Data shows 15 per cent of SA families – 67,000 – were reported to child protection authorities

Up to 15 per cent of South Australian families are involved with the child protection system and the number of children being removed from their parents is outstripping population growth, new data shows.

67,000 families, caring for almost 95,000 children, were reported to child protection authorities in the six years to June 2018.

• Reuniting children in state care with their families is getting harder

Up to 15 per cent of South Australian families are involved with the child protection system and the number of children being removed from their parents is outstripping population growth, new data shows.

Responding to the emergency, the State Government will create a new unit to better support struggling families.

Figures released for the first time by Government show up to 67,000 families, caring for almost 95,000 children, were reported to child protection authorities in the six years to June 2018.

A sample of families in the western suburbs showed the majority were grappling with more than one issue, including three-quarters experiencing family violence, almost 60 per cent drug addiction and half mental illness.

Experts warn children in those families “frequently” display self-harm or suicidal behaviours, anxiety, criminal behaviour or health issues.

Concerns have been raised about almost 500 unborn children each year and almost one in five of those infants are removed from their parents before their first birthday.

In a bid to reach troubled families before children are put in danger, the State Government will create the Intensive Support Unit within the Human Services Department.

It will draw in existing programs and about 200 staff from other areas of government, including education and child protection.

It will focus on groups including young parents and those raising infants, at-risk teens and Aboriginal families which are over-represented in the system.

The Government says the change is necessary because services are currently disconnected and families are falling through the gaps.

The unit will manage about $37 million worth of services, including about $15 million in contracts to non-government organisations. It will develop clearer guidelines for NGOs delivering support programs and could, in time, shift funding to those proven most effective. Human Services Minister Michelle Lensink said the new system should deliver at-risk families “the right type and intensity of supports, at the earliest possible time, in the places where they live”.

There will be a focus on training to equip staff to work with Aboriginal families and those who have experienced trauma and help them manage the stresses of the job.

Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson said the reforms would lead to “a reduction in cases of child abuse and neglect, less need for out-of-home-care and healthier family environments where children can thrive”.

Professor John Lynch, director of the BetterStart research group at the University of Adelaide, said preventing abuse and neglect was “the only sustainable solution” to the ever growing number of children coming into state care.

The unit will being operating in July.