evidence: When we look at some of the statistics, the background to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services in Northern Ireland is particularly stark. The number of young people on the Child Protection Register is up. From 2017 to 2021, the main source of Children in Need referrals shifted considerably: Police referrals went up 10% (from 29% to 39% of total referrals); and Social Services referrals dropped 11% (from 20% to 9% of total referrals). The Covid-19 pandemic, and the government response, brought a sharp focus to the importance of services and the fragility of the system. So the Health Minister commissioned an Independent Review to focus on: support for families; care of children away from families; structure of services; and support for staff. Amongst these key strands, we should not forget that the Southern and Western Trusts have a disproportionately higher rate of children on the Child Protection Register than other areas; and that one in five (20%) Children in Need are recorded as having a disability. Despite legal duties under the Children Order 1995, there is still no unified, robust system for collecting data on disabled children in NI, and research consistently highlights that parents do not get enough information and support.