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Child Protection and Vulnerable Families: Trends and Issues in the Australian Context

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  • Elizabeth Fernandez

    (School of Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia)

Abstract

This paper will provide an overview and analysis of developments in child protection and out of home care in Australia. It will outline early responses to perceived inadequate parenting to provide the historical and policy contexts of contemporary debates on, and responses to, the care and protection of children and young people. Child maltreatment affects a large number of children across Australia. The statistics of reported maltreatment reflect striking increases over time. Over the last decade, several public inquiries into the operation of child protection have been undertaken in a number of state jurisdictions following which some states have embarked on large scale reform of legislation and policy, to either strengthen the child protection mandate, or refocus services. Some exemplars of significant reform in selected states will be cited. Some of the themes that will be explored in the paper will include the impact of major state based public inquiries, overseas reviews and research on child protection policy and practice; the changing balance between orientations to child protection and family support, the parameters of out of home care, the high levels of governmental intervention experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and a critical appraisal of major transformations in protective care.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Fernandez, 2014. "Child Protection and Vulnerable Families: Trends and Issues in the Australian Context," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-24, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:3:y:2014:i:4:p:785-808:d:41419
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fernandez, Elizabeth, 2009. "Children's wellbeing in care: Evidence from a longitudinal study of outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(10), pages 1092-1100, October.
    2. Tarren-Sweeney, Michael, 2008. "Retrospective and concurrent predictors of the mental health of children in care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 1-25, January.
    3. Akin, Becci A., 2011. "Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 999-1011, June.
    4. Marsh, Jeanne C. & Ryan, Joseph P. & Choi, Sam & Testa, Mark F., 2006. "Integrated services for families with multiple problems: Obstacles to family reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 1074-1087, September.
    5. Bessell, Sharon, 2011. "Participation in decision-making in out-of-home care in Australia: What do young people say?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 496-501, April.
    6. Jones, Loring, 1998. "The social and family correlates of successful reunification of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 305-323, May.
    7. Kortenkamp, Katherine & Geen, Rob & Stagner, Matthew, 2004. "The role of welfare and work in predicting foster care reunification rates for children of welfare recipients," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 577-590, June.
    8. Connell, Christian M. & Katz, Karol H. & Saunders, Leon & Tebes, Jacob Kraemer, 2006. "Leaving foster care--the influence of child and case characteristics on foster care exit rates," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 780-798, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kor, Kenny & Fernandez, Elizabeth & Spangaro, Jo, 2021. "Practitioners’ experience of implementing therapeutic residential care: A multi-perspective study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    2. Healy, Karen & Venables, Jemma & Walsh, Tamara, 2023. "Supporting birth parents’ relationships with children following removal: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. Andrea Rácz & Dorottya Sik, 2020. "Social (Im)Mobility and Social Work with Families with Children. Case Study of a Disadvantaged Microregion in Hungary," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-12, October.
    4. Sara Pérez-Hernando & Nuria Fuentes-Peláez, 2020. "The Potential of Networks for Families in the Child Protection System: A Systematic Review," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, May.

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