Child protection Australia 2021–22 consists of an initial report followed by 3 updates, each focussing on a specific area of interest in child protection systems.
- 6 June 2023: The initial report, Insights, provides and overview of children in child protection systems in 2021–22, including children subject to notifications, investigations, and substantiations of maltreatment, and the ways children were supported.
- 19 September 2023: The first update, Safety of children in care, presents data on the safety and abuse of children in care.
- 20 February 2024: The second 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.
- 7 May 2024: The final update, Pathways from out-of-home care, presents data on children leaving the out-of-home care system. The data also include the Permanency Outcomes Performance Framework (POPF) indicators and the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care (NOOHCS) indicators.
- Cat. no: CWS 92
Findings from this report:
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In 2021–22, about 178,000 children came into contact with the system, a decrease from about 179,000 in 2020–21
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Compared to 2020–21, the number of children with a substantiation of abuse in care decreased by 6% from 1,300 to 1,200
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Since 2016–17, 4 out of 5 First Nations children who were reunified did not return to care in the next 12 months
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For children discharged from out-of-home care in 2021–22, 46% were reunified with their families