Quarterly child protection statistics

1. Children on the child protection register

At 30 September 2023, 2,245 children were on the child protection register in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 6.7% since 30 September 2022 (Figure 1). Table 1 sets out the children on the child protection register by age group and Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust at 30 September 2023 and Table 2 shows the trend by HSC Trust between 30 September 2022 and 30 September 2023.

The number of children on the child protection register by category of abuse, length of time on the register, and legal status by HSC Trust at 30 September 2023 are set out in Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5 respectively.

Figure 1: Children on the child protection register at quarter end (March 2010 to September 2023)

Download data:

Figure 1.CSV (1kB)

Figure 1.XLSX (8kB)

Between 31 March 2010 and 30 June 2014 there was a general decrease in the number of children on the child protection register, followed by a gradual increase in figures until 31 December 2018. Since then, the number of children on the child protection register in Northern Ireland has remained relatively stable.

Table 1: Children on the child protection register by age and Health and Social Care Trust at 30 September 2023

HSC Trust	Under 1 year	1 to 4 years	5 to 11 years	12 to 15 years	16 years and over	Total
Belfast	43	115	165	65	14	402
Northern	46	113	209	102	24	494
South Eastern	19	69	143	74	21	326
Southern	39	118	211	135	31	534
Western	40	103	166	134	46	489
Northern Ireland	187	518	894	510	136	2,245

Table 2: Children on the child protection register by Health and Social Care Trust, quarter ending 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2023

Select the tab to view count or rate.

2a Count at QE

Figures at quarter ending (QE).
HSC Trust	QE 30 Sep 22	QE 31 Dec 22	QE 31 Mar 23	QE 30 Jun 23	QE 30 Sep 23
Belfast	407	401	395	391	402
Northern	530	471	464	457	494
South Eastern	347	321	312	301	326
Southern	531	499	492	537	534
Western	590	534	508	450	489
Northern Ireland	2,405	2,226	2,171	2,136	2,245

2b Rate (per 10,000 population under 18) at QE

Rate is per 10,000 population aged under 18.
HSC Trust	QE 30 Sep 22	QE 31 Dec 22	QE 31 Mar 23	QE 30 Jun 23	QE 30 Sep 23
Belfast	52.5	51.7	51.0	50.4	51.9
Northern	48.5	43.1	42.5	41.8	45.2
South Eastern	42.5	39.3	38.2	36.8	39.9
Southern	53.4	50.2	49.5	54.0	53.7
Western	80.7	73.0	69.5	61.5	66.9
Northern Ireland	54.5	50.5	49.2	48.4	50.9

Table 3: Children on the child protection register by category of abuse and Health and Social Care Trust at 30 September 2023

Note: [s] indicates figures that have been suppressed to avoid personal disclosure.
Category of abuse	Belfast	Northern	South Eastern	Southern	Western	Northern Ireland
Neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse	[s]	[s]	[s]	10	[s]	20
Neglect and physical abuse	137	97	124	149	13	520
Neglect and sexual abuse	[s]	[s]	[s]	13	29	61
Physical and sexual abuse	[s]	21	7	15	[s]	52
Neglect only	119	142	67	118	273	719
Physical abuse only	114	161	82	168	20	545
Sexual abuse only	5	29	16	39	26	115
Emotional abuse only	12	32	25	22	122	213
Total	402	494	326	534	489	2,245

Table 4: Children on the child protection register by duration on the register and Health and Social Care Trust at 30 September 2023

HSC Trust	Under 3 months	3 to 6 months	6 months to 1 year	1 to 2 years	2 years or more	Total
Belfast	88	76	117	79	42	402
Northern	111	86	131	127	39	494
South Eastern	89	61	84	60	32	326
Southern	112	136	147	91	48	534
Western	119	77	109	121	63	489
Northern Ireland	519	436	588	478	224	2,245

Table 5: Children on the child protection register by legal status at 30 September 2023

Note: [s] indicates figures that have been suppressed to avoid personal disclosure.
Legal status	Northern Ireland
Accommodated (article 21)	87
Interim care order (article 57)	43
Care order (article 50 or 59)	14
Deemed care order (paras 11 and 30 of Sch 8)	0
Interim supervision order (article 57)	10
Other legal status	39
No legal status	2,052
Total	2,245

2. Child protection referrals

At 30 September 2023, 281 child protection referrals were received in Northern Ireland; a decrease of 17.4% since 30 September 2022. Table 6 sets out the child protection referrals received by source of referral by HSC Trust at 30 September 2023 and Table 7a and 7b show the number and rate of child protection referrals and Table 7c shows the number of significant events that led to child protection investigations by HSC Trust from quarter ending 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2023.

Figure 2: Number of referrals to child protection register received at quarter end (March 2010 to September 2023)

Download data:

Figure 2.CSV (1kB)

Figure 2.XLSX (8kB)

Leading up to 2020, a change in reporting methodology of child protection referrals has meant referrals for children already on the social work caseload are now coded as Significant Event rather than a child protection referral. This has resulted in a series change with a sharp reduction in child protection referrals. The updated reporting methodology has been applied to HSC Trust IT systems at different times; therefore, there is no exact timestamp on the change in series.

Table 6: Child protection referrals by source of referral quarter ending 30 September 2023

Note: [s] indicates figures that have been suppressed to avoid personal disclosure.
Source of referral	Northern Ireland
Police	103
School or EWO	16
Voluntary org	0
GP	[s]
Social services	41
Community nursing	[s]
Relative, neighbour or friend	10
Hospital	11
Self	[s]
Anonymous	5
Other source of referral	90
Total	281

The trend data on the number of child protection referrals received between 30 September 2022 and 30 September 2023 by HSC Trust are set out in Tables 7a and 7b, and the number of significant events that led to child protection investigations between 30 Sept 2022 and 30 September 2023 are set out in Table 7c.

Tables 7a and b: Child protection referrals received by Health and Social Care Trust quarter ending 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2023

Select the tab to view count or rate.

7a Count at QE

Figures at quarter ending (QE).
HSC Trust	QE 30 Sep 22	QE 31 Dec 22	QE 31 Mar 23	QE 30 Jun 23	QE 30 Sep 23
Belfast	38	48	45	40	34
Northern	90	69	123	85	75
South Eastern	69	57	39	61	50
Southern	44	43	62	44	53
Western	99	89	130	118	69
Northern Ireland	340	306	399	348	281

7b Rate (per 10,000 population under 18) at QE

Rate is per 10,000 population aged under 18.
HSC Trust	QE 30 Sep 22	QE 31 Dec 22	QE 31 Mar 23	QE 30 Jun 23	QE 30 Sep 23
Belfast	4.9	6.2	5.8	5.2	4.4
Northern	8.2	6.3	11.3	7.8	6.9
South Eastern	8.4	7.0	4.8	7.5	6.1
Southern	4.4	4.3	6.2	4.4	5.3
Western	13.5	12.2	17.8	16.1	9.4
Northern Ireland	7.7	6.9	9.0	7.9	6.4

Table 7c: The number of significant events that subsequently led to child protection investigations by Health and Social Care Trust quarter ending 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2023

HSC Trust	QE 30 Sep 22	QE 31 Dec 22	QE 31 Mar 23	QE 30 Jun 23	QE 30 Sep 23
Belfast	95	96	108	93	107
Northern	141	108	111	129	131
South Eastern	78	52	75	83	88
Southern	148	178	175	214	167
Western	197	120	130	131	146
Northern Ireland	659	554	599	650	639

3. Download data

The data presented in the figures and tables within this publication can be downloaded in excel format by clicking the button below.

Download data:

Quarterly data: 33KB

Metadata

The statistics presented in these tables derive from children order returns CPR2, CPR3, CPR4 and CPR5 provided by each of the five Health and Social Care Trusts (HSC) in Northern Ireland to the SPPG (Strategic Planning and Performance Group) as well as Community Information Branch within the Department of Health. These returns are part of a wider set of annual Children Order returns which together provide statistical activity counts relating to child protection, children in need, looked after children, and children’s day care. The wider set of returns are used to produce the annual publication Children’s social care statistics in Northern Ireland, which records children’s social care data at 31 March and for year ending 31 March. A technical annex and definitions used in these tables can be found in the above publication.

User feedback

We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments on this publication, please contact the Community Information Branch: cib@health-ni.gov.uk

Accessibility contact

Please contact Community Information Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are at the top of this page.