Lifetime risk of child protection system involvement in South Australia for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, 1986–2017 using linked administrative data

Background In the ongoing debate on optimum methods for identification of Indigenous people within linked administrative data, few studies have examined the impacts of method on population counts and outcomes in family-based linkage studies of Aboriginal children. Objective To quantify differences between three validated algorithms in ascertaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in linked administrative data. Methods Linked administrative health data for children born in WA from 2000-2013, were used to examine the cohorts identified by three methods: A) the Indigenous Status Flag (ISF, derived by the WA Data Linkage Branch using a multistage-median approach) for the children alone; B) the ISF of the children, their parents and grandparents; and C) Indigenous status of the child, mother or father on either of the child’s perinatal records (Midwives or birth registration), to determine differing characteristics of each cohort. Results Method B established a larger cohort (33,697) than Method C (33,510) and Method A (27,482), with all methods identifying a core group of 26,993 children (80-98%). Compared with children identified by Method A, additional children identified by Methods B or C, were from less-disadvantaged and more urban areas, and had better perinatal outcomes (e.g. lower proportions of small-for-gestational age, 10% vs 16%). Differences in demographics and health outcomes between Methods C and B were minimal. Conclusions Demographic and perinatal health characteristics differ by Indigenous identification method. Using perinatal records or the ISF of parents and grandparents (in addition to the ISF of the child) appear to be more inclusive methods for identifying young Indigenous children in administrative datasets.

Download Full-text

Maternal assault admissions are associated with increased risk of child protection involvement

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v3i4.772 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Carol Orr ◽

David B Preen ◽

Rebecca Glauert ◽

Melissa O'Donnell ◽

Colleen Fisher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Maltreatment ◽

Young Children ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Small Sample ◽

Prenatal Period ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Linked Administrative Data ◽

Aboriginal Children

IntroductionAlmost half of Australian women assaulted by their partner have children in their care. Evidence suggests a link between children’s exposure to violence, and subsequent maltreatment allegations. However, this evidence is limited by small sample sizes. Linked administrative data present an opportunity to further investigate this sensitive topic. Objectives and ApproachThis study investigated the relationship between assaults on mothers and subsequent child maltreatment allegations. The sample included all live births in Western Australia from 1990 to 2009 (N=524,534) and their parents, with follow up to 2013. Linked administrative data on child maltreatment allegations and mothers’ assault-related hospital admissions were obtained. Multivariate Cox regression estimated the risk of maltreatment allegation following maternal assault admission. Adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95\% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the risk of maltreatment allegation, and time (in months) between assault admission and the first maltreatment allegation. ResultsOne in five children whose mother had an assault admission had a subsequent maltreatment allegation, increasing to more than one in three children when restricted to assault admissions in the prenatal period. More than half of the children who had a maltreatment allegation after their mother was admitted for assault were Aboriginal. After adjusting for covariates, children whose mother had an assault admission had two-fold increased risk of having a maltreatment allegation. The risk of maltreatment allegation was greatest in young children, 5.5-year-old (SD=4.6), when restricted to maternal assault admissions in the prenatal period the children were younger at 4-year-old (SD=4.1). The time from maternal assault admission to maltreatment allegation was around 12 months longer for Aboriginal children than for non-Aboriginal children. Conclusion/ImplicationsChildren of mothers who have been assaulted are at higher risk of child maltreatment allegation. Targeted early intervention is required for families with young children, and pregnant women experiencing violence. The time to maltreatment allegation for Aboriginal children warrants community developed culturally-safe partnerships between Aboriginal communities and government services.

Download Full-text

Identification of Aboriginal children using linked administrative data: Consequences for measuring inequalities

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health ◽

10.1111/jpc.13132 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 52 (5) ◽

pp. 534-540 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Angela Gialamas ◽

Rhiannon Pilkington ◽

Jesia Berry ◽

Daniel Scalzi ◽

Odette Gibson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Administrative Data ◽

Linked Administrative Data ◽

Aboriginal Children

Download Full-text

What factors contribute to positive early childhood health and development in Australian Aboriginal children? Protocol for a population-based cohort study using linked administrative data (The Seeding Success Study)

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007898 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. e007898-e007898 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

K. Falster ◽

L. Jorm ◽

S. Eades ◽

J. Lynch ◽

E. Banks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Population Based ◽

Childhood Health ◽

Australian Aboriginal ◽

Early Childhood Health ◽

Health And Development ◽

Linked Administrative Data ◽

Aboriginal Children

Download Full-text

Young People Under Youth Justice Supervision With Varying Child Protection Histories: An Analysis of Group Differences

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology ◽

10.1177/0306624x18791735 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 159-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Catia G. Malvaso ◽

Paul H. Delfabbro ◽

Andrew Day ◽

Gavin Nobes

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Child Protection ◽

South Australia ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Protection System ◽

Youth Justice ◽

Complex Needs ◽

Out Of Home Care ◽

History Of

There is now convincing evidence that childhood maltreatment is associated with youth offending; however, relatively little is known about the characteristics and needs of those who are involved in both the child protection and youth justice systems, and the extent to which these might differ according to level of child protection involvement. This study reports the characteristics and needs of 2,045 young people who were under supervision in secure custody or detention in South Australia between 1995 and 2012 according to the level of exposure to the child protection system in an Australian jurisdiction. Five groups of young offenders were compared: (a) no known child protection notifications or substantiated experience of abuse and/or neglect, (b) notifications only, (c) substantiated notifications, (d) notifications or substantiations and subsequent placement in out-of-home care (OHC), and (e) placement in OHC only. The results indicate that young people who have a history of child protection system involvement have significantly greater and more complex needs than those who have no child protection experience. It is concluded that different service responses may be required to meet the diverse needs of these groups of young people under youth justice supervision.

Download Full-text

844Considering child maltreatment in social inequalities of educational achievement: a whole-of-population data linkage study

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyab168.128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Chittleborough ◽

Helena Schuch ◽

Rhiannon Pilkington ◽

Alicia Montgomerie ◽

Janet Grant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Maltreatment ◽

Child Protection ◽

Educational Outcomes ◽

Parental Education ◽

Social Inequalities ◽

Educational Achievement ◽

South Australia ◽

Population Data ◽

Linkage Study ◽

Protection System

Abstract Background Strategies aimed at reducing health inequalities include a focus on improving education, a key determinant of health and labour market outcomes. Studies have demonstrated that both early life socioeconomic disadvantage and child maltreatment result in poorer educational outcomes, but have not examined the effect of the combination of these adversities. Methods This study used de-identified, linked government administrative data from the South Australian Early Childhood Data Project on children born in South Australia who completed Year 5 National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) during 2008-2015 (n = 61,445), and their corresponding birth, perinatal, school enrolment and child protection system data. Results Overall, 23.7% (95% CI 23.4-24.1) had a poor NAPLAN outcome (at or below national minimum standard on three or more of the five domains - reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, numeracy). This proportion was approximately double for children who experienced substantiated maltreatment compared to children who did not experience contact with the child protection system, irrespective of the social circumstances (parental education, employment, housing and area-level disadvantage) in which the child lived. Conclusions Social advantage is not sufficient to protect children from poor educational outcomes if they experience substantiated maltreatment. Interventions and services will need to focus on child maltreatment, in addition to socioeconomic factors, to improve educational outcomes in the population. Key messages Within each social group, from advantaged to disadvantaged children, the risk of poor NAPLAN outcomes was greater for children who had contact with the child protection system.

Download Full-text