It is often argued that if the standard of proof that Social Services would need to involve themselves in families was increased to a criminal law burden of proof, that the Criminal Courts would be overwhelmed. This is simply not true.
Just in England, for example, over the course of the year up to March 2025, the State registered that they had become involved in 633,000 children’s safeguarding cases. The State only has 633,000 cases, however, because the “Safeguarding” threshold is set at “a vague concern.”
If the threshold was raised to “Evidence of a Crime,” those 633,000 cases would evaporate. The Courts would be left with the ~76,000 genuine cases – substantially less than what currently clogs them up. The same issue is true across Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland and it affects not just children but vulnerable adults and older people too.
The court system is currently overwhelmed by “rubbish” cases where Social Workers are fighting families over “lifestyle choices.” By removing the rubbish, Judge’s time is freed up to actually focus on the real victims.
References
(1) England – the “633,000” Referrals (The Intake)
Source: Department for Education (DfE) “Characteristics of Children in Need” (Reporting year ending March 2025).
(2) England – the “~76,000” Genuine Cases (The Outcome)
Source: DfE Children in Need Statistics 2024-2025 (Section on Child Protection Plans).
The Fact: There are currently approximately 72,000 to 76,000 children on a formal Child Protection Plan (CPP).
(3) The “Family Court Crisis”
Source: Cafcass Annual Report 2024/25 and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Family Court Statistics Quarterly.
The Fact: These reports consistently show that “Public Law” cases (care proceedings) take an average of 32–45 weeks to conclude.
(4) “Lifestyle Choices” vs. “Crimes”
Source: The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (2022).
The Fact: The review itself admitted that the system has become too focused on “investigating” rather than “supporting,” and that many families are pulled in due to “poverty being confused with neglect.”
(5) Adult Safeguarding in England: The “Vague Concern” Machine
Source: NHS England: Safeguarding Adults, England 2024 to 2025 (Statistical Commentary).
The Fact: There were 640,240 safeguarding concerns raised for adults aged 18 – 100+ in the reporting year 2024 – 2025 in England, but only 185,270 met the “Section 42” criteria for a statutory investigation.
The SSNC Point: This proves that even in adult care, nearly 71% of cases are “vague concerns” that do not meet the legal threshold for an inquiry, yet they still involve state monitoring and data collection on innocent families.
(6) Northern Ireland Children: The “In Need” vs. “Register” Gap
Source: Department of Health (NI): Children’s Social Care Statistics for Northern Ireland 2024/25.
The Fact: At 31 March 2025, 22,243 children were known to Social Services as “Children in Need,” yet only 2,283 (approx. 10%) were on the Child Protection Register.
The SSNC Point: This confirms the “10% rule” is a UK-wide phenomenon. 90% of the state’s resources in NI are spent “knowing” children who do not require a formal protection plan.
(7) Northern Ireland: The “Adult Safeguarding” Numbers
The Fact: According to the most recent Department of Health (NI) Adult Safeguarding Statistics (2024/25), there are approximately 10,000 to 12,000 adult safeguarding referrals for people aged 18 – 100 + annually.
The “Rubbish” Ratio: Of these referrals, roughly 70–75% do not proceed to a full safeguarding investigation.
(8) Scotland: The Children’s Reporter Data
Source: Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) Official Statistics 2024/2025.
The Fact: In Scotland, 9,789 children were referred to the Reporter, but only 503 (approx. 5%) required a Child Protection Order (CPO).
The SSNC Point: This shows that in Scotland, the state “casts a net” over 9,000+ children just to identify the 500 who actually need the specific legal protection of the court.
(9) Scotland – Adults – The ASP Enquiry Gap
The Fact: According to the Scottish Government’s ASP National Minimum Dataset (published September 2025), there were 63,144 adult protection referrals in the 2024–2025 reporting year for people aged 18 – 100 +.
The Conversion: Out of those 63,144 referrals, only 1 in 5 (approx. 20%) actually required Council Officers to use their statutory investigatory powers.
10. Wales – Children – The Referral vs. Register Gap
The Fact: In Wales, for the year ending March 2025, there were over 45,000–50,000 referrals (based on updated StatsWales and Welsh Government performance data).
The Register: As of 31 March 2025, only 2,881 children were on the Child Protection Register (CPR).
The Math: This means that roughly 94% of children referred to Social Services in Wales do not end up requiring a formal Child Protection Plan.
11. Wales – Adults
The Fact: According to StatsWales and Welsh Government performance reports for 2024–2025, Welsh local authorities receive approximately 22,000 to 25,000 adult safeguarding reports annually for people aged 18 – 100 +.
The Conversion: Data consistently shows that roughly 75% of these reports do not meet the legal threshold for a formal “Section 126” enquiry (Section 126 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014).
(12) The “Legal Limbo” (Court Backlogs)
Source: Ministry of Justice: Family Court Statistics Quarterly (July to September 2025).
The Fact: Public law care proceedings now average 37-38 weeks to reach disposal, despite a 26-week statutory limit that has essentially been abandoned.