Revisiting cumulative harm: Reflecting on new research insights, legislative developments and coronial evidence as a road map for next steps

In 2018, I penned an analysis of national and international approaches to cumulative harm in a child protection context, published in Children Australia, that identified an evolution acknowledging the impact of all harm to children as detrimental. Through analysis of the available policies informing child protection in Australia, it was clear there was a shift towards a more holistic understanding of harm and the impacts of long-term maltreatment. However, a nationwide, collaborative level of consistent practice, that placed cumulative harm and reoccurring maltreatment on an equal footing with episodic maltreatment, particularly in relation to notification and reporting, had not yet been achieved. This begs the questions, what has occurred to address this need, this gap, and promote the acknowledgement of cumulative harm since 2018? In this paper, I will revisit this important topic, reviewing recent scholarly works, legislative developments across Australian jurisdictions, and evidence from a decade of coronial inquests into child deaths that provide powerful messages of guidance on responding to cumulative harm.

Keywords: abuse, coronial inquests, cumulative harm, legislation, neglect.