Reports of suspected abuse dropped sharply when schools closed

Professor Conor O'Mahony: 'Schools are a key source of child protection referrals, so school closures disrupted the flow of information to social services – compromising their ability to identify children at risk and respond to their needs.'

Teachers have reported an average of 190 suspected child abuse cases per month, a total of 9,000, since they became legally obliged to do so in late 2017.

The number of reports dropped sharply during periods of pandemic school closure, with the Government Rapporteur on Child Protection Professor Conor O'Mahony warning on Monday that some children's right to protection from violence was "seriously compromised".