This paper discusses the increasing similarity between Australia’s states and territories in their child protection legislation. The paper deals mainly with the principles underlying child protection laws, definitions of abuse and neglect, and the way legislation deals with the likelihood and severity of harm to the child. The trend is towards adopting a common set of principles, and definitions which are relatively precise in targeting particular ‘types’ of abuse and eliminating status offences. However there are significant differences even between states which broadly adopt this type of legislation, and some states adopt quite different approaches. There is still little consensus on how likelihood and severity of harm are dealt with. The paper, in welcoming the principle of common legislation, notes a wide range of issues in the developing legal paradigm which have been subject to little or no public debate. It is not clear that the increasing ‘homogenisation’ of child protection laws is enshrining the kind of legislation required.

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of disruption experienced by 235 children aged 4–17 years placed into substitute care in South Australia during 1998–1999. Key measures of disruption included: the frequency of placement changes, the number of children forced to change school, the geographical distance from birth families, and the amount of planned contact between children and families during the placement. Parental contact was reduced when children were victims of abuse, but more likely when children were placed because of parental incapacity. Changes in school were more likely when children were older or were placed a long way from their families. Geographical dislocation was, as expected, more likely to be a feature of rural placements, although there were no rural-metropolitan differences in the nature and frequency of family contact. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

This paper considers the challenges to social work students and their educators and to graduate social workers and their supervisors, of acquiring beginning-level confidence and competence in working with ‘other people’s families’. There is a review of important educational contributions to our understanding of the necessary and sufficient preparation for ‘pure and applied’ social work theory and practice with families. In this review, the writer describes the educational rationale for a ‘Family of Origin’ workshop which has been offered to social work students at the Universities of Sussex and Western Australia and to experienced practitioners in a Perth child and family welfare agency. Finally, the writer reflects on the intellectual and the emotional dimensions of knowing and doing in family-based practice – with particular reference to Family Group Conferencing.

A retrospective study of 427 university students in Queensland, Australia, revealed that the majority of perpetrators of child sexual abuse were known to their victim. The rate of incestuous abuse before the age of 17 years was twice as high for females as for males. It was also much more likely that the respondent reported being abused by a male than a female, with stepfathers being one of the most frequently reported offenders. In contrast, strangers were found to perpetrate a minority of abuse. Consequently, recommendations are made for education programs in an effort to prevent children being abused by people whom they know and trust.

While there is still some debate about whether or not children play less today than they did in the past, few would argue that they play differently. There is a good deal of concern that children are less involved in physically active outdoor play today because their traditional playgrounds – the backyards, streets and vacant spaces – are now less accessible. Why this is the case, and why it should be something which concerns us, are questions which are addressed in this paper. The discussion concludes by examining ways in which outdoor play might be made more accessible to children.