RESEARCH REPORT Analysis of linked longitudinal administrative data on child protection involvement for NSW families with domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug issues and mental health issues
Children and young people experience domestic and family violence in ways that are unique to them. The impacts of domestic and family violence on children can be far-reaching – including negative impacts on their physical and mental health, sense of safety and connection to community.
There has long been consensus that domestic and family violence, parental mental health issues and alcohol and other drug use are strongly interlinked and increase the risk of children and young people entering out-of-home care.
This study observes those interconnections and is one of the first external projects to use the newly established NSW Human Services Dataset (HSDS). This extensive dataset makes it possible to see how families interact with a range of services, including police, child protection and health, over time.
The study confirms the high prevalence of domestic and family violence concerns among child protection reports to the NSW Child Protection Helpline. It also found that children who are experiencing DFV, parental AOD use and parental MH issues are twice as likely to be removed from their parent’s care.
The report points to the importance of greater investment in integrated models of care for MH issues, AOD use and DFV, along with evidence-based, trauma-informed early interventions for children. These integrated models of care must address the whole person and the intersecting nature of this complex constellation of issues.
The report is the last publication from the 2020–2022 ANROWS Core Grant Research Program. This body of work has produced nation-leading evidence on the DFV experiences of children and young people.
Publication details
This work is part of the ANROWS research reports series. ANROWS research reports are in-depth reports on empirical research produced under ANROWS’s research program.
Authors
RESEARCH TEAM
DR BETTY LUU
Research Fellow, Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney
PROFESSOR AMY CONLEY WRIGHT
Director, Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney
PROFESSOR STEFANIE SCHURER
Professor of Economics, School of Economics and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney
LAURA METCALFE
Research Assistant, Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney
PROFESSOR SUSAN HEWARD-BELLE
Professor, School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney
DR SUSAN COLLINGS
Senior Research Fellow, Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EMMA BARRETT
NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney
ISBN: 978-1-922645-76-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-922645-77-7 (PDF)
54 pp.
Suggested citation
Luu, B., Wright, A. C., Schurer, S., Metcalfe, L., Heward-Belle, S., Collings, S., & Barrett, E. (2024). Analysis of linked longitudinal administrative data on child protection involvement for NSW families with domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug issues and mental health issues (Research report, 01/2024). ANROWS.