Neglect is the major type of child abuse in the State according to a new study commissioned by the Mid-Western Health Board today.
The study described the system for protecting sexually abused children as "over legalistic" and said it needed to be overhauled in order to make it more "child-centred".
Fifty-four per cent of all sexual abuse referrals were formally notified to the Garda by the health board, but just 13 per cent resulted in prosecutions. Of that number only six resulted in successful convictions.
The study entitled "Keeping Children Safe: Child Abuse, Child Protection and the Promotion of Welfare"showed that child neglect is the greatest type of abuse at 21 per cent of referrals to child protection services.
Ninety-two per cent of referrals were directly investigated by social workers, which according to the study's authors Mr Harry Ferguson and Ms Marie O'Reilly showed a very high investigation rate when viewed internationally. The study said there was no evidence of waiting lists and relatively little evidence of children known to be at risk not being offered help.
But it warned that the system was near breaking point and a sustained level of investment was needed over the next ten years.
Child behaviour and control problems accounted for 21 per cent of cases coming to the attention of the health boards in the Mid-West region. Mothers were the largest single source of referrals at 27 per cent, but referral rates from some agencies, especially hospitals were seen as being "worryingly low".
Speaking at the launch of the study in Limerick today, the Minister for Children, Ms Mary Hanafin, said the research would have "huge implications for how we understand child abuse and develop more effective child protection systems".
In 26 per cent of cases where there was concern for childrens' welfare, families refused to accept the services on offer. This, according to the study, was often due to a perception that the services were not adequate.
The study evaluated the child care and protection system in the three community care teams of the Mid-Western Health Board area as it processed all referrals over a three month period. A core sample of 319 cases of children at risk was followed up a year later to establish the outcomes of investigations.