Queensland Child Safety Data

Broken by Design

A data visualisation exploring the systemic failures of Queensland's child protection system.

Every number represents a real child. This data tells their story.

12,497
Children in Care
That's a sold-out Brisbane Entertainment Centre concert of children living away from their families
$1.12B
Annual Budget
A 460% increase since 2014, yet outcomes are getting worse, not better
11x
Indigenous Over-Representation
First Nations children are 11 times more likely to be in care

Data sourced from Queensland Government reports, QFCC Census, and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024)

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Understanding the Children

Before we can understand the system, we need to understand who these children are and what they experienced before entering care.

Before Care

What children experienced before entering the child protection system.

The majority of children in Queensland's care system experienced multiple forms of abuse and neglect before being removed from their homes. These aren't children who were removed for minor concerns - they experienced serious, often repeated harm.

Neglect88%
Emotional abuse83%
Domestic violence exposure68%
Physical abuse46%
Sexual abuse11%

What does 'neglect' actually mean?

Neglect includes failure to provide adequate food, shelter, supervision, or medical care. It's the most common form of maltreatment and often co-occurs with other abuse types. Children experiencing neglect may be left alone for long periods, not fed regularly, or denied necessary healthcare.

69%

experienced 3 or more abuse types

30%

experienced ALL 5 types of abuse

neglect, emotional, physical, sexual abuse & DV exposure

Inside the System

Where children go when they can't stay home.

Understanding Placement Types

Kinship Care

Living with relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, or close family friends. Research shows children in generally have better outcomes because they maintain family connections.

Foster Care

Living with trained, approved carers who aren't related to the child. provide a family environment when relatives aren't available.

Residential Care

Group homes with rotating paid staff - not a family setting. is meant to be a last resort but has grown 240% since 2015.

Placement Types (December 2024)

12,497children in care
Kinship care: 6,112
Foster care: 4,173
Residential care: 2,212

12,497 children would nearly fill the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to capacity – that's a sold-out Taylor Swift concert of kids living away from their families

Children with 4+ placements

73%

Residential Care

VS1.9x
38%

All OOHC

Years in the System

How long children spend in out-of-home care.

0%

entered care before age 3

removing children at youngest ages

Nearly half of all children in care have been there for more than 5 years. For children who entered before age 3, the care system essentially becomes their entire childhood experience.

Duration in Care

Under 2 years21%
2-5 years30%
More than 5 years49%
Who They AreWhat It Does To Them

Living in care, especially with multiple placements and institutional settings, takes a profound toll on children's health and wellbeing.

Health & Wellbeing

The physical and mental health challenges facing children in care.

Children in care have significantly higher rates of disability and mental illness than the general population. These conditions are often directly connected to the trauma they experienced before and during their time in the system.

41%
Disability
31%
Intellectual functioning impairment
28%
Self-harm
27%
Prescribed medication

Residential Care vs All

4+ placements

73%

Residential

VS1.9x
38%

All OOHC

Sexual abuse pre-care

19%

Residential

VS1.7x
11%

All OOHC

Physical abuse pre-care

61%

Residential

VS1.3x
46%

All OOHC

Mental illness

51%

Residential

VS2.5x
20%

All OOHC

Disability & Mental Health

Detailed breakdown of conditions affecting children in care.

0%

have a disability

diagnosed or suspected

Disability Types

ADHD53%

45% formally diagnosed

Intellectual Disability38%

31% formally diagnosed

Autism35%

29% formally diagnosed

Sensory/Speech29%
FASD20%

12% formally diagnosed

Physical Disability14%
0%

have mental illness

diagnosed or suspected

Mental Health Conditions

Anxiety65%
PTSD41%
Depression29%
Reactive Attachment Disorder21%
Oppositional Defiance Disorder18%

27% are taking prescribed medication, with 68% on antidepressants or mood stabilisers.

Leaving Care

What happens when young people 'age out' of the system at 18.

Unlike most 18-year-olds who can continue living at home, receive family support, or fall back on parents when things get tough, young people face an abrupt - often without any safety net.

0%

require public housing

up from 41% in 2023

0%

currently employed

The general youth employment rate is about 60% - care leavers are less than half that
Nearly 4 out of 5 young people leaving care don't have a job

Year-over-Year Changes (2023 → 2024)

Physical abuse

2023

38%
→
+8pp

2024

38%

Emotional abuse

2023

74%
→
+9pp

2024

74%

Neglect

2023

80%
→
+8pp

2024

80%

DV exposure

2023

60%
→
+8pp

2024

60%

When It Fails Completely

Child mortality data reveals the ultimate cost of system failures.

0

deaths of children known to Child Safety

2023-24

0x

higher mortality rate

vs general population

Risk Factors in Reviewed Cases

Domestic and family violence56%
Methamphetamine use27%
Housing instability20%
Multiple factors co-occurring11%

Suicide is the leading cause of death for children aged 10-17 in care. While rates have been declining, every death represents a child the system was meant to protect.

Child Suicide Trend (declining, but still too high)

Suicide deaths have decreased from 37 in 2018-19 to 19 in 2023-24. While this is progress, 128 children have died by suicide over five years.

If you or someone you know needs support

Lifeline

24/7 crisis support

13 11 14
Kids Helpline

For young people 5-25

1800 55 1800
Beyond Blue

Mental health support

1300 22 4636

In Memory

We remember and honour Tiahleigh Palmer, Mason Lee, and the hundreds of other children whose deaths have driven reform efforts. Their lives matter. Their stories have led to changes that aim to protect future generations.

The following information focuses on systemic failures and reforms-not to sensationalise tragedy, but to ensure these children's experiences lead to meaningful change.

These cases have been publicly documented through coronial inquests and government reviews. The families have chosen to speak publicly about systemic failures in hopes of driving reform.

Note: These publicly documented cases represent a fraction of the children who have died while known to the child safety system. See the "Patterns" tab for anonymized case examples from Child Death Review Board reports that reveal recurring systemic failures.

Need Support?

If this content has been distressing, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
The FailuresThe Disparities

The burden of these failures doesn't fall equally. Indigenous children and certain regions bear a disproportionate share of the system's shortcomings.

Indigenous Over-Representation

First Nations children are dramatically overrepresented in the child protection system.

Historical Context

This over-representation exists within the context of the , government policies that forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families for over a century. The trauma from these policies continues to affect families today, and the current child protection system often repeats similar patterns of family separation.

0x

over-representation

Indigenous vs non-Indigenous nationally

0

per 1,000 Indigenous children

in out-of-home care

0

per 1,000 non-Indigenous

in out-of-home care

+0%

residential care increase

Indigenous children 2013-2022

Residential Care Population

47%
53%
Indigenous (47%)Non-Indigenous (53%)

Despite representing ~5% of the child population, Indigenous children make up nearly half of all residential care placements.

Target 12

Reduce OOHC overrepresentation by 45% by 2031

NOT ON TRACK

Rates have increased from 47.3 to 50.3 per 1,000 since 2019.

Cultural Connection

Have Cultural Support Plan74%
Walked on Country59%
Name of mob known53%
First placement with Aboriginal kin25%

Regional Disparities

Outcomes vary significantly across Queensland regions.

by Region

Sunshine Coast & Central60%
Brisbane & Moreton Bay47%
South East46%
South West41%

Queensland average: 48%

Suicide Attempts (10+ years)

South East24%
Sunshine Coast & Central16%
South West14%
Brisbane & Moreton Bay9%

School Exclusion (6-16 years)

Sunshine Coast & Central37%
South West34%
Brisbane & Moreton Bay33%
South East31%
The DisparitiesThe System Itself

Behind these outcomes is a system struggling with demand, investigations that can't keep up, and spending that's exploding without improving results.

System Under Strain

Investigation timeframes reveal a system struggling to keep up with demand.

The Notifications Pipeline

A is when someone reports concerns about a child. Not all lead to investigation - some are screened out as not meeting thresholds.

99,870
children reported
44,183
requiring investigation
5.8
rate per 1,000
(national: 7.3)
10.9
per 1,000
(national: 10.3)
24 hours (immediate risk)92.2% on time
5 days19% on time
10 days18.6% on time
0

investigations required

year to March 2025

+0%

increase year-on-year

Carer Crisis

Carer dissatisfaction with allowance

16%

2014

VS3.3x
53%

2024

6,534 foster families currently registered, with 1,883 new families joining in 2024-25.

Under Investigation

A Commission of Inquiry is examining systemic failures in Queensland's child safety system.

Commission of Inquiry

Commissioner: The Honourable Paul Anastassiou KC

Commenced 1 July 2025 | Report due 30 November 2026

116
children aged 5 and under
in residential care
0

self-placing children

vulnerable children placing themselves

0%

with 4+ placements

in residential care

0%

suicide attempts

residential care children 10+

+0%

OOHC growth

Dec 2023 to Dec 2024

Residential Care Population Growth

From 650 children in December 2015 to 2212 in December 2024 - a +240% increase.

The Cost Explosion

Residential care spending has grown from $200M to $1.12B in a decade.

Residential Care Budget Over Time

2014-15: $200M
2019: ~$400M
2022: ~$750M
2023: ~$900M
2024-25: $1.12B
$0.00
spent since you opened this page
That's $35.52 every second • $127,854 every hour • $3.07M every day
+0%

budget increase

2014-15 to 2024-25

0x

cost difference

residential vs foster care per child

$0M

extreme case cost

per year for some placements

$608,000 per child per year could fund foster care for 20 children for an entire year

National Context

How Queensland compares to the rest of Australia.

Queensland's challenges exist within a national system where child protection is managed differently by each state and territory, creating 180+ variations in how vulnerable children are treated depending on where they live.

0K

children in contact

with child protection nationally

1 in 0

children

in contact with the system

$0B

total expenditure

national child protection

+0%

real increase

in spending this year

State Comparison: Children in Care Rate (per 1,000)

South Australia13
Queensland10.4
National Average7.7

National Response Times

52.2%
investigations started within 7 days
Lowest in 10 years
16.7%
completed within 28 days
Near lowest in 10 years
31.6%
taking more than 90 days

National Placement Distribution

44,866children in OOHC nationally
Relative/Kinship Care: 55.3
Foster Care: 31.5
Residential Care: 11.4
Other: 1.6

What Can You Do?

Understanding the problem is the first step. Here's how you can help drive change.

Share This Data

Help others understand what's happening. Share this visualisation with your network, local representatives, and community groups.

Contact Your MP

Write to your local member of parliament. Ask them what they're doing to address the Commission of Inquiry findings.

Find your MP

Support Foster Carers

Consider becoming a foster carer, or support organizations that provide respite and resources to existing carers.

Learn about fostering

Follow the Inquiry

The Commission of Inquiry will release its findings in November 2026. Stay informed about its recommendations.

Commission website
Commission of Inquiry findings due November 2026

“The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children. ” - Nelson Mandela