Child Protection In Australia Essay

The Australian administrative body has realized the fact that there are certain parental responsibilities which are supposed to be performed by the parents, caregivers to the children as the necessities of life, and include – financial support, food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare and access to education. The children who are included under this provision are usually up to the age of 16 years; children of older age are also included under certain special circumstances like disabilities. The duties also include the protection of the children from any kind of harm which may affect them severely as a result of abuse and neglect.
In Australia, the failure by a parent to provide the basic needs that a child is required, or to protect from any harm which is a consequence of abuse or neglect, amounts to an offence under the general law of land. The child protection law is strict enough to expose the abusive and neglecting parents or care givers to criminal proceedings as the consequences of the criminal conviction. Child neglect and abuse are inter-connected with family violence, and children exposed to such incidents of family violence caused by adults are a huge risk on the health of the children and they fail as efficient parent. The serious cases of …show more content…
In Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, if a child’s health is neglected by parents or caregiver that can lead to an imprisonment up to 3 years. There are a number of jurisdictions which which criminalize the act of abuse and neglect, and the penalty varies from one jurisdiction to another and it may vary on the basis of age as well, for eg., in the Northern Territory, if an offence is committed against a child under 2 years of age, and in North-South Wales and Queensland if it is committed against a child of seven years of age, can attract an imprisonment varying from five to seven