Victoria’s child protection system failures linked to 35 preventable child deaths
Consensus Summary
Victoria’s child protection system is under severe strain, with a Commission for Children and Young People report revealing that 35 children died after being deemed not at significant risk despite multiple referrals—totaling 267 reports across the group. All had escalating risk factors like family violence and substance abuse, yet cases were repeatedly closed without intervention, creating a 'refer-and-close roundabout.' Both sources agree the system is overwhelmed by rising referrals (up to 151,000 in 2024–2025), inadequate funding for family services (meeting only one-third of demand), and critical data failures that hinder risk assessment. Advocates and unions highlight understaffing, burnout, and low carer payments as contributing factors, while kinship care now accounts for 81.7% of out-of-home placements. The Victorian government has been approached for comment, and opposition leaders call for urgent reform. Meanwhile, Queensland’s child safety minister separately announced adoption reforms, including potential changes to Indigenous child placement policies, though this is unrelated to Victoria’s crisis.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- 35 children in Victoria died after being subjects of child protection referrals, despite being deemed not at significant risk; all had multiple risk factors (family violence, substance abuse, mental health) that escalated over time.
- The 35 children were the subject of a combined 267 referrals, averaging 8 reports per child, with 237 closed at intake or investigation.
- The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) report, titled *Left Behind*, found children were caught in a 'refer-and-close roundabout' where cases were closed without effective intervention.
- In 2025, 52% of children referred to child protection had also been referred in the prior year, and 75% of all reports were about children with prior referrals.
- Family services (e.g., parental support, developmental services) met only one-third of demand in the last financial year, with 58% of referrals to The Orange Door not engaging or unreachable.
- The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office report found child protection services were hampered by delayed, inaccurate, and incomplete data, affecting risk assessment and service delivery.
- Kinship care placements (with relatives/friends) now make up 81.7% of out-of-home care placements in Victoria, with carer payments being the lowest in Australia.
- Child protection referrals increased from 118,096 in 2021–2022 to about 151,000 in 2024–2025, straining the system’s capacity for thorough risk assessment.
- Commissioner for Children and Young People Tracy Beaton called for increased funding, tailored counselling, crisis accommodation, and stronger referral pathways to address systemic gaps.
- Aboriginal children were over-represented among the 35 deaths, and 23% of the children had a disability or complex medical needs.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The most common causes of death among the 35 children were accidents (e.g., drowning, house fires), suicide, and illness.
- Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn stated in parliament that any suggestion of a causal link between services and the 35 deaths 'demonises these essential workers'.
- The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office report showed the rate of children in out-of-home care had fallen slightly, with more children placed with family or close friends and fewer under 12 in residential care.
- One child in the sample had 28 referrals, beginning when they were six days old.
- Kinship Carers Victoria director Anne McLeish described the system’s data issues as 'stunning,' stating the department may not even know where some children are living.
- The Community and Public Sector Union’s Jiselle Hanna linked staff and carer burnout to 'chronic understaffing, underfunding, and increasing pressure.'
- The Guardian referenced its prior reporting on kinship care, including a Melbourne childcare worker taking on a baby after a Friday afternoon call from child protection.
- Queensland’s child safety minister Amanda Camm announced reforms to the Adoption Act, including considering adoption as a permanency option for all children regardless of cultural background, despite opposition from First Nations stakeholders.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC states the 35 deaths were 'preventable' and explicitly linked to systemic failures, while the Guardian frames the issue as a system 'straining under demand and funding shortfalls' without the same causal language.
- The ABC notes the coroner would determine any causal link between services and the 35 deaths, whereas the Guardian does not mention the coroner’s role in this context.
Source Articles
Failings of Victoria's child protection system including 35 deaths laid bare
An inquiry by the Commission for Children and Young People finds children are falling through the cracks of a state system under overwhelming pressure.
Dozens of vulnerable children were deemed not at risk by Victoria’s child protection system. They are now dead
The state’s commissioner for children and young people raised the alarm about cycles of ineffective referrals to voluntary services and closed reports in 35 cases of children who died after interactions with the system Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Victoria’s most at-risk children are falling through the cracks of a child protection system straining under increased demand and funding shortfalls, new reports sho