This chapter reports on the performance of governments in providing child protection, out-of-home care, family support services and intensive family support services.

This discussion paper aims to assist interested community members to contribute to the ACT Government’s exploration of provisions for dispensing with consent in the domestic adoption process.

This report highlights the progress being made across the Australian government to implement the recommendations made in the Royal Commission’s final report presented to the Governor-General in December 2017.

Fewer than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are placed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers, following a steep decline over the last 10 years. This places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are removed from their families at serious risk of being permanently disconnected from their families, communities and cultures.

All Australian children deserve to feel safe and loved and to have a strong sense of identity and belonging. Unfortunately there are tens of thousands of Australian children in out-of-home care who need a family they can belong to. It is not acceptable that children are bounced around the system from one foster home to...