The Abbott government’s tough stance on border protection doesn’t only apply to asylum seekers arriving by boat

In some jurisdictions of Australia, the rate of Indigenous children in foster, kinship and residential care on any one night has reached almost one in ten. This rate is almost ten times higher than non-Aboriginal children and has steadily increased over the past decade. Contrast this with rates of non-Indigenous children in out-of-home care, which...

The tragic death of four-year old Chloe Valentine in South Australia has raised concerns that the state’s child protection system is in crisis. Following a history of abuse and neglect, Chloe’s mother and her partner repeatedly put Chloe on a 50-kilogram motorbike and filmed her crashing into objects. She later died of her injuries. During...

This presentation is about a study exploring child protection practitioner decision-making about the placement of children in out-of-home care. A brief measure, 'the child placement questionnaire' was developed. Following evaluation by experts in child protection research, policy and practice, it was piloted with 53 child protection practitioners working in the Australian out-of-home care sector. Responses...

The Australian government recently announced a parliamentary inquiry to investigate whether a legal presumption of joint residence should become part of Australian family law - that is, if parents separate and cannot agree on arrangements for their children, the starting point should be that children spend equal time with each parent. The AIFS submission to...