<p>
	Children&rsquo;s Minister James Reilly added not every case is what it seems but all are fully probed</p>
<p>
	More than 40,000 child welfare concerns were reported to the HSE last year, figures have revealed.</p>
<p>
	Statistics from the Children&rsquo;s Department show the rate of referrals has continued to increase over the past seven years.</p>
<p>
	In 2006, just over 20,000 cases landed on the HSE&rsquo;s desk but it was double that last year.</p>
<p>
	Children&rsquo;s Minister James Reilly added not every case is what it seems but all are fully probed.</p>
<p>
	He said: &ldquo;All reports of concern for the safety and well-being of a child come into the duty/intake team for assessment.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;All staff receiving such a referral are professionally qualified social workers who have been trained in the duty system.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;They are required to treat<br />
	seriously all child welfare and child protection concerns regardless of the source.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	The figures released by Mr Reilly show the number of concerns raised has increased every year.</p>
<p>
	They reached a peak last year with 42,000 welfare or protection referrals registered with the HSE&rsquo;s Child and Family Agency.</p>
<p>
	Mr Reilly added he was unable to shed light on how many of the concerns were raised by members of the public or how many came via phone calls.</p>
<p>
	He said: &ldquo;The Child and Family Agency is the appropriate body to receive all reports of concerns relating to all forms of child abuse.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;My Department occasionally receives calls from individuals concerned about the safety<br />
	and wellbeing of a child. In all such cases, my officials provide whatever assistance is required to allow such an individual to make a proper referral to the statutory authorities.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Such assistance can often include my officials contacting the Child and Family Agency directly on behalf of a correspondent.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;It is not possible to quantify the volume of such calls.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	The minister also provided figures on how many times the courts have been relied on to help children at risk. From 2009 to 2012, 8,981 cases ended up being brought before a judge was required to intervene.</p>
<p>
	The statistics from 2012 show Dublin North had the highest number of court incidents.</p>
<p>
	These figures, released to Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan, include the number of voluntary and involuntary care orders sought for vulnerable children.</p>
<p>
	They show there were 2,070 cases in 2012 and 2,248 in 2011.</p>
<p>
	Mr Reilly said the reporting requirements have been changed to ensure more transparency.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/more-40000-child-welfare-concerns-4101278" style="font-size: 12px;">http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/more-40000-child-welfare-concerns-4101278</a></p>
