Background to the Research

• The purpose of this report is to provide easy access to a wide range of facts and figures in relation to the child care system in NI. The report follows on for a series of reviews of personal social services child care statistics which began some 16 years ago.
  

Research Approach

• The primary data source for the data in this report is the DHSS, complemented where necessary by data from the Census Office of NI, the NI Annual Abstract of Statistics, Government surveys and voluntary agencies.
  

Main Findings

Children and their Families

• In 1995, there were 467.079 persons aged under 18 years old in NI, representing 28% of the total population.
• This child population shows an even distribution across gender and age.
• Population projections indicate that the decline in the child population will continue at least until 2012 and 2017, when it is expected to reverse for the younger age groups.
• Both the live birth and still birth rates have increased in recent years.
• Census data from 1991 suggests that 40% of all households in NI have children.
• In 1995, 223,448 families were registered as receiving child benefit and more than two-thirds of these families had 2 children or less.
• 1991 census data also shows that for almost half working mothers, their youngest child is in the pre-school age group; 11% of households with children are lone parents households and over a quarter of these households have at least 2 children.
• The number of live births to mothers aged 17 years and 18 years is falling, however the number of live births to mothers aged up to 14 years, 15 years and 16 years is increasing.
• The number of divorces is also on the increase, with the number of children affected rising by 51% since 1988. Of couples who divorce, 72% have children.

Family Support

• Figures for day care provision NI indicate considerable growth since 1986. The greater proportion of day care appears to be provided by registered play groups and registered childminders. However it should be noted that data is questionable with regard to its completeness and accuracy.
• Recent survey findings suggest a strong reliance on extended family to care for children.
• Current figures on family centres, indicate that there are more voluntary centres than statutory centres, though it cannot be established how they compare on availability of places due to incomplete data.
• It is estimated that a small percentage of the family population in NI, approximately 2%, receive financial assistance under either Section 164 of the CYP Act (NI) 1968 or Article 15(2) of the HPSS Order 1972.

The Child Protection Register

• Three children in every one thousand are registered on the child protection registers. A downward trend in numbers on the registers from 1991 to 1993 reversed, so that the 1995 figure was greater than for that in 1991.
• Most children are registered under the categories of grave concern or neglect, followed by sexual, physical and emotional. Increases in the numbers of the emotional category changed the order of the latter to sexual, emotional and physical in 1995.
• Girls have been in the majority in recent years. However broken down by category of abuse, boys tend to make up greater numbers in the grave concern, neglect and physical abuse categories, while girls make up greater numbers in the sexual abuse category.
• Five to 9 year olds and 1 to 4 year olds make up the larger numbers with 10 to 15 year olds catching up in recent years. The majority of those age groups are in the grave concern or neglect categories, reflecting the overall pattern referred to above. The older group of 16 years and over however, show consistently higher figures for sexual abuse.
• The older age groups of 16 years and over and 10 to 15 years show greater numbers for females, while the younger age groups of 1 to 4 and 5 o 9 years show greater numbers for males,though the differences for the latter are small. The youngest age group of under 1 show no consistent pattern for gender.
• Over a quarter of children on the registers are in care and nearly half of these children are under the care of parent, relative, guardian or friend. A sizeable proportion are boarded out.
• The numbers of registrations and de-registrations show a similar pattern of increase in recent years. The numbers of both categories are similar indicating considerable 'flow through the register'.

Admissions to Care

• There has been an overall increase of 27% in the number of admissions to care over the time period 1989 to 1995.
• More than half of these admissions were made voluntarily under the CYP Act (NI) 1968. From 1989 to 1995, there was considerable growth in Ward of Court figures and decline in Fit Person Order figures. Place of Safety Orders also increased in number.
• The male/female ration for those admitted to care reflects that of the total child population and shows equivalent proportions of both genders. However, figures for females show a higher rate of increase for the time period 1989 to 1995.
• The larger proportion of those admitted to care during the time period in question have been aged four or under, however these figures have also decreased during this time. Those aged 10 to 15 years make up the next largest group and have shown a 29% increase since 1989. The 5 to 9 year old age group make up the third largest proportion. Figures for 16 and 17 year olds show a large decline over the time period.
• As with figures for the child protection registers, females tend to make up the greater numbers in the older age groups, and males the greater numbers in the younger age groups.

Children in Care

• From 1989 to 1995, there was an overall decline of 6% in the number of children in care. The 1995 figure represents 0.6% of the population.
• Breakdown of figures by legal route show that most children are in care under a Fit Person Order, however these figures show a 28% decline over the time period 1989 to 1995. Conversely figures for Ward of Court have more than doubled and figures for Children and Young Persons Act (NI) 1968 Section 103 are up by 18%.
• From 1989 to 1995, the largest proportion of children in care were accommodated in a foster care placement with a non-relative. The second largest proportion were accommodated in a home in care placements, usually followed by statutory residential care, foster care with a relative, voluntary residential care, training schools and a miscellaneous other. While the numbers of for foster care with non-relative, training schools and other have been increasing, those for the remaining categories have been decreasing.
• The ratio of females to males reflects that of the overall population and shows approximately equal opportunities for both. Although the gender gap has been widening in recent years, the difference has rarely exceeded 2%.
• 10 to 15 year olds represent the widest age band of 6 years and make up the largest age group of children in care. This group is followed by 5 to 9 year olds with an age band of 5 years, 1 to 4 year olds also with a 5 year age band, and 16 to 17 year olds with a 2 year age band.
• This pattern for age exists for both males and females. Only in the older age group of 16 to 17 year olds, is there a consistent pattern for gender, whereby females always make up the larger numbers.

Discharges from Care

• The number of discharges in 1995 represents an overall increase of 16% on the 1989 figure. This increase took place from 1990 through to 1994.
• The bulk of these discharges, over half in 1994 and 1995, were as a result of Voluntary Placement Ended, which involves CYP Act (NI) 1968 Sections 103(3), 106(2) and 143(1), and the figure shows a 58% increase over the time period 1990 to 1994. The second largest proportion of discharges are by reason of 'other' while Fit Person Order revoked, reached 18 years, Training School Order commenced and adoption contributed to a lesser extent.
• Discharges from care have shown a similar pattern of increase for both males and females over the time period in question.
• More recent years show equivalent figures for the number of discharges from care and the number of admissions to care, indicating a steady flow through the system.