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Reviewable Child Deaths in NSW 2022 and 2023 Biennial Report tabled in Parliament
On 17 November 2025, the NSW Ombudsman tabled the Reviewable Child Deaths in NSW 2022 and 2023 Biennial Report to Parliament.
This report concerns the reviewable deaths of children in NSW during 2022 and 2023, and the institution's work and activities in relation to reviewable deaths since its last such report in November 2023.
Reviewable deaths are those that occur when a child was living in care or detention at the time of death, and/or where the death is due to abuse, neglect, or occurs in circumstances suspicious of abuse or neglect.
In the 2-year period 2022–2023 there were 38 reviewable deaths of children in NSW. Of these, 22 children died due to, or in circumstances suspicious of, abuse or neglect. 17 children died while living in out of home care (including 1 who died due to neglect).
NSW Ombudsman, Paul Miller, said: “Reviewing the deaths of children in these situations helps us understand system interactions and identify issues that may have contributed to the deaths. We use these findings to recommend necessary changes to help prevent those issues from occurring in future. We may also consider how relevant agencies responded to the deaths, such as the quality of subsequent critical incident investigations.”
This report identifies some shortfalls in the care and support that had been provided to children who died in out of home care during 2022 and 2023, including failures to develop and maintain current health management plans for those children.
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The Reviewable Child Deaths in NSW 2022 and 2023 Biennial Report can be accessed here.
Source: The Ombudsman New South Wales, Australia
