Numbers on child protection register rise in Scotland

Scotland’s councils reported a 6 per cent rise in the number of children on child protection registers last year, according to figures today from the Scottish executive.

There were 2,288 children on child protection registers at 31 March 2006, compared with 2,157 a year earlier.

The number of child protection referrals in the year to 31 March hit 10,527, up 15 per cent in a year and by almost 50 per cent since 2000.

However, the executive attributed this rise to a change in the way councils record referrals.

There was also an 8 per cent increase in the number of children de-registered from child protection registers. Three-quarters of these had been on the register for less than a year.

Physical neglect was the most common reason for inclusion on the register, accounting for 45 per cent of cases, followed by physical injury (27 per cent), emotional abuse (16 per cent), and sexual abuse (12 per cent).

Aberdeen Council had the highest proportion of children on its child protection register, at 5 per 1,000 people aged 0-15, followed by Edinburgh (4.1 per 1,000) and Dundee (3.9).