This resource sheet is provided as a guide only. It is up to date with current state and territory risk assessment in child protection policies and frameworks at the time of publication. Individuals are encouraged to contact the relevant department to clarify requirements in their jurisdiction or in relation to legislation.

The resource sheet summarises risk assessment approaches used by child protection practitioners to assess whether a child is at risk of future maltreatment and to determine whether further investigation or intervention is necessary. It provides information on commonly used risk assessment instruments, discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of actuarial and consensus-based risk assessment approaches, and provides information on risk assessment frameworks or tools used by States and Territories in Australia.

This resource is for child protection practitioners and practitioners or service providers who work with children and families who have had, or may have future, contact with child protection.

This resource sheet is divided into two parts:

Part 1

• summarises the different risk assessment approaches used to assess whether children are at risk of child abuse or neglect
• outlines the strengths and weaknesses of two commonly used risk assessment approaches
• summarises factors that can influence the effectiveness of risk assessments in child protection practice
• discusses some considerations for risk assessments when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse children and families.

Part 2

• lists risk assessment frameworks/tools used across the states and territories.