How many children were in out-of-home care?
Nationally, approximately 46,200 children were in out-of-home care at 30 June 2021 – a rate of 8 per 1,000 children (see Table 5.1).
In 2020–21, nationally:
- about 11,500 children were admitted to out-of-home care – a rate of 2 per 1,000 children (Supplementary table S5.1)
- about 11,400 children were discharged from out-of-home care – a rate of 2 per 1,000 children (Supplementary table S5.2).
| State or territory | Number | Number per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 15,895 | 8.9 |
| Vic | 9,146 | 6.4 |
| Qld | 9,433 | 7.9 |
| WA | 4,635 | 7.5 |
| SA | 4,366 | 11.8 |
| Tas | 1,077 | 9.6 |
| ACT | 690 | 7.1 |
| NT | 970 | 15.7 |
| Total | 46,212 | 8.1 |
Note: See Technical notes for the method used to calculate rates.
Source: Table A1, AIHW Child Protection Collection 2020–21.
Rates of admission to out-of-home care were highest for children under one
In 2020–21, the rates of admission to out-of-home care were highest for the youngest children, at 8 per 1,000 for those aged under one. Rates of admission to out-of-home care fell as age increased and were lowest for children aged 5–9 (1 per 1,000 children). Children aged 1–4, 10–14 and 15–17 years had similar rates of admission (2 per 1,000 children) (Figure 5.2).
Rates of discharges from out-of-home care were highest for children aged 15–17, at 4 per 1,000 children, but were similar across other age groups (from 1 per 1,000 for children aged 5–9, to 2 per 1,000 for children aged less than one, 1–4 and 10–14) (Figure 5.2).
Figure 5.2: Children admitted to, and discharged from, out-of-home care, by age group, 2020–21 (rate)
Notes:
- This figure includes all children admitted to out-of-home care for the first time, as well as those children returning to care who had exited care 60 days or more previously. Children admitted to out-of-home care more than once during the year were counted only at the first admission.
- See Technical notes for the method used to calculate rates.
Chart: AIHW.
Sources: Supplementary data tables S5.1 and S5.2, AIHW Child Protection Collection 2020–21.
Rates of admission to out-of-home care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
In 2020–21, about 4,500 Indigenous children were admitted to out-of-home care at a rate of 13 per 1,000 Indigenous children. Similar differences in rates of admission to out-of-home care for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children were evident across all age groups (Supplementary table S5.1).
Around 4,100 Indigenous children were discharged from out-of-home care. The rate of children discharged from out-of-home care during 2020–21 was also higher for Indigenous children (12 per 1,000 children) than for non-Indigenous children (1 per 1,000 children).
In 2020–21, Indigenous children who were aged between 10–14 years and 15–17 years were 10 times as likely as non-Indigenous children of the same age to be discharged from out‑of‑home care (excludes suppressed data for Tasmania, Supplementary table S5.2).