My request is directed at your Children’s Services Department.
1) Between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2021, how many referrals were made to your Children’s Services Department?
6675
1a) Can you please determine how many of these referrals were made by an individual, a school or nursery, a police officer, GP, NHS Trust or other?
Referrals by Source
| Individual | School or Nursery | Police Officer | GP | NHS Trust | Other | |
| Total | 562 | 1745 | 1616 | 137 | 1090 | 1525 |
2) Between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2021, how many cases was your Children’s Services Department dealing with?
10627
3) Can you please also provide the same data requested in questions 1, 1a and 2 for the following time periods:
Between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017
Between 1st January 2018 and 31st December 2018
Between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2019
Between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2020
Referrals by Year
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Total | 4655 | 4233 | 5599 | 5208 |
Referrals by Source and Year
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Individual | 368 | 390 | 500 | 499 |
| School or Nursery | 1105 | 1128 | 1487 | 1301 |
| Police | 1188 | 1005 | 1153 | 1046 |
| GP | 79 | 66 | 121 | 118 |
| NHS Trust | 728 | 629 | 1054 | 913 |
| Other | 1187 | 1015 | 1284 | 1331 |
Total cases in year
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Total | 8262 | 8340 | 9701 | 8605 |
Logic and Rationale
Across all questions figures relate to total individual children and not family groups i.e. if a referral was made regarding 2 siblings by same source for same reasons this will be counted as 2 referrals.
For question 1a and 3 regarding referral sources the question lists referral sources to categorise by. Devon records referral source matching Department of Education CIN (Children In Need) Census guidance as detailed below.
| CIN (Children In Need) Census Description | Matched to Question Referral Source |
| ‘INDIVIDUAL’ – family member, relative or carer. | Individual |
| ‘INDIVIDUAL’ – acquaintance (including neighbours and child minders). | Individual |
| ‘INDIVIDUAL’ – self. | Individual |
| ‘INDIVIDUAL’ – other (including strangers or Members of Parliament (MPs). | Individual |
| ‘SCHOOLS’. | School or Nursery |
| ‘EDUCATION SERVICES’. | School or Nursery |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – general practioner (GP). | GP |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – health visitor. | NHS Trust |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – school nurse. | NHS Trust |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – other primary health services. | NHS Trust |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – A&E (accident and emergency department). | NHS Trust |
| ‘HEALTH SERVICES’ – other (for example hospice). | NHS Trust |
| ‘HOUSING’ | Other |
| ‘LA (Local Authority) SERVICES’ – social care, for example, adults social care services. | Other |
| ‘LA SERVICES’ – other internal (department other than children’s social care in local authorities, for example, youth offending (excluding housing)). | Other |
| ‘LA SERVICES’ – external, for example, from another local authority’s adults social care services. | Other |
| ‘POLICE’. | Police Officer |
| ‘OTHER LEGAL AGENCY’ – including courts, probation, immigration, ‘CAFCASS’ (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) or prison. | Other |
| ‘OTHER’ – including children’s centres, independent agency providers or voluntary organisations. | Other |
| ‘ANONYMOUS’. | Other |
| ‘UNKNOWN’. | Other |
Question 2 and 3: Regarding open cases in a year, to be included a case is open a minimum of 1 day in the given year. This includes referrals that have been made to Devon Children’s Services but following further investigation resulted in no further action without an initial assessment taking place.