The ACT government spends less money and delivers poorer outcomes on child protection than most other states and territories, the 2014 Report on Government Services has found.
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Possible abuse notification investigations are less likely to be completed within 28 days in Canberra (28.2 per cent) than anywhere else except Queensland (27 per cent) and Western Australia (27.3 per cent), and against a national average of 36.4 per cent.
More complex investigations, on the other hand, are signed off on significantly faster than is generally the case elsewhere.
While 29.4 per cent of NSW investigations take more than 90 days to complete, just 12.8 per cent of Canberra investigations fall into that category. The national average is 26.4 per cent.
The results show that simple investigations take longer, while difficult issues are dealt with relatively quickly.
ACT complaints are much less likely to be substantiated after investigation, at least the first time around. The Report on Government Services found only 37.2 per cent of finalised ACT investigations were substantiated. This compared with 51.2 per cent in NSW, 58.3 per cent in Victoria, and a national average of 47.3 per cent.
By contrast, Canberra had the highest rate of complaint substantiations within three months (6.5 per cent) and 12 months (17.6 per cent) of an earlier investigation failing to produce a result. This compared with national averages of 4.3 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively.
Leaving KPI outcomes aside, the ACT's Care and Protection Services appear to be remarkably efficient.
The ACT can investigate and completely process a possible abuse notification for an average cost of $880 - a fraction of what it costs in other states. Expenditure per notification in Queensland stands at a whopping $12,434. NSW spends $3470 per case, and Victoria spends $2709.
These savings are reflected in the ACT's overall community services bottom line. Territorians spend $550.60 per capita on childcare protection services compared with a national average of $738.50.
The ACT is the only jurisdiction that spends more per capita on youth justice services ($556.90) than on child protection.
Compared with most other states and territories, community services fare poorly in Canberra, with the second-lowest per capita outlay of $1780. Only Victoria spends less, with an annual community services investment of just $1669 per person. The Northern Territory, by comparison, spends $4262.90 a head, while the national average is $2003.80.
The Acting ACT Minister for Children and Young People, Shane Rattenbury, said the report highlighted continuing improvements in the territory's care and protection system.
More than 52 per cent of children and young people in out-of-home care were placed with relatives.
About 60 per cent of these children were in ''stable'' placements, instead of being transferred from one carer to another.
''The ACT government will continue to work to improve the child protection system to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families,'' Mr Rattenbury said,
''The ACT government will continue to work to improve the child protection system to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.''