Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services

Table of contents:

Graphs

Number of children subject to child protection orders, by Indigenous status, Queensland, as at 30 June, 2007 to 2011 Number of children subject to child protection orders, by Indigenous status, Queensland, as at 30 June, 2007 to 2011

YearIndigenousNon-Indigenous
2007 1878 4394
2008 2185 4757
2009 2657 5169
2010 2933 5093
2011 3147 5224

Proportion of children subject to child protection orders, by age group, as at 30 June, 2007 to 2011 Proportion of children subject to child protection orders, by age group, as at 30 June, 2007 to 2011

Year0 to 45 to 910 to 1415 to 17
2007 25.7653061 % 27.34375 % 29.6875 % 17.2034439 %
2008 25.9579372 % 28.5940651 % 28.6516854 % 16.7963123 %
2009 25.8369537 % 29.5553284 % 28.6736519 % 15.9340659 %
2010 24.3707949 % 30.7749813 % 28.5571891 % 16.2970346 %
2011 23.7725481 % 30.9401505 % 28.6943018 % 16.5929996 %

Tables

DescriptionAnnualQuarterly
CPO.1: Children subject to child protection orders, by Indigenous status, Queensland Excel (XLS, 28 KB) Excel (XLS, 26 KB)
CPO.2: Children subject to child protection orders, by sex and age group, Queensland Excel (XLS, 29 KB) Excel (XLS, 28 KB)
CPO.3: Children subject to child protection orders, by primary placement, Queensland Excel (XLS, 28 KB) Excel (XLS, 28 KB)
CPO.4: Children subject to child protection orders, by order purpose, Queensland Excel (XLS, 26 KB) Excel (XLS, 40 KB)
CPO.5: Children subject to child protection orders, by child safety zone, Queensland Excel (XLS, 27 KB)  
CPO.6: Children subject to child protection orders, by region, Queensland Excel (XLS, 26 KB) Excel (XLS, 27 KB)

Table notes

What are child protection orders?

Child protection orders are sought through the Childrens Court when it has been assessed by the department that:

  • a child is in need of protection, and
  • it is not possible or appropriate for the department to work voluntarily with the family to protect the child.

A child protection order is not sought if there are other ways to protect the child, such as working with the consent of the family to resolve the problems that led to harm or risk of harm, or connecting the family to a community support agency.

Different types of child protection orders can be granted by the Childrens Court - short-term child protection orders (directive, supervision and short-term custody or guardianship to the chief executive or a suitable person who is a member of the child's family) and long-term child protection orders (guardianship to the chief executive, a relative of the child or 'another suitable person').

Why this topic is important

Child protection orders are an essential part of the child protection system as they provide the department with the authority to facilitate actions to ensure the safety of the child or young person by protecting them from further harm.

Trends

The number of children subject to child protection orders increased by 4.3 per cent from 8,026 as at 30 June 2010 to 8,371 as at 30 June 2011. This is a higher rate of growth than last year where there was a 2.6 per cent increase in the number of children subject to child protection orders (7,826 as at 30 June 2009 and 8,026 as at 30 June 2010). Since 30 June 2007, the number of children subject to child protection orders has increased by 33.5 per cent.