To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of children with complex needs and their siblings, who have been placed on the at risk register, in the last five years, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.

My Department does not hold data relating to children with complex needs and their siblings who have been placed on an ‘at risk’ register.

In Northern Ireland, statistics are not recorded on an ‘at risk’ register for children. Instead, the Child Protection Register (CPR) is a confidential list of children within a defined area who have been identified at a Child Protection Case Conference as experiencing or is at risk of experiencing significant harm. It should be noted that “complex needs” are not a recognised child protection category in Northern Ireland. While a child may have complex or multiple needs that require a coordinated support, child protection concerns are categorised as neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. These categories guide assessment, intervention and protection planning to ensure children receive appropriate support and safeguarding.

While my department does not hold the specific data requested, the Department of Health publishes annual statistics on children known to Health and Social Care Trusts. These can be accessed at the following link: Children's social care statistics for Northern Ireland 2024/25 | Department of Health.

In addition, the Department publishes quarterly statistics on the number of children on the Child Protection Register, available here: Child protection register | Department of Health.

The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 provides the legislative framework within which Health and Social Care Trusts operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. This framework reflects the core principle set out in Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child—that in all actions concerning children, the best interests of the child must be the paramount consideration.

The Order establishes a comprehensive legal framework for promoting the welfare of children and young people, including the statutory duty on Health and Social Care Trusts to investigate and provide an appropriate range and level of personal social services to children at risk of significant harm.