Child care and protection, 2002-2003
Number of children on care and protection orders at 30 June 2003: 22,130
... at 30 June 1997: 15,718
Number of children in out-of-home-care at 30 June 2003: 20,297
... at 30 June 1997: 13,979
Of the children in care, 5% were in residential care – 51% in foster care and 40% in relative or kinship care.
The rate of Indigenous children on care and protection orders was six times the rate for other Australian children. The rate of Indigenous children in out-of-home care was nearly seven times the rate of other children.
Number of child protection notifications in 2002-03: 198,355
... in 1999-00: 107,134
Number of substantiations in 2002-03: 40,416
... in 1999-00: 24,732