Hike in 'at risk' children number

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7778439.stm

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There has been a 15% jump in the number of children on child protection registers in Northern Ireland.

There were 2,071 children registered at the end of March, according to figures released by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

In March 2007 there were 1,800 on the at risk register.

A spokesman for the DHSSPS said communities which were previously reluctant to engage with police were now much more willing to report abuse.

Children are put on the register if they are at risk of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect.

In the latest figures neglect was the main reason for the registration of children, accounting for 48% of all on the register.

Those registered were made up of 52% boys and 48% girls. Some 8% under one-year-old and 7% over 16.

There were a total of 3,071 referrals during the year - 42% of them from social services. A total of 1,497 children were added to the register and 1,230 taken off it over the year.

At the same time there were 2,433 children being looked after away from their families - a rise of 3% on the previous year.

The majority - 57% were in foster care, while 26% were placed with a family, 13% in residential care and 5% under other forms of placement.

Nearly half of the children - 45% - were the subject of a care order. Some 23% of them had been in care for less than a year, but 11% had been in care for a decade or more.

During 2007/08 there were 989 admissions into care, 909 discharges and 834 respite care placements.