On 21 April the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released the latest volume in its series Child Protection Australia.
This year’s report reveals that in 2014-15 the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection systems continued to rise. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 7 times as likely as non-Indigenous children to be receiving child protection services, and 9.5 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children, compared to 9.2 times as likely in 2013-14.
The report also shows that, nationally, 66% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care are placed in accordance with the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (either with kin or other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander caregivers).
Nationally, when looking at the reasons for substantiated notifications, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are less likely to experience physical and sexual abuse (15.3% vs 19.1%, and 8.7% vs 14.4%, respectively) than non-Indigenous children, however they are more likely to experience neglect (45.5% vs 37.7%)
To view and download the report visit the AIHW website.
