Background Breaking cycles of disadvantage, including intergenerational welfare support, is a global policy challenge. Child maltreatment is potentially part of the pathway that entrenches socioeconomic disadvantage across generations and makes it difficult for young people to break the intergenerational welfare support cycle. This analysis is the first description of the continuity and discontinuity of welfare support from generation 1 (G1) parents to their generation 2 (G2) children, via the young person’s child protection system contact.

Methods We used de-identified linked data in the whole-of-population BEBOLD (Better Evidence Better Outcomes through Linked Data) platform including Centrelink (unit record welfare payments), child protection (South Australian Department for Child Protection), Perinatal Statistics Collection, and a family file linking parents to children through birth registrations.

Analyses were undertaken on young people (G2) born in South Australia between 1991-1995 (n=94,358) and their parent/s (G1) (n=143,814) from birth to age 20, using STATA MP Version 16.

Welfare support in G1 (parent/s receiving support when young people were aged 11-15 years) and G2 (young people receiving support when aged 16-20 years) included payments subject to an income and assets test and aimed at assisting those experiencing low income.

Child protection contact was defined as any recorded notification to the child protection agency alleging risk of, or harm from, abuse or neglect.

Results We found that 76.3% of young people (G2) whose G1 parents received welfare support continued receiving welfare support themselves. Continuation of welfare support from G1 to G2 was higher for young people with child protection contact (88.1%) compared to those without (70.6%). Initiation of welfare support for young people with no G1 welfare support history was 1.9 times more likely if they had child protection contact (47.5%) compared to no child protection contact (25.2%). Breaking the welfare support cycle occurred for 23.7% of young people whose parents received welfare support, and was 2.5 times more likely for young people without child protection contact (24.9%) than those with contact (11.9%).

Conclusion Continuity of intergenerational welfare support was experienced by 3 in 4 young people, and was more common among those with child protection contact. In other words, breaking the cycle occurred for less than 1 in 4 young people whose parents received welfare support and was more common among those without child protection contact. There may be an opportunity to better support families and young people who receive welfare support and experience child protection contact.