Keeping Teens in School Longer Reduced Child Harm, Study Finds

A major South Australian education reform led to sharp falls in child maltreatment reports and emergency hospital visits, according to new research.

School students in Brisbane, Australia, May 11, 2020. AAP Image/Dan Peled

Raising the compulsory school leaving age in South Australia has reduced child harm across a wide range of measures, a study by Monash University and the University of South Australia has found.

The state government raised the school leaving age from 16 to 17 in 2009, which had a positive impact on health, schooling, and child protection outcomes, the study stated.