Intergenerational child protection contact and child and adolescent mental health

This data linkage study examined mental health outcomes among more than 75,000 Australian young people from families with different intergenerational patterns of child protection contact. The study found that young people’s own child protection involvement was more strongly associated with their mental health outcomes than a parental history of child protection contact alone. The highest rates of poor mental health were observed among ‘cycle maintainer’ families, where both children and parents had child protection contact.

Why is this important?

• Children and young people who experience maltreatment are at increased risk of mental health difficulties. However, less is known about whether patterns of child protection involvement in one generation are associated with mental health outcomes in the next generation.
• Understanding intergenerational patterns of child protection contact may help identify opportunities for early intervention and tailored support for children and families.

What did they do?

• The authors examined whether mental health outcomes differed among young people from families with different intergenerational patterns of child protection service (CPS) contact. Families were grouped into four categories:
• no CPS contact across generations
• ‘cycle breakers’ (parental CPS contact only)
• ‘cycle initiators’ (offspring CPS contact only)
• ‘cycle maintainers’ (both parental and offspring CPS contact).
• They analysed linked administrative data from more than 75,000 Australian children (aged approximately 18 years old) and their parents.
• Mental health outcomes measured included diagnosis of internalising, externalising and/or neurodevelopmental conditions and self-harm/suicidal ideation.

What did they find?

• The findings suggest young people’s own child protection involvement was more strongly associated with mental health outcomes than a parental history of child protection contact alone.
• Young people with their own child protection contact were more likely to experience all categories of mental health outcomes than young people from families with no child protection contact.
• The highest rates of poor mental health were observed among ‘cycle maintainer’ families, where both generations had child protection contact. The strongest associations were seen for externalising conditions and self-harm/suicidal ideation.
• Young people from ‘cycle initiator’ families also had elevated rates across all mental health outcome categories.
• Young people from ‘cycle breaker’ families generally had comparatively low levels of mental health outcomes and differed from families with no child protection contact only for internalising and externalising conditions.

What does this mean for practice?

• Child protection involvement may be a marker for increased mental health vulnerability. Child protection and mental health services can work together to identify and respond to children’s needs early. Coordinated assessment, referral and support may help address difficulties before needs or risks escalate.
• A parent’s own childhood maltreatment history does not inevitably lead to poor outcomes for their children. Practitioners should assess current child and family circumstances and strengths rather than assuming risk based solely on parental history. The findings suggest some families successfully interrupt intergenerational patterns of adversity, highlighting the importance of recognising family strengths alongside risks.

This summary is one of the child mental health research highlights for September 2026, prepared by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).