How many children were new or repeat clients?
New clients are children or young people who have never previously been the subject of an investigation, any type of national care and protection order, or funded out-of-home care placement (excluding respite placements lasting less than 7 days) within the jurisdiction.
Repeat clients are children or young people who have previously been the subject of an investigation; or were discharged (according to national specifications) from any type of national care and protection order or funded out-of-home care placement (excluding respite placements lasting less than 7 days); or whose earliest order and/or placement in the current reporting period is part of a preceding continuous episode of care.
Data on new and repeat clients to child protection services provide some insight into the extent to which new children, or those with prior involvement, come into contact with the system, and whether this differs across the system components.
About two-thirds (65%) of children receiving child protection services in 2020–21 had been in contact with the system before (Figure 2.3). However, the proportion of repeat clients was substantially higher for children on a care and protection order (94%) or in out-of-home care (93%) than for those who were the subject of investigations during the year (49%).
Figure 2.3: New and repeat clients receiving child protection services, by service type, 2020–21 (per cent)
Chart: AIHW.
Source: Supplementary data tables S2.2, AIHW Child Protection