NCJ Number
236646
Date Published
2008
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This study from the Australian Institute of Family Studies examined child protection data for the period 2000-2001 through 2005-2006.
Abstract
Key findings from this report include: for the period 2000-2001 through 2005-2006, statutory child protection activity increased as a whole, with notifications, investigations, and substantiations having the greatest increases; the increase in statutory activity was a result of several factors, including increased public awareness on the issue of child maltreatment and the influence of social changes on community behavior; while statutory activity increased nationally over the 5-year period, marked differences in the trend were observed within the States and territories from year to year; and differences in specific statutory activities between jurisdictions were most notable for total notifications, investigations, and substantiations. This report presents the results of a project undertaken by the Australian Institute of Family Studies to review child protection data nationally and within jurisdictions. The project focused primarily on examining the rates of total notifications, investigations and substantiations, and the rates of children on orders and in out-of-home care for the period 2000-01 to 2005-06; analyzing the differences in rates across jurisdictions, and the differences in rates over time within jurisdictions; and identifying and assessing factors that may explain differences in rates across jurisdictions and within jurisdictions over time. Tables, figures, references, and appendixes