The Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1969 (Act no. 085/1969) was assented to on 17 November 1969 and commenced on 1 February 1970. Its long title was ‘An Act to amend the Child Welfare Act, 1947-1968’. The Principal Act (Child Welfare Act 1947) was repealed on 1 March 2006.
The Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1969 widened the definition of a ‘neglected child to include children who were found to be using drugs or living where drugs were being used; and children who were physically ill-treated or injured. The amendments addressed the ‘battered baby’ cases that had achieved recognition in the 1960s, and the Child Welfare Department’s ‘anticipation of a growing drug problem’ according to its annual report in 1970. The Act was repealed by the Children and Community Services Act 2004.