Cavan and Monaghan saw the second highest decrease nationwide of child protection and welfare referrals to Tusla in the first two months of the pandemic.
This was largely due to the closure of schools in mid-March, with the Midlands, which includes Longford and Westmeath, also seeing a decrease of 13.
However, despite the overall decrease in the country the Galway/Roscommon and Sligo Leitrim West Cavan areas saw increased referrals of 31 and 23 respectively.
There was also an increase of 5 children in care nationally during the same period, with the latest figures showing that in the Shannonside northern sound region the Midlands has the highest number of those children awaiting a social worker allocation at 52.
While Cavan/Monaghan has 2, Sligo Leitrim West Cavan has 8, and Galway has the second highest on 17.
