View - LIME Network

An increased rate may also be due to improvements in the identification ofIndigenous status. The practices used to identify and record the Indigenous status ofchildren in the child protection system vary across states and territories. Over thelast few years, several jurisdictions have introduced measures to improve theidentification of Indigenous clients. In some jurisdictions, however, there is asignificant proportion of children whose Indigenous status is unknown and thisimpacts on the quality of data for Indigenous children (AIHW 2006).Finally, an increased rate may be due to an increase in resources in the protectionand support area, allowing more notifications to be investigated more thoroughly.Table 9.1.1Children (0–17 years) on care and protection orders, 30 June2006 aIndigenousNumber of childrenNon-IndigenousTotalRate per 1000 childrenIndigenousNon-IndigenousTotalRatioIndigenousto Non-IndigenousNSWVictoriaQueenslandWASATasmaniaACTNTAustralia2 409 6 804 9 213 37.2 4.5 5.8 8.3740 5 244 5 984 56.4 4.6 5.1 12.41 667 4 779 6 446 26.7 5.2 6.5 5.2798 1 248 2 046 25.8 2.7 4.2 9.5378 1 293 1 671 31.8 3.9 4.8 8.2125 708 833 15.2 6.5 7.1 2.3100 458 558 53.3 6.2 7.4 8.6303 134 437 12.2 3.8 7.3 3.26 520 20 668 27 188 29.9 4.5 5.6 6.7a Non-Indigenous includes Indigenous status not stated.Source: AIHW Children on Care and Protection Orders, Australia data collection (unpublished); table 9A.1.2.• The rate of children on care and protection orders per 1000 children in thepopulation aged 0–17 years was 29.9 for Indigenous children and 4.5 for non-Indigenous children at 30 June 2006 (table 9.1.1).OVERCOMINGINDIGENOUSDISADVANTAGE 2007