Child protection Australia 2023–24 consists of an initial report followed by 3 updates, each focusing on a specific area of interest in child protection systems.
- 25 June 2025: This initial report, Insights, provides an overview of children in the child protection system in 2023–24, including children subject to notifications, investigations, and substantiations of maltreatment, and the ways children were supported.
- 30 September 2025: The first 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.
- 11 December 2025: The second update, Safety of children in care, presents data on the safety and abuse of children in care.
- 26 March 2026: 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 99
Key findings
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In 2023–24, about 179,000 children came into contact with the system, a decrease from about 180,000 in 2022–23
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Between 30 June 2020 and 30 June 2024, the rate of children in out-of-home care remained stable around 8.0 per 1,000
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85% of First Nations children who were reunified in 2022–23 did not return to out-of-home care in 2023–24
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Since 2020–21, the number of children with a substantiation of abuse in care has increased by 13% from 1,300 to 1,500