Tusla had more than 82,500 referrals of child protection or welfare concerns last year, according to its annual report.
The child and family agency says that’s a 13% rise on the previous year.
At the end of the year about 22,000 cases were open, but 28% of those cases had yet to be allocated a designated social worker.
Tusla says it prioritised cases where children required an immediate response.
