Child protection services
The rates of children in Queensland’s child protection system are lower or close to the national average. Latest data shows that:
- 5.7 per 1,000 children in Queensland were subject to substantiations in 2022-23, which was below the national average of 8.0.
- 10.8 per 1,000 children in Queensland were subject to care and protection orders as at 30 June 2023, which was close to the national average of 10.5.
- 8.1 per 1,000 children in Queensland were in care as at 30 June 2023, which was close to the national average of 7.9.
Rate per 1,000 children subject to substantiations year ending 30 June
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| Australia | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
Source: 2024 Report on Government Services Table 16A.1
Rate per 1,000 children subject to care and protection orders as at 30 June
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 8.9 | 9.7 | 10.5 | 10.8 | 10.8 |
| Australia | 10.5 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 10.7 | 10.5 |
Source: 2024 Report on Government Services Table 16A.1
Rate per 1,000 children in care as at 30 June
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.1 |
| Australia | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.9 |
Source: 2024 Report on Government Services Table 16A.2.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Queensland's results in national publications can differ to results publicly reported by the department on other sections of this website. This is because measures reported in national publications follow national counting rules, while measures reported in other sections of this website use counting rules that align with Queensland legislation, policy and practice.