Contextual information
Rates of substantiation of a notification by type of abuse
Including emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse
Data tables appear under figures
Measure
Rates of substantiation of a notification by type of abuse, including emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse
Nationally in 2022-23, 40.5 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–17 years were subject to a substantiated child protection notification. The most common type of abuse leading to a substantiation was emotional abuse (20.8 per 1,000 children), followed by neglect (11.4 per 1,000 children), physical abuse (4.6 per 1,000 children) and sexual abuse (2.8 per 1,000 children) (figure SE12m.1).
Nationally, rates have decreased from the previous year (2021‑22) for physical abuse and neglect, however, they have increased for sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Since 2018-19 (the baseline year), the rate for emotional abuse has increased, however, the rates for the other abuse types are the same or have declined (figure SE12m.1).
Indicator data specifications
Related Outcome: | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not overrepresented in the child protection system. |
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Related target: | By 2031, reduce the rate of overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (0–17 years old) in out-of-home care by 45% |
Indicator: | Rates of substantiation of a notification by type of abuse, including emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse |
Measure: | This measure is defined as the rate of children (aged 0–17 years) that were the subject of substantiated child protection notifications, by type of abuse or neglect. Numerator – number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–17 years that were the subject of substantiated child protection notifications, by type of abuse or neglect (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect) Denominator – number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–17 years, at 31 December and is presented as a rate per 1,000 children. |
Indicator established: | National Agreement on Closing the Gap July 2020 |
Latest dashboard update for the indicator: | 31 July 2024 |
Indicator type: | Contextual information |
Interpretation of change: | A low or decreasing rate is desirable |
Data source(s): | Name (numerator): Child Protection National Minimum Data Set (CP NMDS) Frequency: Annual Name (denominator): Estimates and Projections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population Frequency: Annual Documentation (links): https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-welfare-services/child-protection/overview |
Data provider: | Provider name: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Provider area: Child protection Provider name (denominator): Australian Bureau of Statistics Provider area: Demography |
Baseline year: | 2018‑19 |
Latest reporting period: | 2022‑23 |
Disaggregations: | State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by type of abuse. |
Computation: | Numerator divided by Denominator multiplied by 1,000. Counting rules If a child was the subject of more than one type of abuse or neglect as part of the same notification, the type of abuse or neglect reported is the one considered by the child protection workers to cause the most harm to the child. Where a child is the subject of more than one substantiation during the year, the type of abuse or neglect reported is the one associated with the first substantiation decision relating to the earliest notification during the year. As such, only the abuse type for the first substantiation in the year that is most likely to place the child at risk, or be most severe in the short term, is reported. In some cases, the abuse type for some substantiations was recorded as ‘not stated’ and could not be mapped to physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect. These substantiations are included in the totals; as such, the total may not equal the sum of categories. Data on substantiations across all jurisdictions excludes children where abuse type is not stated, but these are still included in the total. State and territory data are based on the child protection department responsible for the child. Includes (numerator):
Excludes (numerator):
Denominator:
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Data quality considerations: | Data by Indigenous status are influenced by the quality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification of young people in the CP NMDS. Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have adopted a policy of suppressing numbers below five and above zero, and AIHW has applied additional suppression. Tasmanian data on substantiations should be interpreted with caution due to a high number of children with an unknown Indigenous status. |
Future reporting: | Future reporting will seek to include the following additional disaggregations:
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