Up to 40pc of staff working in a State child protection and welfare bureau have not been vetted by gardai, and HSE staff in one local area did not always notify the gardai of cases of suspected physical, sexual abuse or neglect of a child, according to a new report.

The review, carried out by the Health Information and Quality Authority, Hiqa, inspected child protection services in the Carlow/Kilkenny area found that delays in reporting suspect cases of abuse and neglect potentially hindered investigations and presented a risk to children, the Irish Times reports.

The Hiqa report also found that there were waiting lists for assessments of children at risk, as well as for cases due to be allocated to social workers, which placed vulnerable children at potential risk.

According to the report, parents had major difficulties accessing social workers, either by phone or in person, resulting in frustration amongst parents who felt it had a detrimental impact on their relationships with their children and their ability to cope.

The report also found that there were major gaps in background checks on staff who had been employed in child protection prior to 2008.

Elsewhere, the inspectors found that not all staff understood all of their responsibilities under Children First, rules introduced to safeguard and protect children.

Hiqa said that after 644 initial assessments were recommended on children’s welfare only 56 were completed within a recommended timeframe.

And they also found evidence that gardai were not always involved in child welfare concerns at the appropriate stage and that communication was too informal.

The report said the systems in which staff worked were not robust and some poor outcomes were identified for children.

It states there were 1,156 reports of child protection and welfare concerns for the 12-month period up to October 2012. A total of almost 200 children in the area were in the care system.

Hiqa was given powers to inspect child and family services following a series of damning reports that have highlighted failures in child protection and welfare services, including the deaths of children in State care.

The new standards – officially published by Taoiseach Enda Kenny last year – set out clear requirements for Health Service Executive managers, social workers and other professionals on how to deliver a consistent, high-quality and responsive service for young people at risk.

Hiqa’s inspections began in November last year and the first reports into outcomes are likely from early next year.