Publication of ‘Quarterly Child Protection Statistics for Northern Ireland (January – March 2016)’
Date published:
The Department of Health (DoH) has today published the ‘Quarterly Child Protection Statistics for Northern Ireland (January – March 2016)’.
Key Facts and Figures:
Child Protection Register
- at 31 March 2016, 2,146 children were listed on the Child Protection Register in Northern Ireland. This represented a 2% increase on the previous quarter
- taking account of local demographics, register counts per 10,000 children’s population (under 18), ranged from 39.4 in the Western HSC Trust to 55.2 in the Southern HSC Trust; overall there were 49.5 children per 10,000 on the register
- four out of five (82%) children were on the register due to physical abuse, neglect or a combination of physical abuse and neglect
- some 67% of children on the Child Protection Register at 31 March 2016 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 1,121 child protection referrals for the quarter ending 31 March 2016. This was 13% higher than the previous quarter, and 10% above the number of referrals for the same quarter in 2015
- the largest proportion of referrals, 45%, originated from within Social Services, followed by the PSNI with 21%
Notes to editors:
1. This information was collated by Community Information Branch within the Department of Health (DoH).
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 31 March 2016, by legal status, age, category of abuse and duration on the Register, and numbers of Child Protection Referrals by source of referral during the fourth quarter of 2015/16. Trend analyses are presented regionally and by HSC Trusts.
4. Statistics for the quarter ending 30 June 2016 are due for publication in August 2016.
5. This publication is available online.
6. Further information is available from:
Community Information Branch Department of Health Room 11, Annexe 2, Castle Buildings,Stormont Belfast BT4 3SPTelephone: 028 9052 0599Fax: 028 9052 3288E-mail: cib@health-ni.gov.uk7. Media enquiries about this press release to DoH 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