Statistical presentation

Data description

The purpose of a notification of concern is to make the municipality aware of a concern for the well-being or development of a child or a young person aged 0-17 years old, or an unborn child. In Denmark, all citizens have a duty to notify the municipality regarding worries and suspicions of mistreatment of children and youth. Since 2010, professionals working with children and youth below the age of 18, have had a stricter duty to notify if there is a concern for the well-being of a child or a young person (cf. The Consolidation Act on Social Services §153). Upon receiving a notification of concern, the municipality is responsible to investigate the matter, and if necessary, to provide support for the child or a young person. The purpose of the notification is to be able to provide preemptive support to the child or a young person before the problems escalate.

The statistics have been published annually since 2015 and contain 3 tables in StatBank Denmark, a register for researchers and ministries, and an article authored in Danish by Statistics Denmark (Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik). The tables in StatBank contain data on the number of notifications of concern, the number of children and youth for whom there is a notification of concern, the number of notification causes, who made the notification, and the age and sex of the child or a young person. The information is distributed on a municipal level. Unborn children are registered through the expectant mothers.

The StatBank tables have different populations and answer different aspects about the notifications of concern:

• UND1: shows the number of total notifications and their notifiers

• UND2: shows the number of children or youth for whom a notification of concern has been received

• UND3: shows the number of causes that exist for the notifications
• LABY16: shows the share of children and youth for whom a notification of concern has been received

The registry contains the same information on an individual level. The registry also contains data on notifications of concern for unborn children that are registered through expectant mothers. Descriptions of variables and value sets can be found here: Danmarks Statistiks hjemmeside.

Classification system

The statistics are distributed by municipalities, age, sex, notifier (i.e. who is notifying), cause of notification, and the number of notifications per child or young person within the year. Read more about Statistic Denmark's classification of municipalities (v1:2007-) and municipality groups. Age intervals in StatBank tables, regarding the number of notifications (UND1) and the number of children/youth (UND2), use intervals of one year, while the table, presenting the causes for the notifications (UND3), uses 5-year age intervals.

Sector coverage

Not relevant for these statistics.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Administrative municipality: The municipality which receives the notification and is obligated to decide which measures, if any, should be taken as a follow-up to the notification.

Notification of concern: A notification which is sent to the municipality by a citizen or a professional working with children and youth under the age of 18. The purpose of the notification is to make the municipality aware of a concern for well-being and development of an unborn child, or a child/young person aged 0-17 years old.

Statistical unit

The fundamental unit of the statistics are individual notifications of concern.

Statistical population

All notifications, received by municipalities in Denmark, concerning the well-being and development of children and youth. Children and youth refers to 0-17 year olds or unborn children. Notifications of concern can also be reported to The Danish Social Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen). Such notifications are not included in the population of the statistics.

Reference area

All municipalities in Denmark (not including Greenland and the Faroe Islands). The municipality of Læsø reports their numbers through Frederikshavn municipality.

Time coverage

These statistics cover the time period from 2015 and onwards.

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

In Statbank Denmark, four different units exist:

• UND1 shows the number of total notifications and their notifier
• UND2 shows how many children or youth receive a notification yearly
• UND3 shows the number of causes that exist for the notifications
• LABY16: shows the share of children and youth, 0-18 years old, for whom a notification of concern has been received

The registry contains the same information on an individual level.

Reference period

Calendar year.

Frequency of dissemination

Yearly.

Legal acts and other agreements

Data collection is based on §6 of the Act on Statistics Denmark (Lov om Danmarks Statistik). The municipalities register notifications pursuant to §§ 152, 153 and 154 of the Consolidation Act on Social Services or §§ 132, 133 and 135 of the Danish Children’s Act. Data reporting is based on §82 and §84 of the Consolidation Act on Legal Protection and Administration in Social Matters. Data reporting and collection are also regulated by current Executive Order on Transmission of Data in the Social Policy Area, which can be found on the webpage of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens.

These statistics are not EU regulated.

Cost and burden

These statistics are primarily based on administrative data which stem from the administrative IT-systems of the municipalities. There is thus no direct reporting burden in relation to the compilation of the statistics. Those municipalities, which supplement their records with manual reports, do have a non-estimated report burden.

All of the municipalities experience a degree of work burden connected to the yearly process of data validation.

Comment

Further information can be found at the webpage of the statistics, Disadvantaged children and young people, or by contacting Statistics Denmark directly.