Child Protection Orders

Operational data

Operational data is primarily used by the Department to internally monitor operations and may inform adequate staffing and resourcing decisions.

Operational data has not been through a rigorous data cleansing process, and as such there is a margin of error to be considered when reviewing the data. Data is indicative only – providing information about trends, themes, emerging issues or areas requiring attention.

This data is not comparable to previously released corporate data. This data is also unlikely to match corporate data to be released later in 2026.

Once more contemporary corporate data is released, operational data will no longer be available.

This report has been developed using operational data, to provide an overview of performance and demand, and should be treated as indicative only. Operational data should be interpreted and used with caution and understanding of limitations outlined in caveats and data interpretation notes.

Children Subject to Child Protection Orders

CPO

Footnotes and caveats

  • Data is as at 31 December 2025.

Data interpretation notes

  • The Child Protection Act 1999 provides for a number of different child protection orders to be granted by the Childrens Court.
  • The types of child protection orders that can be granted by the Childrens Court include:
    • short-term child protection orders (directive, supervision, custody to the chief executive or a suitable person who is a member of the child's family, short term guardianship to the chief executive) or
    • long-term child protection order (guardianship to the chief executive, a relative of the child or another suitable person) or
    • Permanent Care Orders.
  • This data shows the number of children subject to Child Protection Orders, statewide, by order type (short- or long-term).
  • Reflects the point-in-time situation as at 31 December 2025.
  • Delays in orders and adjournment information being received from the courts impacts accuracy and reliability of data. Operational data also includes orders made under Sections 67 and 99 of the Child Protection Act 1999 (interim orders), and Permanent Care Orders. The operational data is higher than the corporate data count for this reason.
  • ‘Long-term order’ category includes Permanent Care Orders.
  • Data exclusions: Excludes matters held in locations other than Child Safety regions (numbers are very low).