Chart 1 Children on the Child Protection Register

Number of children on the Child Protection Register by age, 2000-2023 [Note 1]

Table 1.2 Local authority comparisons

Number and rate per 1,000 children on the Register by local authority on 31 July, 2013-2023 [Note 1], [Note 2]

[Note 1] Rate per 1,000 children for 2022 and 2023 is 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.

Child Protection Investigations, Case Conferences, and 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 2022-23, 12,077 Investigations were conducted in Scotland (rate of 13.2 per 1,000 children 0-15 years; Table 1.3a). This is up from 11,534 Investigations conducted during 2021-22 (12.7 per 1,000; Table 1.3b in supporting publication tables). During 2022-23, the rate of Investigations ranged between 3.0 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire and 32.7 per 1,000 in the Shetland Islands (Table 1.3a).

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 to carry out a collective assessment of risk, and to agree a plan to minimize risk of harm to the child. The Case Conference must decide whether the child is at risk of significant harm and requires a coordinated, multi-disciplinary Child Protection Plan. The purpose of the Case Conference is to support engagement of parents and all relevant agencies in assessment of risks and strengths, and in planning next steps which includes potential referral to the Reporter. There are four types of Case Conferences: (1) Initial, (2) Pre-birth, (3) Review, and (4) Transfer. Further information on the types of case conferences and who they are for is available in the background notes.

During 2022-23, 4,120 initial and pre-birth Case Conferences were held (4.5 per 1,000). This is a slight increase from 4,078 Case Conferences held during 2021-22 (4.5 per 1,000; Table 1.3b in supporting publication tables). During 2022-23, the rate of initial and pre-birth Case Conferences ranged between 1.4 per 1,000 in East Renfrewshire and 9.8 per 1,000 in North Ayrshire (Table 1.3a).

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 will be placed on the Register. From the 4,120 initial and pre-birth Case Conferences held during 2022-23, 3,170 registrations took place (3.5 per 1,000). This reflects a conversion rate from Case Conference to Registrations of around 77% (down from 79% in 2021-22). The rate of registrations from initial and pre-birth Case Conferences ranged between 0.8 per 1,000 in the East Renfrewshire and 7.6 per 1,000 in North Ayrshire (Table 1.3a).

Table 1.3a Child Protection Investigations, Case Conferences, and Registrations

Number and rate per 1,000 children of Child Protection Investigations, initial and pre-birth Case Conferences, and associated Registrations by local authority, 2022-23 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3]

Table 1.3a Continued

Table 1.3a continued

[Note 1] Rate per 1,000 children is 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, 8,462 concerns were identified at Case Conferences of all children who were registered during 2022-23. Of these, the most common concerns were: domestic abuse (16%), neglect (15%), parental mental health problems (15%), parental substance misuse (15%), and emotional abuse (12%; Chart 2). This is a similar pattern of findings as observed in 2021-22. The number of concerns identified for children on the Child Protection Register on 31 July 2023 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 (42%); neglect (40%); parental mental health problems (39%); parental substance misuse (38%) and emotional abuse (33%).

Chart 2 Concerns identified

Number of concerns identified at Case Conferences of children registered during the year, 2022-23 [Note 1]