Child abuse and neglect is a major problem in Australia. This policy and practice paper provides an overview of recent research evidence on the risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect in families. It focuses on relevant Australian and international literature published from 2017 to 2025. The resource also discusses how knowledge of the risk and protective factors can inform practice for practitioners and other professionals working with children and families.

The paper is a guide to up-to-date research that can enhance practitioners' understanding of this topic.

Key insights

• The experience of child abuse and/or neglect has been shown to lead to poorer health and social outcomes.
• Prevention and early intervention may help in reducing the prevalence of child abuse and neglect.
• Child abuse and neglect can have multiple risk and protective factors, across different levels.
• Risk and protective factors are often interrelated and can influence the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.
• Practitioners working with children and families can better target early prevention and intervention efforts by understanding risk and protective factors.