Around 170,000 young Australians received child protection services in 2018-19, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report Child Protection Australia 2018-19 presents information on State and Territory child protection services and the characteristics of children who received these services.
Spokesperson for the AIHW, Indrani Pieris-Caldwell said the services provided included investigations into notifications, intensive family support services and other actions to ensure child safety.
“Between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the number of children receiving child protection services rose by about 12 per cent from 152,000 to 170,200,” Dr Pieris-Caldwell said.
“However the rate remained stable at around 30 per 1,000 children,” she said.
She said that as of 30 June 2019, there were approximately 44,900 children in out-of-home care across Australia, and 30,300 of them (67 per cent) had been in care for more than two years.
“The rate of children in out-of-home care in 2018-19 was eight per 1,000 which is a slight reduction over the past five years,” Dr Pieris-Caldwell said.
“Indigenous children continue to be over-represented, with one in six Indigenous children receiving child protection services,” she said.
She said a range of factors could be contributing to the rising rate of children receiving protection services among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.
“It could be increased public awareness and reporting, legislative changes and inquiries into the child protection processes, as well as potential rises in the rate of child abuse and neglect.”
She said that for the first time, the report included information about children exiting out-of-home care to more stable and permanent arrangements.
“In 2018-19, more than 3,700 children were reunified with their family and a further 680 left out-of-home care to a more permanent living arrangement in the form of a third party parental responsibility order,” Dr Pieris-Caldwell said.
The Institute’s 116-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.