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Re-envisaging child protection contacts as an early prevention opportunity to support child development and
Kathleen Falster1, Rhiannon Megan Pilkington2, Tasnia Ahmed3
1School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia k.falster@unsw.edu.au.
Insights
A single child protection report before school indicates higher developmental risk by age 5. Early, frequent, or serious child protection contacts increase this risk, highlighting opportunities for early support.
Area of Science:
- Child development
- Public health
- Social welfare
Background:
- Developmental vulnerability at school entry impacts long-term outcomes.
- Child protection contacts before school may signal increased developmental risk.
- Early identification of at-risk children is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify developmental vulnerability at age 5 based on pre-school child protection contacts.
- To examine the association between the nature of child protection involvement and developmental outcomes.
- To compare these associations across two Australian states.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data linked with child protection records in NSW and SA.
- Categorized children based on pre-school child protection contact: none, reports, investigations, out-of-home care.
- Assessed developmental vulnerability using AEDC domains and medically diagnosed conditions at school entry.
Main Results:
- 14.2% (NSW) and 15.6% (SA) of children had pre-school child protection contact.
- Developmental vulnerability increased progressively with the severity of child protection involvement, from 21-25% (no contact) to 50-66% (out-of-home care).
- A single child protection report was associated with a 65% higher developmental risk.
Conclusions:
- Pre-school child protection reports are early indicators of heightened developmental risk.
- Earlier, more frequent, and severe child protection contacts correlate with greater developmental risk.
- Child protection reports offer a critical window for early health and social support mobilization for vulnerable children.
Objectives:
To quantify developmental vulnerability at age 5 by child protection contacts before school in two Australian states.
Methods:
All children with birth, child protection and/or 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data in New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA) were grouped according to child protection contact before school: no contact, child protection reports, screened-in reports, investigations, substantiations and out-of-home care (OOHC). The outcome was developmental vulnerability on ≥1 AEDC domains or medically diagnosed conditions with support needs at school entry.
Results:
56 650 (14.2%) NSW children and 12 617 (15.6%) SA children had ≥1 child protection contact before school. Developmental vulnerability on ≥1 domains or medically diagnosed conditions was lowest in the no child protection group (NSW, 21-22%; SA, 24-25%), with progressively higher risk in the child protection report (NSW, 35%; SA, 41-46%) through to the OOHC (NSW, 50-54%; SA, 59-66%) groups in all AEDC years. Developmental risk was higher among children aged <2 years at first contact and those with more reports. Children with only one child protection report before school had approximately 65% higher developmental risk than the no child protection group in both states.
Conclusions:
A single child protection report before school was an early indicator of higher developmental risk at age 5, with higher developmental risks among children with earlier, more serious and frequent child protection contacts. Beyond child safety screening, child protection reports represent an opportunity to mobilise early health and social support for children with developmental support needs.
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