Family Focus

Last month we reported that the number of children on the Child Protection Register in Northern Ireland was two thousand and seventy-one. Tonight we can reveal that in the Belfast Trust area alone, six hundred children are considered to be at risk.

Sarah Travers spoke to Mary McColgan, Head of Social Work at the University of Ulster.

Sarah also spoke to a group of social work students to find out if recent bad press has affected their choice of profession.

Grainne Herron thinks every day will be a challenge but says it's still a worthwhile vocation.

Blathnaid Leonard agrees that the public's perception of social workers has been negative in recent years.

Evelyn Doherty was studying to be a nurse but she changed her career path because she wanted to tackle social disadvantage.