Figures from children's charity Barnardos show it provided services for nearly 5,000 children last year.
According to the organisation, most the children received help for family problems and came from what it called 'disadvantaged communities'.
The figures are contained in Barnardos' 2006 annual review (download it in pdf format here).
It shows over 4,000 children received help regarding family problems, nearly 500 were given bereavement counselling, and 180 children who were going through certain legal proceedings were helped by the charity.
The majority of those in contact were aged between six and 11.
The charity is calling on the Government to fund one-year preschool education for all children in the country.
Barnardos also says it helped 3,000 people who had been in industrial schools to trace their family origins last year.
