The Care and protection order file cluster contains information about care and protection orders issued to the clients in the Child protection (CP) client data set specification. This includes care and protection orders that were issued and/or applicable, including those that ended, during the reference period. Children should be counted in the state or territory where the order is operative, regardless of where the child is residing. Children aged less than 18 years on the following care and protection orders/arrangements (or children discharged from those care and protection orders/arrangements on their 18th birthday) are included in the scope of the collection: - Finalised guardianship or custody orders
- Finalised third party parental responsibility
- Finalised supervisory orders
- Interim and temporary orders
- Administrative arrangements
- Assessment orders.
Also included are appropriate authorities for the placement of children in out-of-home care that are outside the scope of care and protection orders (as defined above). These may include administrative authority for placement of young offenders, arrangements that cover the placement of unaccompanied humanitarian minors (orders made under the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946 (Cwlth)), interstate orders or administrative and voluntary arrangements with the Department responsible for child protection which do not have the effect of transferring custody or guardianship. To help track the paths of children adopted from care, information on finalised known carer adoption orders and finalised local adoption orders are also included in the file. | 
