Nearly 500 children who are in state care have not been allocated a social worker.
The highest numbers are in the Dublin north and midwest regions.
According to new Tusla figures, which relate to last November, there are 5,971 children in the care of the state.
More than 8 per cent, or 495, have not been allocated a social worker. A total of 81 of those are in the Dublin north area.
The midwest region, which covers Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary, is the next worst, with 73 kids waiting to get a social worker.
And the third highest list is in the Carlow, Kilkenny, south Tipperary region, at 63.
Terry Dignan is the CEO of Empowering People in Care. He says the statistics are a huge concern;
"495 individual children without an allocated social worker is very significant and that's basically 495 children who don't have appropriate supports to actually, I suppose, navigate their way through the care system."
He says the problem is largely down to a significant shortage of social workers across the country.
