Recommendations from systemic inquiries
Our systemic inquiries contain a number of recommendations for improvement for the government or service providers to act on.
Wrap-up report card: progress against previous inquiries
Between 2019 and 2021, the Commission tabled four systemic inquiries into the child protection and out-of-home care systems in Victoria:
In 2025, we are using a Wrap-up report card to make a final assessment of progress against recommendations from these inquiries after four years of recommendation-by- recommendation progress monitoring and reporting.
Read our Wrap-up report card – 2025.
We will continue to monitor the key issues raised by these inquiries through our monitoring and oversight work.
Let us learn (November 2023)
We made 47 recommendations to drive reform to improve educational experiences and outcomes for children and young people in care.
The Victorian Government accepted most recommendations in full or in principle.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2024–25.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
Our youth, our way (June 2021)
We made 75 recommendations to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in the Victorian youth justice system.
The Victorian Government accepted most recommendations in full or in principle.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
Out of sight (June 2021)
We made 18 recommendations across 6 areas of reform to prevent and respond to children and young people from going missing or absent from residential care.
The Victorian Government accepted…
Read our Wrap-up report card – 2025.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2022–23 and 2023-24.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
Keep caring (December 2020)
We made 15 recommendations to better support young people transitioning from out-of-home care.
The Victorian Government accepted…
Read our Wrap-up report card –2025.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2022-23 and 2023–24.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
Lost, not forgotten (November 2019)
We made 6 recommendations to address deaths by suicide by children and young people known to Child Protection.
The Victorian Government accepted…
Read our Wrap-up report card –2025.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2022-23 and 2023–24.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
In our own words (November 2019)
We made 17 recommendations informed by the lived experience of child and young people in the Victorian out-of-home care system.
The Victorian Government accepted…
Read our Wrap-up report card –2025.
Read about progress on the recommendations of this inquiry in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
Safe and wanted (December 2017)
We made 40 recommendations to address concerning trends and systemic barriers that prevented children from being placed in permanent care.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
The Victorian Government accepted the majority of recommendations.
The same four walls (March 2017)
We made 21 recommendations to improve policies and practice towards children and young people placed in isolation, separation and lockdowns in Victorian youth justice centres.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
The Victorian Government accepted all recommendations in full or in principle.
Neither seen nor heard (December 2016)
We made 13 recommendations to the child protection system to improve responses to children who experience family violence.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
The Victorian Government accepted all recommendations in full or in principle.
Always was, always will be Koori children (October 2016)
We made 77 recommendations to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care in Victoria.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
The Victorian Government accepted all recommendations in full, in part or in principle.
In the child’s best interests (October 2016)
We made 54 recommendations for improvements to achieve compliance with the intent of the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle for children in out-of-home care in Victoria.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
The Victorian Government accepted all recommendations in full, in part or in principle. The government has begun to develop an implementation plan for these recommendations.
...as a good parent would... (August 2015)
We made nine recommendations for systemic improvements to prevent sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and young people in residential care.
Read about the inquiry and final report.
All recommendations were accepted in principle by the government.