INTERIM REPORT

Trends in Child
Protection
The Northern Territory has had a substantial
increase in the rate of children and young
people receiving child protection services,
rising from 61.3 per 1,000 in 2012‐13 to
91.5 per 1,000 in 2014-15. Nationally the
rate increased from 26.0 to 28.6 per 1,000. 35
Out-of-home Care
The number of children and young people in out-of-home care in the Northern Territory increased
from 700 in 2011-12 to 1020 in 2015-16. 36
In 2015-16, a total of 315 children and young people entered the system, which is a decrease of
6 per cent from 2014-15 and is the lowest number of children and young people to enter out-ofhome
care in five years. 37
The number of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care has increased each year
over the past five years, with an overall increase of 56 per cent since 30 June 2012. 38
Short-Term and Long-Term Protection Orders
In the last four years, there has been a steady increase in the number of both short-term and
long-term protection orders made by the Court. 39
2012-13 2015-16
Short-term protection orders 219 314
Long-term protection orders 40 454 624
Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory
13