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5. Facts on protecting children in Scotland

Facts on protecting children in Scotland

We believe that far too many children in Scotland are suffering as a result of neglect, violence and abuse. That is why we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a happy, healthy, safe and secure childhood for every child and young person in Scotland.

Here are a few key facts and figures around child welfare and safety in Scotland:

• In 2998/09, 2,682 children were on child protection registers in Scotland in 2008/09. This was an increase of 10% on the previous year.
• The total number of registrations on to child protection registers between 1st April 2008 and 31st March 2009 was 3,628, a rise of 29% compared with the previous year. The number of registrations on to child protection registers as a result of emotional abuse were up by 43%, for physical neglect were up by 29%, for physical injury were up by 23%, and for sexual abuse were up by 21%. (see www.scotland.gov.uk)
• The UK came bottom in a league-table of industrialized countries for child wellbeing. The report’s authors said they considered “whether children feel loved, cherished, special and supported, within the family and community, and whether the family and community are being supported in this task by public policy and resources". (see www.unicef.org)
• One in four children in Scotland (250 000) are officially recognised as poor. This compares to 20% of the population as a whole and almost double the 1979 rate. Scotland’s children, like those elsewhere in the UK, are more than twice as likely to be poor than those in Scandinavian countries. (see www.cpag.org.uk/scotland)
• It is estimated that around 100,000 children in Scotland live with parents who are addicted to alcohol, and many more live with parents who regularly binge-drink at home. Approximately 60,000 children in Scotland are affected by the drug problem of one or more than one parent.