As the most current national data on the prevalence of child abuse and neglect, and its associated mental health and health-risk behaviours across life, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) is a critical piece of data infrastructure for the mental health sector. It documents not only how common is the experience of any of the five forms of child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to family violence), but the high likelihood of having experienced more than one form of abuse or neglect (multi-type maltreatment) and the strong association with negative outcomes across life. I will explore the implications of the ACMS study for prevention and intervention for mental illness, for the intersection of this work with child maltreatment prevention. The ACMS invites us to rethink policies and practices to support children, young people, families, and adults who suffer mental illness. I will also share some of the reaction to the study findings, and the engagement and response by policymakers and non-government agencies since the release of the key data in April 2023. I will provide updates on some of the subsequent analyses, particularly the findings relating to Australians with an experience of contact with the child protection and out-of-home care systems and the nature of their exposure to child maltreatment. I will also share the latest ACMS analyses looking at Australians who are sexuality diverse and/or gender diverse, and the higher prevalence of child maltreatment and the associated increased risk of mental health problems and health-risk behaviours in this demographic – which has been increasing in size in the population over time, with double the proportion of the youngest cohort in our sample (18-24 year olds) not identifying as male or female, and/or identifying as heterosexual.

Presentation Key Learnings
• Child maltreatment is more prevalent than many realise: 62% of Australians aged 16 and over have experienced one or more kinds of child abuse or neglect.
• The ‘typical’ experience is of multiple types of child maltreatment.
• It’s a major driver of mental illness across life.
• Preventing child maltreatment is critical to addressing the scourge of mental illness.
• Mental health interventions need to be trauma-centred, given the strong association between multiple-forms of child maltreatment and mental illnesses like PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-harm and attempted suicide.