Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he would like to see an out-of-hours social work service introduced for children at risk "as soon as possible".
He was speaking after the launch of new national standards for the ''Protection and Welfare of Children'' prepared by the Health Information and Quality Authority.
However, Ineke Durville of the Irish Association of Social Workers has warned that a 24-hour crisis intervention service is a long way off.
New child protection standards stipulate that the HSE must give timely access to services to children who are not getting adequate care and protection.
HIQA has the power to monitor their application and can demand that child-focused care plans are put in place.
They also underline the need to identify and respond to institutional and organisational abuse.
Up until now, HIQA has monitored standards of care in settings such as foster care and residential care.
The standards describe what the HSE Children and Family Services should be doing to protect and promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection.
They are designed to follow a child's journey within the child protection system to ensure that his/her safety and welfare is being protected.
They mandate the provision of accessible information to the families concerned, timely access to services, screening of referrals, assessment to ensure that appropriate services are made available, and the taking of timely action to protect children at risk of harm.
The standards stipulate that the needs of children subjected to organisational and/or institutional abuse and children who are deemed to be especially vulnerable must be identified and responded to.
They also demand that child-focused care plans are in place, reviewed and monitored.
