Youth Suicides in Care: Calls for Greater Transparency

Advocates are calling for greater transparency and data collection on youth suicides in out-of-home care, citing concerns that current gaps in information are hindering prevention efforts. Children in care are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide compared to those not in the care system.

Data gaps hinder prevention efforts

Despite the higher risk, experts say that a lack of readily available public data and insights into these suicides is leaving them in the dark about risk factors. Sue-Anne Hunter, National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, described data collection as "fragmented" across states and territories.

"We don't have the full picture, and it restricts the ability to make sure that the right areas receive urgent attention because it leads to blind spots," she said.

Professor Daryl Higgins, director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies, said the data gaps meant researchers could not design targeted prevention strategies.

"We don't have good data on firstly, the prevalence and secondly, the characteristics, the locations, other factors that might tell us where within the out-of-home care system might children and young people be at greater risk," he said.

Patchy data across states and territories

Attempts to gather data from child protection departments on how many children had died by suicide while in the care system yielded mixed results. Some states provided limited information, while others refused to release data due to concerns about identifying families.

In Victoria, the Commission for Children and Young People revealed there had been 45 deaths by suicide of children known to child protection since July 2017, including six who were Aboriginal children. The commission's annual report also revealed there were 800 self-harm incidents and 115 suicide attempts among children in care in the last financial year.

"We need to remember that every number is a child," Ms Hunter said.

Indigenous children at higher risk

Indigenous children are over-represented in the out-of-home-care system and face higher risks of suicide. Aunty Muriel Bamblett, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency, called for faster screening of children's mental health upon their entry into the care system.

"These children have gone through huge amounts of abuse and neglect, often being exposed to huge amounts of trauma," she said.

Ms Hunter emphasized that preventing youth suicides in care requires a whole-of-government approach.

"If a child is removed, are we using a whole-of-system approach to make sure they're safe?" she asked.