Predicting and preventing child removals and optimising the child protection system for Aboriginal children in partnership with Aboriginal communities and health services

Investigators: Melissa O'Donnell (chief investigator)

External collaborators: Bridgette McNamara, Sandra Eades, Lina Gubhaju (Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Holdings Limited); Jocelyn Jones (University of Western Australia)

Aboriginal children are over-represented in out-of-home care and at every stage of the child protection process. This study will examine

1. trends in out-of-home care for Western Australian Aboriginal children born between 2000 and 2013;
2. differences in health for children removed compared to those who remain in their parents care; and
3. the views and perspectives of kinship carers and staff from Aboriginal primary health care services about how to improve the child protection system.