The child protection and out-of-home care system understandably focuses on preventing harm and ensuring safety. A reductive focus on these aims has had profound unintended consequences. This report articulates concrete steps to advance a course change on child protection in NSW. It outlines 11 key opportunities to focus the system on the holistic needs of...

This report examines interactions of young people aged 10 to 13 years with the NSW criminal justice system in 2023. The study finds that the number of young people offending is small and these children have overwhelmingly experienced significant childhood trauma and disadvantage prior to their contact with the justice system.

The report reflects the overwhelming evidence that most alternative care arrangements (ACAs) are not appropriate care placements or living arrangements for children and young people. It explores the key impacts of these arrangements and provides four recommendations specific to ACAs.

This roundtable provided stakeholders and experts with the opportunity to share their thoughts on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people and discuss what could be improved for a future crisis. It was recommended that the needs of children be prioritised and considered more explicitly when planning and responding to public...

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...