Publication of ‘Quarterly Child Protection Statistics for Northern Ireland (July – September 2015)

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has today published the ‘Quarterly Child Protection Statistics for Northern Ireland (July – September 2015)’.

Key facts and figures:

Child Protection Register

• at 30 September 2015, 2,150 children were listed on the Child Protection Register in Northern Ireland. This represented a 7% increase on the previous quarter
• taking account of local demographics, register counts per 10,000 children’s population (under 18), ranged from 36.4 in the Western HSC Trust to 53.4 in the Northern HSC Trust; overall there were 49.6 children per 10,000 on the register
• four out of five (79%) children were on the register due to physical abuse, neglect or a combination of physical abuse and neglect
• some 70% of children on the Child Protection Register at 30 September 2015 had been on the register for less than one year with 2% of children on the register for three years or longer

Child Protection Referrals

• HSC Trusts received 1,015 child protection referrals for the quarter ending 30 September 2015. This was 8% lower than the previous quarter, however 17% above the number of referrals for the same quarter in 2014
• the largest proportion of referrals, 49%, originated from within Social Services, followed by the PSNI with 18%.

Notes to editors: 

1. This information was collated by Community Information Branch within the DHSSPS.

2. This bulletin is the twenty second quarterly reporting of Children Order Child Protection and Referral Statistics.

3. Statistics detailed within the bulletin include numbers of children on the Child Protection Register at 30 September 2015, by legal status, age, category of abuse and duration on the Register, and numbers of Child Protection Referrals by source of referral during the second quarter of 2015/16. Trend analyses are presented regionally and by HSC Trusts.

4. Statistics for the quarter ending 31 December 2015 are due for publication in February 2016.

5. Children Order and Referral Statistics 

6. Further information is available from:

Community Information Branch
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Room 11, Annexe 2,
Castle Buildings,
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3SP

Tel: (028) 90 520599
Fax: (028) 90 523288
Email: cib@dhsspsni.gov.uk

7. Media enquiries about this press release to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0575, or out of office hours contact to Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt

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