Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system
In 2020–21, 58,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children received child protection services, a rate of 172 per 1,000 Indigenous children. In the same period, 112,400 non-Indigenous children received child protection services, a rate of 21 per 1,000 children (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5: Children receiving child protection services, by Indigenous status and state or territory, 2020–21 (rate)
Notes:
- Data presented in this figure are not comparable across jurisdictions due to differences in the way jurisdictions collect and report data on notifications, investigations and substantiations. See Appendix for more information.
- See Technical notes for the method used to calculate rates.
Chart: AIHW.
Source: Supplementary data table S2.3, AIHW Child Protection Collection 2020–21.
Indigenous children were significantly more likely to receive child protection services compared to non-Indigenous children across all age groups (Figure 2.6).
Figure 2.6: Children receiving child protection services, by age group and Indigenous status, 2020–21 (rate)
Note: Age is calculated as at the start of the financial year (that is, 1 July 2020) if the first contact began before the start of the financial year. Otherwise, age is calculated as at the date of first contact during the reporting period.
Chart: AIHW.
Source: Supplementary data table S2.3, AIHW Child Protection Collection 2020–21.