Some 2,000 children were taken into State care in 2003 due to evidence of child abuse, according to figures recorded by regional health authorities.
The primary reasons for the admission of children into care were neglect (1,465); physical abuse (280); sexual abuse (166) and emotional abuse (128).
Family problems, such as the inability of a parent to cope, a parental addiction to drugs or alcohol, or mental health problems, also accounted for a significant number of admissions to State care.
The 2003 figures, seen by The Irish Times, are the latest to be compiled by the Department of Health and provide the most detailed picture to date of child abuse among families in Ireland.
Figures also show substantial regional variations in the proportion of children taken into care each year. They suggest that children are more likely to be taken into care in some regions rather than others.
In 2003, the highest proportion of children taken into care was in the midlands at 30 per 10,000. The greater Dublin area accounted for 24 per 10,000, compared with the north-east, 10 per 10,000, which had the lowest rate.
The majority of the 4,984 children in State care were subject to a care order (2,800), while the remainder were placed there on a voluntary basis (2,184).
The proportion of children being placed in care has doubled over the last 15 years, increasing from 2,700 in 1989 (25 per 100,000) to 5,517 per 100,000 (51 per 100,000).
While some of the increase has been attributed to the number of unaccompanied minors entering the State in recent years, campaign groups and social workers say the lack of funding for services, such as family support, may be a factor.
Norah Gibbons, director of advocacy at Barnardos, said putting children in care was a "last resort".
"It is clear that some families urgently need support to prevent children spending their childhood in State care." She added: "We have a constitutional commitment to the family in Ireland, but the figures highlight that increased pressures on unsupported families can lead to the admission of children to the care system."
The Irish Association of Social Workers expressed concern that family support services were insufficiently funded.
"There has been a failure to provide adequate funding or resources for services that are known to work," said Declan Coogan, a senior social worker and member of the association's executive council.
He said waiting lists for therapeutic services for families in need of support were, in some case, up to a year.
A Department of Health spokesperson was unavailable to comment on the figures yesterday, but figures show there has been a substantial increase in funding for community-based responses and family support services in recent years.
Other social workers say the increase in admissions has been due to greater awareness of child protection in recent years.
