1. Does mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect work? Dr. Frank Ainsworth Edith Cowan University Perth

2. Question What evidence is there that children are abused less in jurisdictions where mandatory reporting exists by comparison to jurisdictions where it does not exist?

3. How will this question be addressed? It will be examined by comparing statistical data from NSW that has mandatory reporting and Western Australia that does not have mandatory reporting.

4. Table 1. Comparison of notifications of child abuse and neglect by type of action for New South Wales (mandatory reporting) and Western Australia (non-mandatory reporting) 2000-2001. ____________________________________________________________ Type of actionNew South Wales Western Australia ____________________________________________________________ Total notifications 40,937 (100 %) 2,851 (100 %) Total investigations 25,292 (61.8 %) 2,759 (96.8 %) Finalised 19,913 (48.6 %) 2,392 (83.9 %) investigations Investigations 5,379 (13.1 %) 367 (12.9 %) not finalised Substantiated 7.501 (18.3 %) 1,191 (41.8 %) investigations Unsubstantiated 7,812 (19.1 %) 1,201 (42.1 %) notifications Not investigated 1 15,645 (38.2 %) 92 (3.2 %) ____________________________________________________________ Source: Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, Canberra, Child Protection Australia 2000-2001.

5. Recalculating the rates AIWH in calculating the substantiation rates remove ‘not finalised’ and ‘not investigated’ cases before making the calculation of substantiation rates and that inflates the these rates. I have not done this as logically ‘not finalised’ and ‘not investigated’ cases are in my view not substantiated cases. NSW also have a category of ‘child at risk’ that means ‘not substantiated’.

6. Table 2. Comparison of outcomes for New South Wales (mandatory reporting) and Western Australia (non-mandatory reporting) - recalculations 2000-2001. ____________________________________________________________ Outcome New South WalesWestern Australia ____________________________________________________________ Notifications 40,937 (100 %)2,851 (100 %) Not substantiated 33,987 (83.0 %)1,660 (58.2 %) Substantiated 7.501 (17.0 %)1,191 (41.8 %) Ratio in favour of 8.3 - 1 5.8 - 1 non-substantiation Families receiving 1,875 (25.0 %) 415 (25.0 %) service (estimate) ____________________________________________________________ Source: Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, Canberra, Child Protection Australia 2000-2001.

7. Tab le 3. Australia wide (ex. Western Australia) notifications and recalculated substantiations of child abuse and neglect 2000-2001. ____________________________________________________________ Type of actionNotifications Recalculated substantiations ___________________________________________________________ Total notifications 115,471 (100 %) 115, 471 (100 %) Total investigations 66,265 (57.4 %) 66,265 (57.4 %) Finalised 54,286 (47.0 %) 54,286 (47.0 %) investigations Investigations 11,979 (10.4 %)- not finalised Substantiated 27,367 (23.7 %) 23,367 (23.7 %) investigations Unsubstantiated 22,291 (19.3 %) 88,306 (76.5 %) 2 notifications Not investigated 1 47,389 (41.0 %) - Ratio in favour of - 7.6 - 1 non-substantiation ____________________________________________________________ Source: Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, Canberra, Child Protection Australia 2000-2001.

8. Other data * Hospitalization for ‘child battering or other maltreatment’. National figure 1997-98 - 0.12/1000 children * Child deaths – homicide 1989-93 – 32 deaths per year NSW 1999, Child Death Review Team, 14 deaths (2 due to inadequate child protection)

9. Cost - Productivity Commission 1999-2000 figures NSW, $65.86 per child 0-16 years WA, $21.22 per child 0-16 years

10. Summary NSWWA Ratio in favour of non-substantiation 8.3 - 15.8 - 1 Cost $65.86 per child$21.22 per child Question Does this evidence make you change your mind about mandatory reporting?