AQW 43879/22-27

Ms Sian Mulholland
Alliance Party
North Antrim

Tabled Date: 14/04/2026
Answered On Date: 17/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of children identified by Health and Social Care Trusts as being at risk of child criminal exploitation, in each of the last five years.

Answer:

At present, there is no mechanism within individual Trusts to capture data on the number of children at risk of criminal exploitation. However, work is ongoing at a regional level with the five Health and Social Care Trusts and the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) to develop a standardised framework for the identification, recording, and reporting of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE).

In addition, a Northern Ireland–devolved National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decisionmaking panel pilot became operational on 2nd January 2026. Northern Ireland’s participation in this pilot aims to strengthen protections for children at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation. All information relating to the NRM panel and the pilot scheme is held by the Home Office; therefore, any data requests must be directed to the Home Office.

This can be achieved by contacting the Home Office via email: nrm@modernslavery.gov.uk or in alternatively in writing: Erskine House, 20-32 Chichester Street, Belfast, BT1 4GF, United Kingdom.