Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Australia’s children, especially those most vulnerable because of their circumstances, continues to be a contentious and elusive area of policy reform. This study aims to provide a national focus for reforms to the child protection and youth justice systems by examining the nature of recommendations from 61 reports and...

The Child Social Exclusion (CSE) is a multi-dimensional measure of child disadvantage. It extends the concept of child poverty by reflecting the extent to which children lack the opportunities and resources to participate fully in their communities and feel connected. This report updates the index of social exclusion risk for Australian children under 15 years...

This Evidence to Action Note includes a checklist for caseworkers on how to best support a child or young person in out-of-home care, who is at risk of mental health disorders or self-harm.

This report focuses on a number of aspects of the National Quality Framework (NQF) including children’s health and safety, educational program and practice, children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds, workforce, and service provider perceptions of the NQF.

This paper shares findings from a rapid evidence scan carried out by Western Sydney University into programs that help to reduce harm and maltreatment, and improve outcomes for vulnerable children aged 0-5 years.