Fewer children placed on child protection register
- By Stefan Morkis
- Published in the Courier : 30.09.10
- Published online : 30.09.10 @ 07.17pm
(Page 2 of 2)
Just over a third (34%) of all referrals in 2009/10 resulted in a child protection case conference, where the option of placing a child on the protection register is discussed. More than three-quarters (76%) of these hearings led to a child being placed on the register. Some 16% of all these were children who had been put on the register before.
Nearly 4000 Scottish children were removed from the protection register between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. As of March 31 there were 2518 children on child protection registers, down three percentage points from the previous year. Nearly half of them (44%) were registered because of physical neglect, 29% because of emotional abuse, 19% because of physical injury and 8% because of sexual abuse.
Figures also revealed a 15% decrease in secure accommodation places, despite a 15% rise in admissions.
Scottish Labour children's spokeswoman Karen Whitfield said, "These figures show that we urgently need action on child protection across Scotland. The scale of this problem is absolutely undeniable.
"Every one of these children are children at risk but we know for every child where action is taken there are many more that are not identified. Social workers do a great job in working with problem families but the system needs to be re-examined. A piecemeal approach to getting child protection right will not work.
"I am also concerned that secure accommodation places are being taken away when there is a real need for them. The vast majority of children in secure units are there for their own safety and we need to ensure they get the help and support they need."
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