January 2008

Judy Cashmore

To examine, report on and make recommendations in relation to:

i. The system for reporting of child abuse and neglect, including mandatory reporting, reporting thresholds and feedback to reporters;

ii. Management of reports, including the adequacy and efficiency of systems and processes for intake, assessment, prioritisation, investigation and decision-making;

iii. Management of cases requiring ongoing work, including referrals for services and monitoring and supervision of families;

iv. Recording of essential information and capacity to collate and utilise data about the child protection system to target resources efficiently;

v. Professional capacity and professional supervision of the casework and allied staff;

vi. The adequacy of the current statutory framework for child protection including roles and responsibilities of mandatory reporters, DoCS, the courts and oversight agencies;

vii. The adequacy of arrangements for inter-agency cooperation in child protection cases;

viii. The adequacy of arrangements for children in out of home care;

ix. The adequacy of resources in the child protection system..

Increasing reports / notifications – inadequate response

Concern that definitions of abuse and neglect are too broad – ‘risk of harm’ vs ‘significant harm’

Under-reporting and over-reporting Concern about forensic investigative response

rather than holistic response to child’s needs – 2002 inquiry

Poor risk assessment ? Unrealistic expectations Need for proactive preventive approach, not just

reactive response

Multi-problem families esp parental violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness

Particular concern re infants and neglect esp Indigenous families

Managing reunification – longer term support needed

Increasing concern about failures of system

Shortage of appropriate foster carers esp Indigenous families

◦ Increasing expectations

◦ Increasingly difficult care-giving

Lack of specialist workers – low priority work, relationship with children?

Duty to investigate all reports? ◦ Ability to prioritise?

◦ Over-burdened services -> labeling but no service

Mandatory reporting◦ Who should report what? (s.29)

◦ Rgularising reporters – previously by law, regulation, direction etc

Inter-agency responsibility Partnership with parents and families?

Need for proper assessment re immediate safety, risk of harm, needs of child and family Focus on outcomes for children rather than actions of

parents/carers

Purpose of definition – reports vs requests for assistance (esp ‘inadequate provision’ vs poverty)

Different levels of severity for:

◦ Reporting abuse – mandatory reporting

◦ Responding to abuse

◦ Taking court action

Clearer focus on current concerns based on severity and chronicity and harm or risk of harm

Inclusion of exposure to domestic violence and homelessness but ‘serious psychological harm’

NSW DoCS cf AIHW figures

Changes over time

Children vs reports

Interpreting the figures

◦ Increased awareness and reporting ?

◦ Increased abuse and neglect?

Based on figure from Eric Scott (2006)

Very similar trends for number of reports but AIHW lower in number of reports

◦ Not include ‘child protection concerns’

◦ Both DoCS and AIHW count each child in the family - include one report per child if more than one child per family

◦ AIHW counts more than one report about the same ‘event’ as one report

◦ DoCS figures suggest that on average DoCS receives two reports per child

Very similar trends and numbers for number of children:

◦ 2005-6: no of children reported / notified

NSW DoCS: 109,568

AIHW: 85,302 [99,949 in 2006-7] *

◦ 2005-6: no of children in substantiated reports

NSW DoCS: 12,956 (3,771 at risk; 9,185 actual harm)

AIHW: 12,627 [13,769 in 2006-7] *

Quite similar numbers of reports till 2000-01 ie 30-40,000 [AIHW figures]

Victoria consistently around 36-37,000 this decade

NSW increased from 30,398 in 2000-01

to .... 55,208 in 2001-02

and .... 109,498 in 2002-03

and ... 189,928 in 2006-07

Based on AIHW figures

AIHW figures

NSW Victoria

Notification Substantiation

Notification Substantiation

1999-2000 30,398 6,477 36,805 7,359

2000-01 40,937 7,501 36,966 7,608

2001-02 55,208 8,606 37,976 7,687

2002-03 109,498 16,765 37,635 7,287

2003-04 115,541 n.a. 37,956 7,412

2004-05 133,636 15,493 37,523 7,398

2005-06 152,806 29,809 37,987 7,563

2006-7 189,928 37,094 38,675 6,828

Source of report

% of reports [DoCS] % of finalised * investigations

[AIHW]

Police 33.4 26.6

Medical/health 16.1 20.3

School /child care 13.1 14.6

NGO 7.1 7.8

Other mandatory reporters

5.8

Mandatory reporters

75.6%

Family 14.9 13.6

Friend/neighbour 3.1 3.6

Non-Mandatory reporters

24.4%

* Finalised, not substantiated

Specific reported issue No of of reports

% of reports

Domestic violence77,222

32.0

Neglect50,700

21.0

Drug and alcohol49,257

20.4

Drug issues only29,974

11.6

Alcohol issues only24,926

10.3

Broadened definitions of abuse and neglect

◦ eg physical abuse/punishment; exposure to violence

Lowered threshold – ‘risk of harm’ / “serious psychological harm”

Expansion of mandatory reporting ...

Defensive reporting - $22,000 fine ?

Frustrated reporting – renotifications – lack of services?

Increased recording – centralised call centres cf local CSCs

Gateway to early intervention services via child protection system in NSW?

Increased ‘investigations [more substantations]

Increasing societal ‘risk aversiveness’ – decreasing tolerance

Increasing incidence /awareness of parental substance abuse, family violence, mental health – Vic report; NSW DoCS data

Type of actual or risk of harm reports by Indigenous status,2005-06

4,877

3,013

10,623

6,099

1,233549

3,0732,661

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect

No

. o

f re

po

rts

Non-Indigenous Indigenous

Source: KiDS Annual Statistical Extracts and Corporate Information Warehouse annual data.

Source: KiDS Annual Statistical Extracts and Corporate Information Warehouse annual data. Produced by, DoCS Information and Reporting.

Child Protection Reports by primary reported issues 2004-05 & 2005-06

58,758

32,018

31,286

19,230

16,919

16,668

16,597

5,691

4,620

3,729

3,513

3,052

938

3,367

64,916

35,116

34,755

22,487

17,631

17,355

20,864

6,865

6,161

3,657

3,776

3,472

109

3,839

Domestic Violence

Neglect

Physical abuse

Drug/alcohol use of carer

Carer: mental issues

Sexual abuse

Psychological abuse

Runaw ay child

Carer: other issues

Suicide risk for child

Child inappropriate sexual behaviour

Drug/Alcohol use by child or young person

Other

No risk of harm

2004-05 2005-06

Source: CIS & KiDS annual statistical extracts, Corporate Information Warehouse annual data. Produced by, DoCS Information and Reporting.

Child protection reports by primary reported issue, 2004-05 & 2005-06

Number of children involved in actual or risk of harm reports by age 2004-05 & 2005-06

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

<1 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

No

. o

f ch

ild

ren

2004-05 2005-06

Source: KiDS Annual Statistical Extract, Corporate Information Warehouse annual data. Produced by: Information and Reporting.

Search for evidence

What happened to whom?

Who is responsible?

Focus on substantiating

allegations

Focus on individual

incidents of reported

abuse / neglect

Focus on early intervention

Less adversarial

What is needed to ensure child’s safety, welfare and well-being?

◦ Family support

◦ Comprehensive assessment

◦ Context and cumulative harm

◦ Range of options

* 7,892 Indigenous (27.7%)

* Indigenous rate: 36.1 cf non-Indigenous: 4.4

Sustainability Dealing with increased ‘reporting’ Dealing with increased abuse, neglect,

inadequate parenting Resources for children in out-of-home care Indigenous children Coherence of legislation, policy and practice