Family blending explained Place Forecast Feature

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Family blending shows different types of couple families with children.

These figures are Place Forecast estimates based on Census data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The seven types are:

  • Intact families, no other children present: all children are the couple's own.
  • Intact families, other children present: the couple's own children, plus another child at home.
  • Step families, no other children present: one or more children belong to one partner only, and none are shared.
  • Step families, other children present: a step family, plus another child at home.
  • Blended families, no other children present: at least one shared child and at least one child of one partner.
  • Blended families, other children present: a blended family, plus another child at home.
  • Other couple families: any that do not fit the types above.

Each family is counted in one type only. Same-sex couples are included here.

This page is for couple families with children only. For other family types, see the Household type page.

'Other children' means children in the household who are not the children of the couple. For example, this could be a grandchild or another child being cared for.

These types follow ABS classification rules. They are based on past and current relationships in the ABS data. They do not match how families describe themselves.

These figures only include occupied private dwellings. They do not include empty homes or non-private dwellings such as hotels, hospitals, aged-care homes, or hostels.

ABS does not publish a Not stated count for family blending. Non-responses are classified into the published totals.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship and many culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) homes share care across many adults and homes. ABS counts one main family in each home. So the seven groups do not capture those wider patterns.

These children can be adopted, foster, or one partner's children. The ABS records all of them.

See the marker methodology for how these figures are built and its limits.

The ABS adjusts small counts to protect privacy. This can shift a number a little. It is called perturbation.

Treat small-area figures as patterns, not exact counts. Check them with the relevant community-controlled organisation. This follows Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles.

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