There were 2,334 children on the north’s Child Protection Register (CPR) as of March 31, 2024, according to the Department of Health - an increase of 163 children since last year.
More than two-thirds (71%) had been on the CPR for less than one year, however 83 children had been on it for three years or longer.
The ‘Children’s Social Care Statistics for Northern Ireland 2023/24′, published last Thursday, revealed there were also 3,999 children and young people in care – the highest recorded number since the introduction of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.
The CPR is a confidential list of all children who have been identified at a child protection conference as being at “significant risk of harm and for whom a specific child protection plan has been set up to keep them safe from harm”.
Almost 1,500 of the 2023/24 child protection referrals were received by health and social care trusts, with neglect and physical abuse cited as the main causes of concern and accounting for 81% of all the children listed. Emotional abuse and sexual abuse accounted for 14%.
Notably, the CPR contained a higher proportion of children aged under five, 32%, compared to the north’s overall child population, 25%. The same was true for children for children aged five to 11-years-old, who comprised 41% of the CPR as opposed to 40% of the overall population.
The statistics show that the rate of children on the CPR has “gradually risen” over the last 10 years.
In terms of the 3,999 looked after children and young people in care in the north, more than a quarter (28%) came into care in the last year, while 29% have been in care for five years or longer. Belfast trust had the highest number of looked after children.
Speaking to The Irish News, Lorna Ballard, national director at Action for Children NI said: “This data should shock us, but unfortunately, we knew it was coming as many, including Action for Children, have been raising the alarm for some time.”
On the day of the latest data being released on Children's Social Care, important conversations @NHSC_NI conference. Looking for imaginative solutions that can prevent the number of children in need of crisis-based or protection-orientated services continuing to rise. #Reimagine https://t.co/lHe7c8QD7K
— Action for Children NI (@Actn4ChildrenNI) October 17, 2024
“An independent review of Children’s Social Care services in Northern Ireland was completed in June 2023 by Professor Ray Jones,” she added.
“It set out clearly that unless there was a radical reset towards investment in early support for children, young people and their families, the sustained upward trend this recent data highlights of the number of children entering care or on the Child Protection Register would continue.”
Bronagh Muldoon, assistant director, NSPCC Northern Ireland said children on the CPR were “suffering or likely to suffer, significant harm and require accessible and high-quality public services”.
“In recent years, there have been fluctuations in the number of child protection referrals in Northern Ireland. In March this year, there were 2,334 children listed on the register, with neglect and physical abuse the main reason for referral in 81% of cases,” she added.
“The NSPCC is acutely aware of the pressures that the children’s social care system is currently under, as well as similar alarming pressures on wider public services for children and families. We have continued to urge the Government in Northern Ireland to ensure that frontline protection services for children and young people are preserved.
“We believe that we need a Government with a reinforced focus on, and the ability to invest in, prevention and early intervention. This should be a key consideration for the NI Executive as a whole as it works over the coming months to finalise the draft Programme for Government currently out for consultation.”
