Infant and Pre-birth Involvement With Child Protection Across Australia.

O'Donnell, M; Lima, F; Maclean, M; Marriott, R; Taplin, S

Infant and Pre-birth Involvement With Child Protection Across Australia.

O'Donnell, M Lima, F Maclean, M Marriott, R Taplin, S

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Child Maltreat, 2023, 28, (4), pp. 608-620
Issue Date:: 2023-11

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	O'Donnell, M
dc.contributor.author	Lima, F
dc.contributor.author	Maclean, M
dc.contributor.author	Marriott, R
dc.contributor.author	Taplin, S https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8752-009X
dc.date.accessioned	2023-11-06T23:26:23Z
dc.date.available	2023-11-06T23:26:23Z
dc.date.issued	2023-11
dc.identifier.citation	Child Maltreat, 2023, 28, (4), pp. 608-620
dc.identifier.issn	1077-5595
dc.identifier.issn	1552-6119
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/173106
dc.description.abstract	Infants (<1 year old) are the age group in Australia with the highest rate of involvement with child protection. Many jurisdictions across Australia and internationally are implementing policies focused on prenatal planning and targeted support. This study investigates Australian trends in prenatal and infant child protection notifications, substantiations and out-of-home care; and the extent of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants. Data was provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the period 1 July 2012-30 June 2019. Univariate Poisson regression analysis was conducted, reporting the percentage change in the incidence rate ratios. All Australian jurisdictions who collect and approved release of prenatal notification data experienced increases in the rates of children with prenatal notifications, with a 4% (IRR: 1.04(1.04-1.05)) overall increase per year across Australia. Approximately 33% of children had substantiated prenatal notifications. Rates of infant notifications and entry to care in Australia increased overall by 3% (IRR:1.03(1.03-1.04)) and 2% per year (IRR:1.02(1.01-1.03)), respectively. With rising numbers of families reported prenatally and during infancy, greater evidence of the effectiveness of policies, interventions and outcomes for children and families is required.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	Child Maltreat
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/10775595231186647
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1607 Social Work, 1701 Psychology
dc.subject.classification	Family Studies
dc.subject.classification	4402 Criminology
dc.subject.classification	4409 Social work
dc.subject.classification	5201 Applied and developmental psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Child
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Infant
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
dc.subject.mesh	Child Abuse
dc.subject.mesh	Child Protective Services
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Child Abuse
dc.subject.mesh	Child
dc.subject.mesh	Infant
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Child Protective Services
dc.subject.mesh	Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
dc.title	Infant and Pre-birth Involvement With Child Protection Across Australia.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	28
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	1607 Social Work
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2023-11-06T23:26:21Z
pubs.issue	4
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	28
utslib.citation.issue	4

Abstract:

Infants (<1 year old) are the age group in Australia with the highest rate of involvement with child protection. Many jurisdictions across Australia and internationally are implementing policies focused on prenatal planning and targeted support. This study investigates Australian trends in prenatal and infant child protection notifications, substantiations and out-of-home care; and the extent of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants. Data was provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the period 1 July 2012-30 June 2019. Univariate Poisson regression analysis was conducted, reporting the percentage change in the incidence rate ratios. All Australian jurisdictions who collect and approved release of prenatal notification data experienced increases in the rates of children with prenatal notifications, with a 4% (IRR: 1.04(1.04-1.05)) overall increase per year across Australia. Approximately 33% of children had substantiated prenatal notifications. Rates of infant notifications and entry to care in Australia increased overall by 3% (IRR:1.03(1.03-1.04)) and 2% per year (IRR:1.02(1.01-1.03)), respectively. With rising numbers of families reported prenatally and during infancy, greater evidence of the effectiveness of policies, interventions and outcomes for children and families is required.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/173106