Children's Social Work Statistics: Child Protection - 2024-25
Child Protection Statistics for Scotland for 2024-2025 that covers data on children subject to child protection processes.
Child protection planning meetings
The planning meeting is a multi-disciplinary meeting to consider and agree an assessment of risk and form a plan of required action to protect a child. Participants are those persons essential to the child protection plan. See the Glossary in this report for more information about planning meetings and the data recorded.
During 2024-25, 3,782 initial and pre-birth planning meetings were conducted in Scotland (rate of 3,7 per 1,000 children 0-17 years). This is a decrease of 287 (7%) from the number of initial and pre-birth planning meetings conducted in 2023-24 (4,071 and a rate of 4.0 per 1,000 children 0-17 years).
The rate of initial and pre-birth planning meetings in 2024-25 ranged from 1.1 per 1,000 children 0-17 years in East Renfrewshire and 9.1 per 1,000 children 0-17 years in North Ayrshire (Table 1.3a).
In cases where there is reasonable evidence to believe that a child is, or is at risk of, suffering significant harm from abuse or neglect, that child can be placed onto the child protection register. This is a system for alerting practitioners that there is sufficient professional concern about a child to warrant an inter-agency child protection plan. Local authority social work services are responsible for maintaining a register of all children in their area who are subject to a child protection plan.
Of the 3,782 initial and pre-birth planning meetings held during 2024-25, 2,961 registrations were reported, a rate of 2.9 per 1,000 0-17 years. This reflects a conversion rate from planning meeting to registration of 78% (an increase of 2 percentage point from 2023-24). The rate of child protection registrations ranged between 0.7 per 1,000 children 0-17 years in both East Renfrewshire and 6.9 per 1,000 children 0-17 years in North Ayrshire.
Table 1.3a Number and rate per 1,000 children of Child Protection Inter-Agency Referral Discussions (IRD), initial and pre-birth Planning Meetings and associated registrations by local authority 2024-25 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3]
|
Local Authority |
IRD Number |
IRD Rate |
Initial and Pre-Birth Planning Meetings |
Initial and Pre-Birth Planning Meetings Rate [Note 1] |
Number of Planning Meetings with an IRD recorded within 28 days of the Planning Meeting |
Number of Planning Meetings without an IRD recorded within 28 days of the Planning Meeting |
Registrations from initial and pre-birth Planning Meetings |
Registrations from initial and pre-birth Planning Meetings Rate [Note 1] |
Number of registrations with an IRD recorded within 28 days of Planning Meeting |
Number of registrations with no IRD recorded within 28 days of Planning Meeting |
|
Aberdeen City |
566 |
13.4 |
163 |
3.9 |
39 |
124 |
138 |
3.3 |
27 |
111 |
|
Aberdeenshire |
327 |
6.1 |
136 |
2.5 |
42 |
94 |
119 |
2.2 |
36 |
83 |
|
Angus |
319 |
15.6 |
62 |
3.0 |
8 |
54 |
55 |
2.7 |
6 |
49 |
|
Argyll and Bute |
512 |
36.6 |
73 |
5.2 |
16 |
57 |
60 |
4.3 |
12 |
48 |
|
City of Edinburgh |
1,115 |
12.9 |
178 |
2.1 |
113 |
65 |
147 |
1.7 |
83 |
64 |
|
Clackmannanshire |
105 |
10.6 |
65 |
6.5 |
30 |
35 |
46 |
4.6 |
19 |
27 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
313 |
12.6 |
147 |
5.9 |
100 |
47 |
99 |
4.0 |
66 |
33 |
|
Dundee City |
564 |
20.5 |
97 |
3.5 |
59 |
38 |
93 |
3.4 |
57 |
36 |
|
East Ayrshire |
617 |
26.8 |
162 |
7.0 |
10 |
152 |
113 |
4.9 |
6 |
107 |
|
East Dunbartonshire |
296 |
13.4 |
40 |
1.8 |
39 |
1 |
36 |
1.6 |
35 |
1 |
|
East Lothian |
285 |
12.4 |
54 |
2.3 |
33 |
21 |
44 |
1.9 |
32 |
12 |
|
East Renfrewshire |
317 |
14.0 |
26 |
1.1 |
4 |
22 |
16 |
0.7 |
2 |
14 |
|
Falkirk |
471 |
15.4 |
118 |
3.9 |
42 |
76 |
79 |
2.6 |
26 |
53 |
|
Fife |
1,601 |
23.0 |
227 |
3.3 |
179 |
48 |
194 |
2.8 |
155 |
39 |
|
Glasgow City |
2,386 |
21.5 |
389 |
3.5 |
53 |
336 |
253 |
2.3 |
39 |
214 |
|
Highland |
688 |
16.4 |
152 |
3.6 |
23 |
129 |
142 |
3.4 |
23 |
119 |
|
Inverclyde |
292 |
21.0 |
96 |
6.9 |
81 |
15 |
83 |
6.0 |
71 |
12 |
|
Midlothian |
403 |
19.3 |
121 |
5.8 |
68 |
53 |
87 |
4.2 |
44 |
43 |
|
Moray |
217 |
12.2 |
68 |
3.8 |
36 |
32 |
68 |
3.8 |
37 |
31 |
|
Na h-Eileanan Siar |
89 |
20.3 |
22 |
5.0 |
8 |
14 |
13 |
3.0 |
1 |
12 |
|
North Ayrshire |
528 |
22.0 |
217 |
9.1 |
52 |
165 |
165 |
6.9 |
44 |
121 |
|
North Lanarkshire |
1,371 |
20.1 |
196 |
2.9 |
104 |
92 |
143 |
2.1 |
78 |
65 |
|
Orkney Islands |
109 |
27.8 |
11 |
2.8 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
2.8 |
4 |
7 |
|
Perth and Kinross |
328 |
11.8 |
51 |
1.8 |
5 |
46 |
49 |
1.8 |
5 |
44 |
|
Renfrewshire |
396 |
11.4 |
175 |
5.0 |
26 |
149 |
133 |
3.8 |
23 |
110 |
|
Scottish Borders |
463 |
22.8 |
80 |
3.9 |
27 |
53 |
73 |
3.6 |
22 |
51 |
|
Shetland Islands |
51 |
11.1 |
24 |
5.2 |
3 |
21 |
22 |
4.8 |
3 |
19 |
|
South Ayrshire |
276 |
14.4 |
69 |
3.6 |
49 |
20 |
64 |
3.3 |
46 |
18 |
|
South Lanarkshire |
1,058 |
16.6 |
265 |
4.2 |
114 |
151 |
188 |
3.0 |
84 |
104 |
|
Stirling |
159 |
9.4 |
57 |
3.4 |
26 |
31 |
38 |
2.2 |
17 |
21 |
|
West Dunbartonshire |
616 |
36.1 |
118 |
6.9 |
9 |
109 |
92 |
5.4 |
7 |
85 |
|
West Lothian |
498 |
12.7 |
123 |
3.1 |
58 |
65 |
98 |
2.5 |
42 |
56 |
|
Scotland |
17,336 |
17.0 |
3,782 |
3.7 |
1,461 |
2,321 |
2,961 |
2.9 |
1,152 |
1,809 |
[Note 1] Rate per 1,000 children is calculated using NRS mid 2024 population estimates (0-17 years).
[Note 2] The rate shown in this table includes unborn children who are on the register.
[Note 3] Planning Meetings with no IRD recorded within 28 days are cases where no IRD was recorded in the data provided to Scottish Government in the 28 days preceding the Planning Meeting.
Of those registered during the year, the concerns raised most often were domestic abuse (44%), neglect (43%), parental substance use (38%), parent mental ill health (38%) and emotional abuse (32%) (Chart 2). These five concerns have consistently remained the most common concerns raised over recent years with domestic abuse being the main concern raised at case conferences since 2021.
Chart 2 Concerns raised at planning meetings for children registered during the year, 2024-25
During the year, 3,023 children were registered onto the child protection register, representing a 4% decrease on 2023-24 (3,164) and a 35% decrease on 2014-15 (4,401). Of those registered, 79% had not been registered before (Table 1.4). This is consistent with the proportion reported over the last six years (78-80%) and a slight reduction compared to 2015 (84%). 13% of those registered had had two years or more since last de-registration.
Table 1.4 Number and percentage of registrations during the year following an initial, pre-birth or transfer-in planning meeting by length of time since last de-registration, 2015-2025 [Note 1]
|
Time since last de-registration |
2015 Number |
2015 Percentage |
2024 Number |
2024 Percentage |
2025 Number |
2025 Percentage |
|
Never been registered before |
3,699 |
84% |
2,519 |
80% |
2,397 |
79% |
|
Registered before but time unknown |
2 |
0% |
3 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
Less than 6 months |
111 |
3% |
43 |
1% |
76 |
3% |
|
6 months to under 1 year |
91 |
2% |
66 |
2% |
71 |
2% |
|
1 year to under 18 months |
95 |
2% |
71 |
2% |
55 |
2% |
|
18 months to under 2 years |
67 |
2% |
56 |
2% |
25 |
1% |
|
2 years or more |
325 |
7% |
377 |
12% |
394 |
13% |
|
Unknown whether child was registered before |
11 |
0% |
29 |
1% |
5 |
0% |
|
Total |
4,401 |
100% |
3,164 |
100% |
3,023 |
100% |
[Note 1] Some totals may not exactly equal the sum of their parts due to the effects of rounding.
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 is no longer in need of a child protection plan, the child will be de-registered from the child protection register.
During 2024-25, 3,051 children were de-registered from the child protection register. This is a decrease of 3% compared to 2023-24 and a 33% decrease since 2014-15 (Table 1.5). The most common reasons for de-registration have remained consistent year-on-year. The most common reason provided for a de-registration during 2024-25 was an improved home situation (56%). The child being taken into care and the risk reduction accounted for 13% of de-registration cases and children being with other carers a further 8%.
Of the children being de-registered from the child protection register, 49% had been on the register for less than 6 months, the same proportion as in the previous year and a slight increase on 2015 (46%). A further 35% of children had been on the register for between 6 months and a year compared to 37% in 2023-24 and 40% in 2014-15. 5% of children had been on the register for 18 months or more (Chart 3).
Chart 3 Percentage of de-registrations during the year by length of time on the Register, 2007-2025.
Table 1.5 Number and percentage of de-registrations by length of time on the Child Protection Register and reason for de-registration, 2014-2025 [Note 1], [Note 2]
|
Category |
Subcategory |
2015 Number |
2015 Percentage |
2024 Number |
2024 Percentage |
2025 Number |
2025 Percentage |
|
Length of time registered |
Less than 6 months |
2,084 |
46% |
1,525 |
49% |
1,498 |
49% |
|
Length of time registered |
6 months to under 1 year |
1,804 |
40% |
1,172 |
37% |
1,081 |
35% |
|
Length of time registered |
1 year to under 18 months |
463 |
10% |
299 |
10% |
312 |
10% |
|
Length of time registered |
18 months to under 2 years |
128 |
3% |
90 |
3% |
94 |
3% |
|
Length of time registered |
2 years or more |
57 |
1% |
33 |
1% |
46 |
2% |
|
Length of time registered |
No date of registration information |
4 |
0% |
17 |
1% |
20 |
1% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Child taken into care & risk reduced |
611 |
13% |
460 |
15% |
403 |
13% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Child with other carers |
259 |
6% |
261 |
8% |
255 |
8% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Child died |
6 |
0% |
16 |
1% |
10 |
0% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Removal of perpetrator |
167 |
4% |
117 |
4% |
74 |
2% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Improved home situation |
2,502 |
55% |
1,622 |
52% |
1,694 |
56% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Child automatically de-registered because of age |
8 |
0% |
3 |
0% |
3 |
0% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Child moved away - no continued risk |
50 |
1% |
30 |
1% |
23 |
1% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Other reason |
937 |
21% |
627 |
20% |
589 |
19% |
|
Reason for de-registration |
Reason not known [Note 2] |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
Total |
Total |
4,540 |
100% |
3,136 |
100% |
3,051 |
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.
Contact
Email: childrens.statistics@gov.scot