Tusla handled more than one referral every 10 minutes in 2018.
The Child and Family Agency's Annual report shows it managed 55,136 child protection and welfare referrals last year.
That means that there was a 26%, or 11,506, increase in referrals since 2013.
The report also highlights a drop of a quarter in the number of cases, 2,253, awaiting the allocation of a social worker since 2014.
In the five years between 2013 and 2018, there was a 110% increase in inspections of early years' services.
Brian Lee, National Director of Quality Assurance at Tusla, said: “Tusla made significant progress in a number of key areas in 2018, and provided supports and services that improved outcomes for children and families across Ireland. We are committed to building on the many improvements already made to ensure we continue to provide and enhance the quality of services to children and families in communities across the country.
"As we move forward, Tusla faces a number of societal challenges, such as demographic changes and an increase of social issues for young people.”
