Child protection Australia 2022–23

The ATSICPP states that the decision to place a child in out-of-home care can only be made after all active efforts to keep a child safely at home have been exhausted (SNAICC 2019).

The nationally consistent definition of out-of-home care includes overnight care for children aged under 18 who are unable to live with their families due to child safety concerns, and where the carer receives a financial payment. It generally excludes children on third-party responsibility orders as the minister or executive no longer has guardianship of children on these orders. Refer to the Out-of-home care section of Child protection Australia 2022–23: Insights and Appendices for more information on out-of-home care and third-party parental responsibility orders.

How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were in out-of-home care?

At 30 June 2023, around 19,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were in out-of-home care. Of these:

• 44% (8,700) were living in major cities.
• Children aged 10–14 years made up the largest proportion of children in out-of-home care (31% or around 6,200 children).

Sources: CPA 2022–23: Insights, data tables S5.5 and S5.9

Figure 4: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, by age group

At 30 June 2023, almost three quarters (72% or 14,100) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care had been continuously in care for 2 years or more, this is known as long-term care. Of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in long-term care:

• 10–14-year-olds had the highest rate at 54 per 1000 (5,100), followed by 5–9 years at 50 per 1000 (4,700).
• 41% (5,700) were on a long-term guardianship order in a relative/kinship care arrangement, followed by 33% (4,700) who were on a long-term guardianship order in a foster care arrangement.

Sources: CPA 2022–23: Insights, data tables S5.15 and S5.16

Around 4,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were admitted to out-of-home care in 2022–23. The admission rate was highest for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under 1 year of age, at 41 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, compared with 13 per 1,000 or less for other age groups.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Insights, data table S5.1

Children in care can experience further maltreatment, for example, by their carer or another person in the household or care facility In 2022–23, around 630 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were the subject of a substantiation assessment of abuse in care.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Safety of children in care, data table S9.3

Refer to Child protection Australia 2022–23: Safety of children in care for more information.

Placement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care

Where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are placed in out-of-home care, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) identifies a placement hierarchy that seeks to maintain as high a level of connection as possible to family and culture (SNAICC 2017). For the highest level of connection to family and culture children should be placed with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin, or non-Indigenous relatives. Of the 19,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care:

• Around 10,700 (54%) were placed with their relatives or kin.
  • Of these, most children were placed with a grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling as their carer (5,900 or 55%).
• Around 1,800 (9.1%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were placed with a non-relative Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander caregiver.

Sources: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data tables 10.4 and 10.7

Placement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children on third-party orders

The national definition for out-of-home care excludes children on third-party parental responsibility orders, as the minister or executive no longer has guardianship of children on these orders. However, as these children are not residing at home, it is important to consider their placements through the lens of the ATSICPP (SNAICC 2023). Of the 3,800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children on third-party orders at 30 June 2023:

• 45% (1,700) were living with non-Indigenous relatives or kin.
• About one-quarter (26% or 980) were living with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin.

Source: CPA 2022-23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.3

More detailed information on the placement hierarchy can be found in The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle: A guide to support implementation.

Figure 5: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, by caregiver type

The ATSICPP also highlights the importance of children being placed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives and kin as soon as possible if they are placed in out-of-home care (SNAICC 2017). In 2022–23, around 4,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were admitted to out-of-home care. Of these 27% (1,200) were placed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin in their first out-of-home care placement.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.6

Reconnection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives and kin through placement change

Where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children cannot initially be placed with their relatives or kin, the ATSICPP emphasises the importance of reconnecting children with family, community, culture and country through a change in placement where it is in the best interest of the child (SNAICC 2017).

In 2022–23, around 5,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experienced more than one placement in an out-of-home care episode. Of these:

• Around 1,300 (25%) children were either reconnected with or stayed connected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin through their last placement change in 2022–23. For example, a child is placed with their uncle and has a placement change to reside with their grandfather.
• About 750 (16%) children were reconnected with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin through their last placement change in 2022–23. For example, a child is placed with a non-Indigenous foster carer and has a placement change to reside with their aunt.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.9

It is important for the wellbeing of children and young people in out-of-home care to have stability after a placement change. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, this includes their identity in connection to family, community, culture and country (SNAICC 2017).

Around 590 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–16 years were reconnected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin through a placement change in 2021–22* and remained in out-of-home care for at least 12 months. Of these:

• 500 (85%) remained with the same Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin for at least 12 months
• 520 (88%) remained with any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin for at least 12 months.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.10

*These data are collected from the 2022–23 data collection. The 2022–23 data collection allows reporting for events beginning in 2021–22, due to the 12-month follow-up period for this item.

Timely and appropriate reconnection

The Placement Principle emphasises the importance of moving children from placements lower in the placement hierarchy to a placement with greater connection to their culture and family, where it is safe and in a timely manner (SNAICC 2017).

Of the 1,900 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–16 years whose first placement was not with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin and who remained in out-of-home care for at least 12 months, 335 (18%) were reconnected with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives or kin within 12 months.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.11

Placement with siblings in out-of-home care

As well as having carers who are relatives or kin, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children should be placed with their siblings where possible to keep strong relationships and support connection to family (SNAICC 2017). Factors such as safety and carer availability may impact the ability for child protection agencies to place children with their siblings. In 2022–23, of the 13,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who had at least one known sibling in out-of-home care, 9,200 (69%) were placed with at least one of their siblings.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.8

Maintaining and supporting connections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care

The connection element of the ATSICPP relates to support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care to maintain or re-establish connections to their family, community, culture and country (SNAICC 2017).

Cultural plans include details such as a child’s cultural background and actions taken to maintain their connection to culture (SNAICC 2019). At 30 June 2023, of the 17,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care who were required to have a cultural support plan, 83% (14,400) had a current cultural support plan. Since 2017 there has been an increase of around 5,800 children with a current cultural support plan. It should be noted that the data do not provide information on the quality of the cultural support plan, or whether it was implemented.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, data table 10.5

Has the number of children in out-of-home care changed over time?

Between 2019 and 2023, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care increased from around 18,000 to around 19,700 children. In 2023, rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care were 12.1 times higher than non-Indigenous children. An increase from 10.6 times higher in 2019.^*

Source: CPA 2022–23: Insights, data table T2

*These data use the Australian Bureau of Statistics' June 2023 update of estimated resident population data based on the 2016 ABS Census of Population and Housing.

From 2018–19 to 2022–23, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering out-of-home care each year fluctuated from between 4,000 to around 4,600 children.

Source: CPA 2022–23: Insights, data table S5.17