Children on care and protection orders

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Key findings Client characteristics Clients’ needs and main reason for assistance Housing situation and outcomes

Key findings and insights

In 2023–24:

  • SHS agencies assisted around 8,300 children on a care and protection order (CPO), accounting for 3.0% of all SHS clients.
  • Around 3 in 5 children on a CPO were returning clients having previously received assistance from an SHS agency.
  • One-third (36%) of children on a CPO identified family and domestic violence as the main reason for seeking SHS services; a further 17% identified housing crisis.

Care and protection orders (CPOs) are legal orders or arrangements that place partial or all responsibility for a child’s welfare with child protection departments. In Australia, state and territory governments are responsible for statutory child protection. Their respective departments work with children and families to protect children from abuse, neglect or other harm (AIHW 2023).

For more information about children on care and protection orders, see Child protection Australia 2022–23, and Children on care and protection orders.

Client characteristics

Around 3 in 5 children on a CPO were returning SHS clients in 2023–24 having previously received assistance from a SHS agency since July 2011.

Figure CPO.1: Characteristics of children on care and protection orders, 2023–24

Dashboard shows the number of clients on care and protection orders, by age and sex, by states and territories, by vulnerabilities, by Indigenous status, and by living arrangements.

Dashboard shows the number of clients on care and protection orders, by age and sex, by states and territories, by vulnerabilities, by Indigenous status, and by living arrangements.

Placement type

Children on a CPO may reside with their parents or in placements approved by each state or territory’s child protection department when they are unable to live with their families due to safety concerns. Most (67%) SHS clients on a CPO were living with their parents (Figure CPO.2).

Figure CPO.2: Children on care and protection orders, by placement type, 2023–24

Stacked column chart shows for children on a care and protection order the most common care arrangements were with parents, followed by kinship care, other living arrangements, and foster care.

Stacked column chart shows for children on a care and protection order the most common care arrangements were with parents, followed by kinship care, other living arrangements, and foster care.

Service use patterns

On average, children on a CPO received a median of 107 days of support in 2023–24, up from 97 days in 2017–18. The average number of support periods per client was 1.7 support periods per client in 2023–24 (Supplementary table CLIENTS.48).

Clients’ needs and main reason for assistance

One-third (36%) of children on a CPO identified family and domestic violence as the main reason for seeking SHS services; a further 17% identified housing crisis.

Three-fifths (60% or 4,900) of children on a CPO needed assistance with accommodation provision and around 3,500 were provided with this service.

Main reasons for seeking assistance

The main reason children on a CPO sought assistance was the same for those experiencing homelessness as for those at risk of homelessness in 2023–24. 

For those experiencing homelessness, the most common main reasons for seeking assistance were (Supplementary table CPO.6):

  • family and domestic violence (25%)
  • housing crisis (22%)
  • inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (17%).


 For those at risk of homelessness:

  • family and domestic violence (45%)
  • housing crisis (13%)
  • inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (5.4%).

Services needed and provided

Services provided to clients range from the direct provision of accommodation, such as a bed in a shelter, to more specialised services such as counselling and legal support. These services are generally either provided to the client directly by the agency or the client is referred to another SHS agency or specialised service.

Children on a CPO were more likely than all SHS clients to need the following services (Supplementary tables CPO.2 and CLIENTS.24):

  • child protection services (19%, compared with 4.0%)
  • assistance for family/domestic violence (39%, compared with 27%)
  • family/relationship assistance (20%, compared with 12%)
  • school liaison (9.5%, compared with 3.4%)
  • educational assistance (14%, compared with 7.8%)

Figure CPO.3: Children on care and protection orders, by services needed and provided, 2023–24

Stacked bar chart shows assistance for short-term or emergency accommodation was the most common service needed and was provided for most clients.

Stacked bar chart shows assistance for short-term or emergency accommodation was the most common service needed and was provided for most clients.

Housing situation and outcomes

Outcomes presented here highlight the changes in clients’ housing situation at the start and end of support. That is, the place they were residing before and after they were supported by a SHS agency. The information presented is limited only to clients who have stopped receiving support during the financial year, and who were no longer receiving ongoing support from a SHS agency. In particular, information on client housing situations at the start of their first period of support during 2023–24 is compared with the end of their last period of support in 2023–24. As such, this information does not cover any changes to their housing situation during their support period.

By the end of support, many clients had achieved or progressed towards a more positive housing solution. That is, the number and/or proportion of clients ending support in public or community housing (renter or rent-free) or private or other housing (renter or rent-free) had increased compared with the start of support (Supplementary table CPO.4).

In 2023–24, of the approximately 2,400 children on a CPO who were known to be experiencing homelessness at the start of support (Supplementary table CPO.3):

  • around 1,300 clients were homeless when support ended, mostly in short-term accommodation (690 clients) or couch surfing (490 clients) 
  • around 520 clients were in public/community housing and 430 clients were in private housing when support ended. 

In 2023–24, of the 2,400 children on a CPO who were known to be at risk of homelessness at the start of support (Supplementary table CPO.3):

  • most clients maintained their housing situation at the end of support; around 1,200 clients maintained private housing and 460 clients maintained public or community housing.
  • around 360 clients were experiencing homelessness when support ended, mostly in short-term accommodation (230 clients).

Figure CPO.4: Housing situation for children on a care and protection order with closed support, 2023–24

Sankey diagram shows the most common housing situation at the start and end of support for clients on a care and protection order was private or other housing.

Sankey diagram shows the most common housing situation at the start and end of support for clients on a care and protection order was private or other housing.
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