 for other children.
- There were 14,470 children in out-of-home care at 30 June 1998. Most of these children (87%) were in home-based care arrangements, with a further 10% in facility-based care.
- The rate of children in out-of-home care at 30 June 1998 was 3.1 per 1,000 aged 0-17 years. This rate varied from 2.2 in the Australian Capital Territory to 3.6 in Tasmania.
- Indigenous children were also over-represented among children in out-of-home care. The rate of Indigenous children in out-of-home care at 30 June 1998 was 14.2 per 1,000 compared with 2.6 for other children.