An inspection by the Health Watchdog has found that child protection services in Donegal were not able to assess and manage risks posed by convicted offenders in the community.
HIQA inspectors investigating services in May found that warning systems to identify organised abuse of children were not robust enough.
The Health Information and Quality Authority found that low staffing levels meant that the management team and staff struggled to manage levels of risk to child protection services.
An inspection report on the area found non-compliance with 22 standards in areas including the protection of children who are at high risk of harm or neglect.
