Child Abuse and Neglect: a socio-legal Study of Mandatory Reporting in Australia

Major mandated reporter groups combined	16,288	21.6%	9,634	12.8%	7,163	9.5%	4,187	5.6%
37,272
Other reporter groups combined	18,919	25.1%	11,242	14.9%	4,542	6.0%	3,407	4.5%	38,110
Totals:	35,207	46.7%	20,876	27.7%	11,705	15.5%	7,594	10.1%	75,382

Line graph for table 1.13: Number of reports by reporter group, by abuse type (all reports over decade combined)

1.14 Percentage changes for reporter group, by abuse type (all reports over decade combined)

	Combined major mandated reporter groups	Other reporter groups combined	Doctors	Nurses	Police	School personnel	Child care worker	Social workers
Emotional abuse	246%	186%	470%	319%	230%	266%	158%	21%
Neglect	232%	99%	187%	276%	105%	377%	50%	64%
Physical abuse	180%	76%	0%	128%	54%	238%	850%	600%
Sexual abuse	153%	136%	-7%	134%	188%	178%	56%	33%

Line graph for table 1.14: Percentage changes for reporter group, by abuse type (all reports over decade combined)

1.15 Number of reports by year, by reporter group, with percentage change (all abuse types combined)

Reporter type	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Totals	% change
Doctors	58	75	100	85	58	100	63	105	117	132	893	128%
Nurses	248	554	642	683	683	634	754	825	904	845	6,772	241%
Police	593	919	1,033	1,327	1,371	1,530	1,775	1,754	1,722	1,631	13,655	175%
School personnel	575	908	1,138	1,398	1,795	1,389	1,508	1,823	1,991	2,128	14,653	270%
Child care workers	37	35	83	78	79	69	66	78	53	101	679	173%
Social workers	47	41	43	49	78	61	72	63	92	74	620	57%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	1,558	2,532	3,039	3,620	4,064	3,783	4,238	4,648	4,879	4,911	37,272	215%
Other reporter groups combined	1,905	3,227	3,660	4,091	4,233	3,661	3,955	4,399	4,456	4,523	38,110	137%
Totals:	3,463	5,759	6,699	7,711	8,297	7,444	8,193	9,047	9,335	9,434	75,382	172%

Line graph for table 1.15: Number of reports by year, by reporter group (all abuse types combined)

1.15.1 Number of reports (and percentage of all reports made), by year, by reporter group (all abuse types combined)

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total reports	% change
Doctors	58	75	100	85	58	100	63	105	117	132	893	128%
	2%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Nurses	248	554	642	683	683	634	754	825	904	845	6,772	241%
	7%	10%	10%	9%	8%	9%	9%	9%	10%	9%	9%
Police	593	919	1,033	1,327	1,371	1,530	1,775	1,754	1,722	1,631	13,655	175%
	17%	16%	15%	17%	17%	21%	22%	19%	18%	17%	18%
School	575	908	1,138	1,398	1,795	1,389	1,508	1,823	1,991	2,128	14,653	270%
	17%	16%	17%	18%	22%	19%	18%	20%	21%	23%	19%
Child care workers	37	35	83	78	79	69	66	78	53	101	679	173%
	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Social workers	47	41	43	49	78	61	72	63	92	74	620	57%
	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	1,558	2,532	3,039	3,620	4,064	3,783	4,238	4,648	4,879	4,911	37,272	215%
	45%	44%	45%	47%	49%	51%	52%	51%	52%	52%	49%
Other reporter groups combined	1,905	3,227	3,660	4,091	4,233	3,661	3,955	4,399	4,456	4,523	38,110	137%
	55%	56%	55%	53%	51%	49%	48%	49%	48%	48%	51%
Totals:	3,463	5,759	6,699	7,711	8,297	7,444	8,193	9,047	9,335	9,434	75,382	172%

1.16 Number of reports by year, by reporter group, by abuse type, with percentage change

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	% change
Emotional Abuse
Doctors	10	16	24	15	33	26	13	34	42	57	470%
Nurses	90	144	193	231	305	258	291	331	403	377	319%
Police	314	482	638	903	968	1,007	1,196	1,104	1,078	1,037	230%
School personnel	170	246	332	451	662	381	355	476	551	622	266%
Child care workers	12	7	14	18	25	23	13	9	4	31	158%
Social workers	28	16	15	24	32	22	23	19	53	34	21%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	624	911	1,216	1,642	2,025	1,717	1,891	1,973	2,131	2,158	246%
Other reporter groups combined	848	1,348	1,523	2,124	2,358	1,762	2,078	2,137	2,314	2,427	186%
Total reports:	1,472	2,259	2,739	3,766	4,383	3,479	3,969	4,110	4,445	4,585	211%
Neglect
Doctors	15	18	24	32	13	33	35	40	48	43	187%
Nurses	71	210	236	253	178	206	233	298	277	267	276%
Police	141	235	213	264	288	308	373	340	392	289	105%
School personnel	134	181	242	346	434	347	391	541	655	639	377%
Child care workers	12	7	32	11	19	14	16	27	13	18	50%
Social workers	11	13	12	14	25	22	25	27	15	18	64%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	384	664	759	920	957	930	1,073	1,273	1,400	1,274	232%
Other reporter groups combined	587	985	1,244	1,199	1,152	1,153	1,214	1,330	1,212	1,166	99%
Total reports:	971	1,649	2,003	2,119	2,109	2,083	2,287	2,603	2,612	2,440	151%

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	% change
Physical Abuse
Doctors	19	19	28	17	7	26	6	9	11	19	0%
Nurses	46	104	98	96	97	78	130	112	108	105	128%
Police	69	98	98	81	59	137	111	164	125	106	54%
School personnel	188	329	385	430	512	497	558	597	554	636	238%
Child care workers	4	13	17	24	19	22	30	27	26	38	850%
Social workers	2	1	10	6	13	7	6	3	12	14	600%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	328	564	636	654	707	767	841	912	836	918	180%
Other reporter groups combined	296	497	531	423	402	423	394	563	493	520	76%
Total reports:	624	1,061	1,167	1,077	1,109	1,190	1,235	1,475	1,329	1,438	130%
Sexual Abuse
Doctors	14	22	24	21	5	15	9	22	16	13	-7%
Nurses	41	96	115	103	103	92	100	84	116	96	134%
Police	69	104	84	79	56	78	95	146	127	199	188%
School personnel	83	152	179	171	187	164	204	209	231	231	178%
Child care workers	9	8	20	25	16	10	7	15	10	14	56%
Social workers	6	11	6	5	8	10	18	14	12	8	33%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	222	393	428	404	375	369	433	490	512	561	153%
Other reporter groups combined	174	397	362	345	321	323	269	369	437	410	136%
Total reports:	396	790	790	749	696	692	702	859	949	971	145%

1.17 Number of reports by reporter group, and outcome of reports, with percentage change (all abuse types combined)

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	% change
Not investigated
Doctors	25	44	62	55	42	81	48	79	92	106	324%
Nurses	105	267	399	398	503	485	596	681	757	691	558%
Police	310	528	603	769	1,063	1,222	1,465	1,483	1,398	1,273	311%
School personnel	292	552	669	909	1,356	1,150	1,228	1,552	1,660	1,694	480%
Child care workers	16	16	44	46	61	53	41	56	37	78	388%
Social workers	28	31	28	36	63	48	66	48	69	63	125%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	776	1,438	1,805	2,213	3,088	3,039	3,444	3,899	4,013	3,905	403%
Other reporter groups combined	1,002	1,738	2,039	2,429	3,180	2,939	3,285	3,649	3,627	3,625	262%
Total reports:	1,778	3,176	3,844	4,642	6,268	5,978	6,729	7,548	7,640	7,530	324%
Investigated
Doctors	33	31	38	30	16	19	15	26	25	26	-21%
Nurses	143	287	243	285	180	149	158	144	147	154	8%
Police	283	391	430	558	308	308	310	271	324	358	27%
School personnel	283	356	469	489	439	239	280	271	331	434	53%
Child care workers	21	19	39	32	18	16	25	22	16	23	10%
Social workers	19	10	15	13	15	13	6	15	23	11	-42%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	782	1,094	1,234	1,407	976	744	794	749	866	1,006	29%
Other reporter groups combined	903	1,489	1,621	1,662	1,053	722	670	750	829	898	-1%
Total reports:	1,685	2,583	2,855	3,069	2,029	1,466	1,464	1,499	1,695	1,904	13%

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	% change
Substantiated
Doctors	10	5	21	12	7	14	12	8	11	13	30%
Nurses	39	110	106	124	64	72	75	66	79	55	41%
Police	151	147	242	251	160	196	186	143	188	169	12%
School personnel	96	102	194	167	130	115	113	93	71	114	19%
Child care workers	4	4	16	11	4	4	17	2	1	13	225%
Social workers	9	5	8	2	0	9	5	8	14	7	-22%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	309	373	587	567	365	410	408	320	364	371	20%
Other reporter groups combined	321	494	711	635	400	374	327	294	358	350	9%
Total reports:	630	867	1,298	1,202	765	784	735	614	722	721	14%
Not substantiated
Doctors	23	26	17	18	9	5	3	18	14	13	-43%
Nurses	104	177	137	161	116	77	83	78	68	99	-5%
Police	132	244	188	307	148	112	124	128	136	189	43%
School personnel	187	254	275	322	309	124	167	178	260	320	71%
Child care workers	17	15	23	21	14	12	8	20	15	10	-41%
Social workers	10	5	7	11	15	4	1	7	9	4	-60%
Major mandated reporter groups combined	473	721	647	840	611	334	386	429	502	635	34%
Other reporter groups combined	582	995	910	1,027	653	348	343	456	471	548	-6%
Total reports:	1,055	1,716	1,557	1,867	1,264	682	729	885	973	1,183	12%