Number of children on the child protection register falls by over 10%
Date published:
New accredited official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Health present the Quarterly Child Protection Statistics for Northern Ireland for the period October to December 2025.
Key figures
- At 31 December 2025, 2,048 children were on the child protection register in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 10.3% since 31 December 2024.
- 'Neglect only' was the most common category of abuse, accounting for 701 children (34.2% of all children on the register) at 31 December 2025.
- The majority of children on the register (1,826 out of 2,048) had no legal status at 31 December 2025.
- The Southern HSC Trust had the highest number of children on the register at 31 December 2025 (514), while the Belfast HSC Trust had the lowest (375).
- There were 379 child protection referrals received in Northern Ireland during the quarter ending 31 December 2025, a decrease of 13.5% compared to the same quarter in 2024.
- Police were the most common source of child protection referrals in the quarter ending 31 December 2025, accounting for 135 referrals, followed by schools or Education Welfare Officers (73 referrals).
About this publication
This publication presents information on the number of children on the child protection register at the end of each quarter by age, gender, category of abuse, legal status and duration on the register. The number of child protection referrals received during each quarter is reported by source of referral.
Supplementary data tables that provide additional breakdowns are available alongside the bulletin.
Further information
Read the full report: Quarterly child protection statistics for Northern Ireland October - December 2025
View the data tables and background information: Quarterly child protection statistics for Northern Ireland October - December 2025