Children's Social Work Statistics Scotland: 2021 to 2022

Children's Social Work Statistics for Scotland for 2021 to 2022, including data on children on the child protection register, as well as children and young people looked after, in continuing care, eligible for aftercare, and in secure care accommodation.


Child protection

Child Protection refers to a range of processes involved in considering, assessing, planning, and taking necessary action to protect a child from abuse or neglect. Child protection processes start when a concern about harm or risk of harm from abuse or neglect to a child has been raised, and police or social work have been notified. The route of child protection processes is summarized in Figure 1.  

Figure 1 Children included in child protection statistics

Concern about harm or risk of harm reported may lead to an investigation (or no investigation) which may in turn lead to a case conference (or no case conference).  A case conference may lead to a registration (or no registration) and may also lead to a referral to the Reporter. If a registration takes place, there will be regular reviews until de-registration.

Child Protection Register

On 31 July 2022, 2,031 children were on the Child Protection Register. This is a 4% decrease since 2021 and the lowest this figure has been since 2002 (see Chart 1).

Chart 1 Number of children on the Register by age, 2000-2022 [Note 1]

This line graph compares the number of children on the Child Protection Register by age over time between 2000-2022. Although these patterns fluctuate from year to year, broadly, this graph shows that in 2022: • the overall number of children on the Register was the lowest since 2002. • the number of children on the Register under the age of 5 has been on a downward trend since 2020 and was the lowest since 2004. • the number of children on the Register aged 5 and over increased slightly since the previous year although this is the lowest it’s been since 2000.

[Note 1] Prior to 2010/11 figures are as at 31st March. From 2010/11 onwards figures are as at 31st July.

Characteristics of children

Of those children on the Register on 31 July 2022, 50% were male, 45% were female, and 5% were not yet born, as seen in Table 1.1. The proportion of children on the Register aged under 5 years has decreased from 52% in 2021 to 48% in 2022, while the number of children aged 5 years and over has increased from 48% in 2021 to 52% in 2022.

Table 1.1 Number and percentage of children on the Child Protection Register by sex and age, on 31 July [Note 1]

Sex and age

2012 

Number

2012 

Percentage

2021 

Number

2021 

Percentage

2022 

Number

2022 

Percentage

Sex

 

 

 

 

 

 

Male

1,335

49%

1,019

48%

1,006

50%

Female

1,268

47%

994

47%

922

45%

Unborn [Note 2]

93

3%

106

5%

103

5%

Unknowns

2

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Age

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unborn

93

3%

106

5%

103

5%

0-4

1,340

50%

990

47%

876

43%

5-10

765

28%

681

32%

677

33%

11-15

407

15%

330

16%

353

17%

16+

*

*

12

1%

22

1%

Unknown

*

*

0

0%

0

0%

Total

2,698

100%

2,119

100%

2,031

100%

[Note 1] Some totals may not exactly equal the sum of their parts due to the effects of rounding.

[Note 2] Unborn children with both a known and unknown sex.

Local authority comparisons

On 31 July 2022, Scotland’s rate per 1,000 children (0-15 years) on the Child Protection Register was 2.2 – a considerable reduction from 2.9 in 2012 and the lowest rate recorded since 2007. The rate of children on the Register in 2022 ranged from 0.5 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire to 4.2 per 1,000 in North Ayrshire. Comparing 2012 and 2022 figures, the greatest decrease of children on the Register was observed in Midlothian and Clackmannanshire, while the greatest increases applied to Inverclyde and North Ayrshire (see Table 1.2).

Table 1.2 Number and rate per 1,000 children on the Register by local authority, on 31 July [Note 1], [Note 2]

Local authority

2012

Number

2012

Rate

2021

Number

2021

Rate

2022

Number

2022

Rate

Aberdeen City

87

2.7

83

2.3

115

3.2

Aberdeenshire

73

1.5

73

1.5

89

1.8

Angus

59

2.9

45

2.4

59

3.2

Argyll and Bute

48

3.3

32

2.6

21

1.7

City of Edinburgh

223

3.1

97

1.2

104

1.3

Clackmannanshire

55

5.9

41

4.6

15

1.7

Dumfries and Galloway

94

3.7

34

1.5

41

1.8

Dundee City

82

3.5

84

3.5

61

2.6

East Ayrshire

73

3.4

69

3.3

80

3.8

East Dunbartonshire

23

1.2

23

1.2

35

1.8

East Lothian

62

3.3

29

1.5

41

2.1

East Renfrewshire

36

2.0

8

0.4

10

0.5

Falkirk

73

2.6

101

3.7

75

2.7

Fife

205

3.2

152

2.4

136

2.1

Glasgow City

436

4.6

280

2.8

270

2.7

Highland

116

2.8

96

2.5

93

2.4

Inverclyde

33

2.4

26

2.1

44

3.6

Midlothian

117

7.5

38

2.1

24

1.3

Moray

45

2.7

35

2.2

50

3.1

Na h-Eileanan Siar

8

1.7

5

1.2

11

2.7

North Ayrshire

74

3.0

115

5.3

93

4.2

North Lanarkshire

80

1.2

117

1.9

84

1.4

Orkney Islands

*

*

3

0.8

2

0.6

Perth and Kinross

41

1.6

66

2.7

51

2.1

Renfrewshire

86

2.8

71

2.4

78

2.6

Scottish Borders

37

1.9

34

1.8

39

2.1

Shetland Islands

*

*

8

1.9

14

3.4

South Ayrshire

64

3.5

19

1.1

22

1.3

South Lanarkshire

165

3.0

119

2.1

106

1.9

Stirling

40

2.5

55

3.7

35

2.3

West Dunbartonshire

35

2.2

58

3.8

41

2.7

West Lothian

118

3.3

103

2.9

92

2.6

Scotland

2,698

2.9

2,119

2.3

2,031

2.2

[Note 1] Rate per 1,000 for 2021 and 2022 calculated using NRS mid 2021 population estimates (0-15 years). Rates may vary slightly from previous publications due to updated Mid-Year Population Estimates.

[Note 2] The rate shown in this table includes unborn children who are on the Register.

Investigations, case conferences, and associated registrations

A Child Protection Investigation refers to a joint investigation between social work, police and health services (as well as any other relevant agencies). The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether any child protection action is required and whether a Case Conference should be held. During 2021-22, 11,473 Child Protection Investigations were conducted in Scotland (rate of 12.6 per 1,000 children). The rate of Child Protection Investigations ranged between 0.9 per 1,000 in Stirling and 31.9 per 1,000 in Midlothian (see Table 1.3). This is similar to levels of variation observed in 2020-21 whereby rate of Child Protection Investigations ranged between 0.7 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire and 33.2 per 1,000 in Clackmannanshire.

A Case Conference is an inter-agency meeting convened when there are concerns that a child is or may be at risk of significant harm. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure relevant information is shared (where it is proportionate to do so), to carry out a collective assessment of risk, and to agree a plan to minimize risk of harm to the child. During 2021-22, 4,058 initial and pre-birth Case Conferences were held (a rate of 4.5 per 1,000 children). The rate of initial and pre-birth Case Conferences ranged between 1.3 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire and 10.0 per 1,000 in North Ayrshire (see Table 1.3).

If there are reasonable grounds to believe or suspect that a child has suffered or will suffer significant harm from abuse or neglect, and that a Child Protection Plan is needed to protect and support the child, the child may be placed on the Register. From the 4,058 initial and pre-birth Case Conferences held during 2021-22, 3,210 registrations took place (3.5 rate per 1,000 children) which reflects a conversion rate of around 79%. The rate of registrations from initial and pre-birth Case Conferences ranged between 1.3 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire and 9.0 per 1,000 in North Ayrshire (see Table 1.3).

Table 1.3 Number and rate per 1,000 of child protection investigations, initial and pre-birth Case Conferences, and associated registrations by local authority, 2021-22 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3]

Local authority

 Total number of Investigations

Rate per 1,000 Investigations

Total number of initial and pre-birth Case Conferences

Rate per 1,000 initial and pre-birth Case Conferences

Aberdeen City

183

5.1

167

4.7

Aberdeenshire

375

7.7

118

2.4

Angus

219

11.7

98

5.3

Argyll and Bute

101

8.1

37

3.0

City of Edinburgh

1,033

13.1

169

2.1

Clackmannanshire

170

19.2

37

4.2

Dumfries and Galloway

250

10.9

89

3.9

Dundee City

642

27.1

142

6.0

East Ayrshire

307

14.8

132

6.3

East Dunbartonshire

167

8.6

84

4.3

East Lothian

353

17.8

75

3.8

East Renfrewshire

25

1.3

25

1.3

Falkirk

486

17.6

190

6.9

Fife

834

13.1

266

4.2

Glasgow City

1,012

10.1

442

4.4

Highland

410

10.8

138

3.6

Inverclyde

117

9.6

75

6.1

Midlothian

584

31.9

99

5.4

Moray

358

22.5

60

3.8

Na h-Eileanan Siar

11

2.7

27

6.7

North Ayrshire

402

18.4

218

10.0

North Lanarkshire

675

11.0

207

3.4

Orkney Islands

78

22.0

18

5.1

Perth and Kinross

322

13.3

90

3.7

Renfrewshire

382

12.8

197

6.6

Scottish Borders

185

9.9

64

3.4

Shetland Islands

89

21.7

18

4.4

South Ayrshire

136

7.9

52

3.0

South Lanarkshire

692

12.4

321

5.8

Stirling

14

0.9

57

3.8

West Dunbartonshire

193

12.7

123

8.1

West Lothian

668

19.0

223

6.3

Scotland

11,473

12.6

4,058

4.5

Table 1.3 Continued

Local authority

Number of initial and pre-birth Case Conferences with an investigation recorded within 90 days of Case Conference

Number of initial and pre-birth Case Conferences without an investigation recorded within 90 days of Case Conference

Aberdeen City

165

2

Aberdeenshire

115

3

Angus

18

80

Argyll and Bute

19

18

City of Edinburgh

136

33

Clackmannanshire

34

3

Dumfries and Galloway

87

2

Dundee City

118

24

East Ayrshire

132

0

East Dunbartonshire

84

0

East Lothian

68

7

East Renfrewshire

25

0

Falkirk

174

16

Fife

266

0

Glasgow City

442

0

Highland

6

132

Inverclyde

37

38

Midlothian

99

0

Moray

56

4

Na h-Eileanan Siar

9

18

North Ayrshire

218

0

North Lanarkshire

202

5

Orkney Islands

13

5

Perth and Kinross

83

7

Renfrewshire

183

14

Scottish Borders

51

13

Shetland Islands

16

2

South Ayrshire

52

0

South Lanarkshire

292

29

Stirling

0

57

West Dunbartonshire

112

11

West Lothian

137

86

Scotland

3,449

609

Table 1.3 continued

Local authority

Total number of registrations from initial and pre-birth Case Conferences

Rate per 1,000 registrations from initial and pre-birth Case Conferences

Number of registrations with an investigation recorded within 90 days of Conference

Number of registrations with no investigation recorded within 90 days of Conference

Aberdeen City

148

4.1

147

1

Aberdeenshire

112

2.3

109

3

Angus

94

5.0

17

77

Argyll and Bute

29

2.3

15

14

City of Edinburgh

157

2.0

128

29

Clackmannanshire

30

3.4

29

1

Dumfries and Galloway

78

3.4

76

2

Dundee City

102

4.3

91

11

East Ayrshire

94

4.5

94

0

East Dunbartonshire

56

2.9

56

0

East Lothian

71

3.6

64

7

East Renfrewshire

25

1.3

25

0

Falkirk

142

5.2

139

3

Fife

240

3.8

240

0

Glasgow City

310

3.1

310

0

Highland

134

3.5

6

128

Inverclyde

67

5.5

32

35

Midlothian

58

3.2

58

0

Moray

51

3.2

49

2

Na h-Eileanan Siar

15

3.7

6

9

North Ayrshire

197

9.0

197

0

North Lanarkshire

169

2.7

165

4

Orkney Islands

17

4.8

13

4

Perth and Kinross

76

3.1

72

4

Renfrewshire

117

3.9

110

7

Scottish Borders

59

3.2

51

8

Shetland Islands

18

4.4

16

2

South Ayrshire

34

2.0

34

0

South Lanarkshire

224

4.0

205

19

Stirling

51

3.4

0

51

West Dunbartonshire

67

4.4

64

3

West Lothian

168

4.8

100

68

Scotland

3,210

3.5

2,718

492

[Note 1] Rate per 1,000 calculated using NRS mid 2021 population estimates (0-15 years).

[Note 2] The rate shown in this table includes unborn children who are on the Register.

[Note 3] Case Conferences with no investigation recorded within 90 days are cases where no investigation was recorded in the data provided to Scottish Government in the 90 days preceding the Case Conference.

Concerns identified at Child Protection Case Conferences of children registered during the year

In total, 9,274 concerns were identified at Case Conferences of all children registered during 2021-22. Of the total number of concerns identified, the most common concerns were: domestic abuse (16%), neglect (15%), parental mental health problems (14%), parental substance use (15%), and emotional abuse (13%; see Chart 2). This statistic is reported here for the first time, in previous years concerns identified were reported for children on the Register on 31 July – this information is available in Additional Table 1.2.

The number of concerns identified at Case Conferences as a proportion of all registrations during the year can be found in Additional Table 1.5. The highest proportion of concerns recorded were: domestic abuse (46%); neglect (43%); parental substance misuse (42%); parental mental health problems (41%); and emotional abuse (37%).

Chart 2 Concerns identified at Case Conferences of children registered during the year, 2021-22 [Note 1]

This bar graph summarises the types of concerns identified at case conferences for children registered onto the Child Protection Register during 2021-22. Of all concerns identified, the order of the most to least common concerns were as follows: domestic abuse, neglect, parental substance misuse, parental mental health problems, emotional abuse, non-engaging family, physical abuse, other concerns, sexual abuse, child placing self at risk, and child sexual exploitation.

[Note 1] Multiple concerns can be recorded (rather than just the main category of concern). This means that the total number of concerns will be greater than the total number of registrations.

Registrations

During 2021-22, there was a total of 3,286 registrations during the year following an initial, pre-birth, or a transfer-in conference. This is a 5% decrease from 2020-21. The majority of registrations (78%) concerned children who had not been registered before.

Of those registered, 22% of registrations were for children who had been registered before – a slight increase from 20% in 2020-21. Of these, the largest proportion of registrations (11%) were for children de-registered two years ago or more.

Table 1.4 Number and percentage of registrations during the year following an initial, pre-birth or transfer-in Case Conference by length of time since previous de-registration [Note 1]

Time since last de-registration

2012 

Number

2012 

Percentage

2021 

Number

2021 

Percentage

2022 

Number

2022 

Percentage

Never been registered before

3,408

82%

2,757

80%

2,573

78%

Registered before but time unknown

10

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Less than 6 months

89

2%

77

2%

71

2%

6 months to under 1 year

99

2%

80

2%

114

3%

1 year to under 18 months

83

2%

92

3%

77

2%

18 months to under 2 years

79

2%

66

2%

58

2%

2 years or more

304

7%

363

10%

368

11%

Unknown whether child was registered before

83

2%

24

1%

25

1%

Total

4,155

100%

3,459

100%

3,286

100%

[Note 1] Some totals may not exactly equal the sum of their parts due to the effects of rounding.

De-registrations

If and when the practitioners working with the child and family decide that the risk of significant harm to the child has been sufficiently reduced and the child or young person is no longer in need of a Child Protection Plan, the child may be de-registered from the Register.

During 2021-22, a total of 3,364 children were de-registered from the Register – a 15% decrease since 2020-21. More than half of de-registrations (55%) were due to an improved home situation while 84% of de-registrations were for children on the Child Protection Register for less than one year.

Table 1.5 Number and percentage of de-registrations during the year by length of time on Register and reason for de-registration [Note 1], [Note 2]

Length of time registered and reason for de-registration

2012 

Number

2012 

Percentage

2021 

Number

2021 

Percentage

2022 

Number

2022 

Percentage

Length of time registered

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less than 6 months

1,929

46%

1,814

46%

1,655

49%

6 months to under 1 year

1,535

37%

1,395

35%

1,170

35%

1 year to under 18 months

516

12%

444

11%

313

9%

18 months to under 2 years

117

3%

158

4%

111

3%

2 years or more

58

1%

73

2%

75

2%

No date of registration information

0

0%

91

2%

40

1%

Reason for de-registration

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child taken into care & risk reduced

582

14%

404

10%

407

12%

Child with other carers

295

7%

289

7%

197

6%

Child died

9

0%

7

0%

8

0%

Removal of perpetrator

70

2%

141

4%

164

5%

Improved home situation

1,742

42%

2,209

56%

1,841

55%

Child automatically de-registered because of age

6

0%

7

0%

4

0%

Child moved away - no continued risk

20

0%

16

0%

19

1%

Other reason

1,431

34%

902

23%

724

22%

Reason not known [Note 2]

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Total

4,155

100%

3,975

100%

3,364

100%

[Note 1] Some totals may not exactly equal the sum of their parts due to the effects of rounding.

[Note 2] Includes where a child transferred to another local authority and where reason has not been recorded.

Although patterns fluctuate year on year, over the last decade the overall pattern remains the same, with the highest proportion of de-registrations relating to children registered for less than 6 months and the lowest proportion of de-registrations relating to those who spend 2 years or more on the Register (see Chart 3).

Chart 3 Percentage of de-registrations by length of time on the Register, 2007-2022 [Note 1]

This line graph compares the percentage of de-registrations by length of time spent on the Child Protection Register between 2007-2022. Although these patterns fluctuate from year to year, broadly, this graph shows that:  • The greatest proportion of children de-registered had been registered for less than six months while the lowest proportion of children de-registered had been registered for 2 years or more. This is a pattern that has stayed stable between 2007 and 2022.  • In 2022 there was an increase in the proportion of de-registrations relating to children spending less than six months on the Register, when compared to the previous year. • In 2022 there was a decrease in the proportion of de-registrations relating to children spending one to under two years on the Register, when compared to the previous year.  • The proportion of de-registrations relating to children spending 6 months to under 1 year on the Register remained relatively stable since the previous year.

[Note 1] Prior to 2010/11 figures are as at 31st March. From 2010/11 onwards figures are as at 31st July.

Cross UK Comparisons

As at 31 March 2022, Scotland’s rate of children on the Register was 22 per 10,000 children – the lowest this figure has been since 2006 (see Chart 4). Although this is considerably lower than England (42 per 10,000), Wales (47 per 10,000), and Northern Ireland (53 per 10,000), UK nations operate under different legislative frameworks, and as such are not directly comparable. For further information on the comparability of national data see UK Comparability of Children's Social Services Statistics.

Chart 4 Cross UK comparisons of rate per 10,000 of children on the Register 2004-2022 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4]

This line graph compares the rate per 10,000 of children on the Child Protection Register in the four nations in the UK between 2004 and 2022. Although these patterns fluctuate from year to year, broadly, this shows that since 2007 Scotland continues to have the lowest rate per 10,000 population on the Register. In 2022, the rate of children on the Child Protection Register was highest in Northern Ireland, followed by Wales, England, and Scotland.

[Note 1] Scotland data is as at 31st March for comparability purposes with other UK countries. The exception to this is between 2011 and 2014 where figures were published as at 31 July. Please refer to Cross-UK comparability background notes for further information. Scotland rate per 10,000 for 2021 and 2022 was calculated using NRS mid 2021 population estimates. Rates may vary slightly from previous publications due to updated Mid-Year Population Estimates.

Contact

Email: childrens.statistics@gov.scot

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