Research from the University of South Australia reveals a significant financial impact of child abuse and neglect, showing that those affected are three times more likely to rely on government income support in early adulthood. The study, which linked child protection records with national welfare income payment records, found that these additional costs add 39% to the national income support budget.
The research highlights stark statistics:
- Individuals with child protection involvement are 1.5 times more likely to receive unemployment payments.
- They are 3.5 times more likely to receive long-term disability payments.
- They are three times more likely to receive parenting payments.
- For the 339,411 individuals studied, cumulative income support payments from age 16 to 33 were significantly higher for those who had been placed in out-of-home care, amounting to $181,743 compared to $38,570 for those without child protection contact.
These findings underscore the broader economic impact of child abuse and neglect, reflecting reduced employability, difficulties with relationships, and various health issues. The high budgetary costs highlight the need for effective preventative and protective measures to address child maltreatment.
Dr. Emmanuel Gnanamanickam from UniSA emphasised the wide range of negative consequences of child abuse and neglect, which have been previously linked to public hospital costs. This study, however, is the first to globally report the excess costs to government income support payments associated with child protection contact.
By quantifying the relationship between child protection and income support payments, the research sheds light on the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on the national budget. It shows that individuals with child protection agency contact are significantly more likely to receive welfare payments as they reach early adulthood. This translates to more than $5.2 million of the Federal Government’s income support budget when extrapolated to the Australian population.
In Australia, an estimated one in seven people, or 2.1 million individuals, have experienced childhood abuse. Professor Leonie Segal, a senior researcher at UniSA, stresses the importance of this study for preventive measures.
Highlighting the financial burden associated with maltreatment provides a strong incentive to invest in prevention and support for children and young people experiencing maltreatment. Professor Segal notes that children affected by abuse deserve the opportunity to overcome their experiences and participate fully in society and the economy without ongoing disadvantage.
The research underscores the long-term impacts of adverse early-life experiences and the insufficient efforts to prevent or mitigate child abuse and neglect. By putting a dollar figure on the longer-term burden of child maltreatment, the study aims to encourage greater investment in prevention and better support for children and their families involved in child protection.
This research is funded by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children through research.
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