The proposed national counselling service, to be set up by the Government following the States of Fear documentary, may be unable to function properly due to a lack of qualified counsellors, according to specialists in the area.
The Government announced on Tuesday that a commission of three would be set up to consider abuse in children's homes and industrial schools. A national professional counselling service would be operating by September.
However, those working in the field are doubtful that this is possible. "Social workers cannot be got for love or money," said Mr Kieran McGrath, senior social worker at Temple Street Hospital and a specialist in child sex abuse.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said it would be contacting the health boards and then advertising for counsellors. "Details of the provision will be drawn up in the next couple of weeks and sent to the Cabinet subcommittee. The shortage of qualified staff is recognised, so it will be phased in."
Ms Olive Braiden, director of the Rape Crisis Centre, said the centre had been inundated with calls from victims since the programmes were broadcast.
"We have only eight lines and people have been trying to get through. The people in here have been devastated by the calls. Most of those calling are older people, up to 70 years old; first-time callers with terrible stories. We have a full quota of clients as it is, as well as training a group of volunteers who staff the crisis lines."
She said there were three fully-trained telephone counsellors in the centre but people who wanted individual appointments had to go on a waiting list. The centre had 10 trained counsellors, each with some 20 clients. "The numbers have to be low because it's such intensive work."
Tens of thousands of children went through the orphanages and the industrial schools from the 1940s until they began to be phased out in the 1970s. Even allowing that only a proportion was abused, the potential demand for counselling is huge.
To qualify in this area people have qualifications either in social work or psychology, and then train in psychotherapy with specific training in trauma. "We are running a course here in child sex abuse for professionals. We could offer training to people," said Ms Braiden.
However, Mr McGrath said the health boards were finding it difficult to recruit social workers for this and other services.
There is no State accreditation of people offering counselling for child sexual or physical abuse and nothing to prevent anyone setting themselves up to do it. Both Ms Braiden and Mr McGrath agree bad counselling could be worse than none at all.
Mr McGrath said a number of self-help groups of victims existed which should receive funding and support.