There are almost 6000 children in Western NSW who have been identified as being at risk of significant harm but just one third of those have had face-to-face interviews with child protection employees.
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The disturbing details came to light in the latest round of quarterly figures from the Department of Family and Community Services up to June 2014.
In total there are 5716 children in Western NSW, which includes the entire Orana region, listed in reports but just 1891 of them were assessed in person by FACS caseworkers.
The remaining 3825 only underwent phone interviews or were deemed not to be at risk.
The Western NSW results weren't the only negative ones. Statewide there were 72,243 children reported and just 19,092 were assessed.
According to the state government, an extra 86 caseworkers were employed between April and June which allowed them to see 700 additional children over the previous quarter but the number of children coming under the attention of FACS also increased dramatically.
Earlier this year FACS came under criticism from NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour for being unable to cope with its workload. The number of vacancies has been falling
In Western NSW there are still 17 caseworker vacancies.
There are 127 full time employees but funding available for 144 workers.
It is the third highest percentage of vacancies in NSW behind Southern NSW and the Hunter.
A senior NSW caseworker told the Sydney Morning Herald some of the vacancies that have been filled are by people who aren't currently able to meet with children.
"What the government hasn't said is that the positions are temporary workers who are not yet qualified to assess children," he said.
"And what the statistics don't show is the number of children who are being dealt with over the phone by third parties who close their cases when they are not considered serious enough to warrant a face-to-face investigation.
"Closing cases does not mean these cases are not serious and that they do not need a face-to-face assessment."
Spokesperson for Family and Community Services Linda Burney attacked the government for not doing more.
"The scale of the problem is just staggering and it keeps growing with each month. 53,151 children isn't just a statistic - it is a human tragedy occurring in our midst and with our silent acquiescence," Ms Burney said.
"These are vulnerable children whose basic safety and welfare is not being attended to.
"The Baird government's lack of focus on intensive, targeted programs to prevent child abuse borders on the negligent."
Family and community services minister Gabrielle Upton said the government is investing more money to ensure more children are helped.
"We will invest half a billion dollars over four years to improve the system and, most importantly, outcomes.
"The reforms will help our caseworkers focus on people, not the paperwork," she said.
