Child protection report: 84pc of abuse allegations in Tasmania not investigated (ABC)

View Comments ABC Most cases of reported child abuse in Tasmania were not investigated during 2012-2013.

More than 80 per cent of allegations of child abuse or neglect made to Tasmanian authorities in 12 months were not investigated, the latest report into child protection showed.

The Child Protection Australia 2012-2013 report has been released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

It revealed almost 3,000 children in Tasmania accessed child protection services in the year, on par with the national rate of about 2.6 per cent.

Tasmanian authorities received more than 12,000 notifications of alleged child abuse, neglect or harm.

The report said only 16 per cent were investigated.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Pamela Kinnear said that figure was much lower than other states and territories.

"The total national average was just on 45 per cent for the total number of investigations, so 16 per cent is considerably lower than that," she said.

Dr Kinnear said the data did not show why many reports were not investigated.

"Some of these notifications would be coded as 'dealt with by other means'," she said.

"Often what that means is it's decided that it's... more appropriate to actually divert the child from the statutory child protection system to some more early intervention or family support service or something like that."

The report also showed Tasmania has more children on care and protection orders and in out-of-home care than the national average.

Nationally, nearly 10 children in 1,000 were in out-of-home care, but in Tasmania that rate was 11 children per 1,000.

There are 10 children in 1,000 on care and protection orders nationally, compared to 13 per 1,000 in Tasmania.

More than 50 per cent of substantiated cases in the state involved emotional abuse, and around 30 per cent were for neglect.

Fewer than 10 per cent of substantiated cases involved sexual abuse.

About half the Tasmanian children admitted to care and protection orders were aged under four years, the report said.

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