Safety of children in care

Content warning: This article contains information some readers may find distressing as it refers to data about child maltreatment.

The AIHW has been Australia’s authoritative source of national child protection data and reporting since 1991.The Institute has been expanding its work in this area and today we released our second annual update on the safety and abuse of children in care.

Children who experience abuse or neglect, or are unable to live with their families due to safety concerns, may be placed in care. Children in care can experience further abuse or neglect, and notifications of suspected abuse in care are investigated. New substantiations occur when there was reasonable cause to believe that the child had been, was being, or was at risk of being, abused, neglected or otherwise harmed.

In 2021–22, about 1,200 children were the subject of a substantiation of abuse in care, down from about 1,300 children in 2020–21.

Abuse in care may include instances where the person held responsible was the approved carer, another person living in the household or care facility, or an employee of the responsible care service or government department. It may also include instances where a carer, or employee of a care service or department, failed to protect the child from abuse by a person not living in the household.

Of the 1,200 children who were the subject of a substantiation of abuse in care in 2021–22:

• 52% (640) were girls and 47% (580) were boys.
• 46% (570) were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• 40% (495) were aged 10–14 at the time of substantiation.
• Physical abuse was the most common primary type of abuse for all children in care (32% or about 390), followed by emotional abuse (29% or about 365).

Child Protection Australia 2021–22: Safety of children in care presents data from the Child Protection National Minimum Data Set. A new national data collection on safety in care was established in response to recommendations from the from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Work is continuing to enhance and expand the collection and reporting of these data.

Child abuse can inflict physical injury, psychological trauma and emotional suffering, the effects of which can last a lifetime and can affect future generations.

By bringing together the available data, we can strengthen the evidence to build a more coherent picture of abuse in care in Australia. This information will help to inform government policies and practice and assist in the planning and delivery of prevention and intervention programs.

Help and support

If you believe a child is in immediate danger or in a life-threatening situation, call 000.

How do I report a child protection matter?

If you wish to report a child protection matter, directly contact the agency responsible for child protection in your state or territory:

New South Wales

Department of Communities & Justice

Tel. 132 111

Victoria

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Visit?child protection contacts- external site opens in new window ?for contact numbers by area

Tel. 131 278 (after hours)

Queensland

Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs

Visit?regional intake service- ?for contact numbers by area

Tel. 1800 177 135?(after hours)

Western Australia

Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support-

Tel. 1800 273 889

For Crisis Care, contact 1800 199 008 (after hours)

South Australia

Department for Child Protection-

Tel. 131 478

Tasmania

Department of Communities?Tasmania

Tel. 1800 000 123

Australian Capital Territory

Community Services Directorate-

Tel. 1300 556 729

Northern Territory

Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities-

Tel. 1800 700 250