Technical notes
Data source and methods
The data used for the Permanency Outcomes Performance Framework (POPF) indicators are sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Child Protection National Minimum Data Set (CP NMDS). The CP NMDS is a national unit record data collection, with data supplied by all states and territories except New South Wales, who provide aggregate child protection data.
Aggregate data was also provided by Queensland for indicators 1.5 and 1.6c, which relate to adoptions of children from out-of-home care.
Additional details on caveats relating to data in the CP NMDS can be found in the supplementary data tables and footnotes from Child protection Australia reports.
Children in out-of-home care
Data reported for the POPF indicators are based on the nationally consistent definition of out-of-home care that was implemented for national reporting in 2018–19. Data reported for years prior to 2018–19 in this report have been derived using the nationally consistent definition of out-of-home care to ensure comparability over time. For more details on the definition of out-of-home care and children on third-party orders, see Child protection Australia 2018–19 (AIHW 2020).
More information
Background information and technical specifications for all indicators are available in Permanency outcomes for children in out-of-home care: indicators – Background information and technical specifications. A summary of permanency-related concepts and legislation across jurisdictions, with insights into the comparability of permanency data across jurisdictions, is available in Appendix F of Child protection Australia 2018–19 (AIHW 2020).
Metadata standards for these indicators are stored in Australia’s online metadata repository, METEOR, hosted by the AIHW.
References
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2020) Child protection Australia 2018–19, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 15 June 2022.