Friday 16 October 2026 – for immediate release
Evidence and the voices of children continue to have a vital role in reforming the youth justice and child protection systems in Victoria, a new report shows.
Tabled in the Parliament of Victoria today, the annual report of the Commission for Children and Young People sets out the latest data on monitoring and inquiries into these systems, highlighting what’s needed to improve responses to vulnerable children and young people, and to create safer communities.
‘It’s critical that evidence gathered by independent bodies like the Commission drives the prevention and early intervention measures we need to safeguard the future wellbeing of children and young people. A crucial part of that evidence is the voices of children and young people themselves,’ said Tracy Beaton, Victoria’s Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, today.
This year, the With us, not against us inquiry examined the experiences of children under 14 who encounter the criminal justice system, making 15 recommendations to address the drivers of their involvement, including to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, and to build alternative models to address the cumulative trauma, disengagement and disadvantage that can increase the likelihood of offending.
At the same time, the Commission’s ongoing monitoring of the youth justice system again demonstrated that, particularly for younger children, detention compromises their wellbeing and limits access to programs that can assist rehabilitation.
Data shows category one incidents in youth justice detention, including reports of physical and sexual violence, increased by 53 per cent on the previous year (p32), with continued concerning use of prolonged isolation (p33), despite dips in behavioural isolations and security lockdowns (pp36–37). There was also a 64 per cent rise in the issues raised with the Commission’s Independent Visitor Program (p38), which speaks directly to children and young people in detention.
These findings followed harsh changes to bail and sentencing laws that saw a 35 per cent increase in the average monthly number of children and young people in detention, and a 36 per cent rise in remand of unsentenced children (p31).
‘The evidence shows that youth detention is damaging children and young people as it also erodes rehabilitation and community safety. Of great concern is that these impacts continue to hit Aboriginal children and young people at rates well beyond their representation in the population,’ said Dallas Widdicombe, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, today.
A further inquiry tabled in June showed that action remains urgently needed to ensure that voluntary referrals to child and family services are more effective in engaging children and families to avert involuntary child protection involvement, and the consequences of escalating risk.
The Left behind inquiry included the review of 35 cases in which children died. It made 13 recommendations geared to early intervention and prevention, including to increase investment, create specialised supports for children, and strengthen the engagement of children and their families in voluntary services.
The Commission’s child death inquiries continued to chart the impacts of systems failing to provide the services children need, with 38 child death notifications made to the Commission this year (p44), and 35 child death inquiries completed (p45). The Commission made 18 new recommendations to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and other departments. Themes this year spanned inadequate risk assessment, intake practice, referrals, coordination and collaboration, and responses to family violence, a factor in 27 per cent of cases (pp47–50).
Of the 106 recommendations made in child death inquiries over the past five years, 56 have been fully implemented (19 across 2025–26) and 36 remain open (p46).
Monitoring, including in-person visits to residential care, continued in the out-of-home care system. Concerningly, there was a seven per cent rise in incidents across all care types, with 82 per cent of incidents concentrated in residential care, which comprises only five per cent of the care population (p54).
Over half of all out-of-home care incidents reported this year related to children and young people going missing from their placements. The Commission remains concerned about this because when absent children and young people are often at risk of harm including exposure to sexual exploitation, sexual or physical assault and criminalisation (p54).
‘Again the data demonstrate that, as with youth justice, Aboriginal children and young people disproportionately bear the impacts of the child protection and out-of-home care systems. As well as addressing this injustice, we must recognise that these systems, and the actions needed to improve them, are profoundly connected,’ Commissioner Widdicombe said.
‘Our work this year presented further compelling evidence and recommendations for change through early intervention and prevention. There is an urgent need for concerted action by government to provide the platform of services that will protect the wellbeing of children, young people and communities,’ Commissioner Beaton concluded.
The Commission monitors the recommendations of past inquiries. The Victorian Government response to Left behind is available on our website. The response to With us, not against us is anticipated in 2027.
Download the Commission’s annual report.
For media interview:
Tracy Beaton
Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People
Dallas Widdicombe
Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People
Media contact:
Darren Lewin-Hill
0437 046 360
Senior Communications & Media Adviser
Commission for Children and Young People