Child protection Australia 2022–23 consists of an initial report followed by 3 updates, each focussing on a specific area of interest in child protection systems.
- 18 July 2024: This initial report, Insights, provides an overview of children in the child protection system in 2022–23, including children subject to notifications, investigations, and substantiations of maltreatment, and the ways children were supported.
- 27 September 2024: The first update, Safety of children in care, presents data on the safety and abuse of children in care.
- 27 February 2025: The second update, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, presents data on First Nations children in the child protection system. The data also include the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) indicators.
- 16 May 2025: The final update, Pathways from out-of-home care, focusses on children leaving out-of-home care. The update also includes the release of the Permanency Outcomes Performance Framework indicators and the National Out-of-Home Care indicators.
- Cat. no: CWS 95
Key findings
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In 2022–23, about 180,000 children came into contact with the system, an increase from about 178,000 in 2021–22
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Between 30 June 2019 and 30 June 2023, the rate of children in out-of-home care remained stable around 8.0 per 1,000
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In 2022–23, 39% of First Nations children leaving out-of-home care were reunified with their family
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85% of children that were reunified with family in 2021–22, did not return to out-of-home care in the next 12 months