Family structure and child maltreatment: Do some family types place children at greater risk?
Family structure and child maltreatment: Do some family types place children at greater risk?
Cathryn Hunter and Rhys Price-Robertson

Key messages
The research on whether particular family structures place children at higher risk of maltreatment has produced complex and often ambiguous results.
While most of the available research suggests that children in sole-mother families and step families tend to be at higher risk of maltreatment than those in married families, not all findings are consistent.
In general, much of the perceived relationship between family structure and child maltreatment can be explained by factors such as poverty, substance misuse and domestic violence.
There is no single cause of child maltreatment. Rather, maltreatment reflects the effects of multiple, dynamic, interrelated and, often, cumulative risk factors.
Sole-mother families, sole-father families, and step or blended families are overrepresented in Australia's child protection systems. However, there are a number of limitations to the Australian child protection data, which must be noted when interpreting this finding.
Although family structure is an easily identifiable risk factor for child maltreatment, its influence can easily be - and is often - exaggerated. It is important that practitioners and policy-makers look further and identify other risk factors that may be more conducive to intervention.
This paper reviews the research on whether some family structures expose children to a higher risk of child maltreatment than others. It aims to assist practitioners and policy-makers who work with children and families to make evidence-informed decisions.
Authors and Acknowledgements
Cathryn Hunter is a Research Officer and Rhys Price-Robertson is a Senior Research Officer with the Child Family Community Australia information exchange at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable input of Kerryann Walsh, Veronica Meredith and Ken Knight.
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Further reading
An overview of the risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect in families
Experiences of child maltreatment are rarely isolated incidents; different forms of abuse often co-occur, and trauma often develops over time
Risk factors for child maltreatment are often interrelated, and need to be addressed by holistic prevention and early intervention strategies.
A short overview of the final report released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on 15 December 2017.
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