This report (released 6 June 2023) provides an overview of children in the child protection system in 2021–22, including children subject to notifications, investigations, and substantiations of maltreatment, and the ways children were supported. Over the next 12 months, quarterly updates will be made to the report to include content specifically focussing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the system, the safety of children in care and pathways from out-of-home care.
The update Safety of children in care (released 19 September 2023) presents data on the safety and abuse of children in care.
- 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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Between 2017–18 and 2021–22, the rate of children with substantiations remained relatively stable around 8 per 1,000
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Between 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2022, the rate of children in out-of-home care remained stable around 8 per 1,000
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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