THE number of youngsters on child protection registers of two Gwent councils increased more than any other local authority in Wales in the past year.

Torfaen's child protection register numbers rose 25 per cent - the biggest increase in Wales, according to National Assembly statistics.

And it also has the third highest rate of children on the register - 43 per 10,000 children under 18 - behind Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff.

Newport saw the second highest increase in Wales of children placed on its register, up 16 per cent to 42 per 10,000.

Blaenau Gwent has the fifth highest rate of children on its register - 41 children per 10,000 - and Caerphilly is sixth with 38 per 10,000.

But the number of children on Monmouthshire's register went down 12 per cent, to 19 per 10,000.

The national average rate was 32.

But Torfaen and Newport councils say the rise is because people are more aware of child protection issues.

A Torfaen council spokeswoman said: "Over the last 12 months, the department and the area child protection committee have actively promoted a range of initiatives to increase awareness of child protection issues among professionals and other groups.

"One such initiative has been the appointment of a child safety co-ordinator, responsible for making contact with local sporting, leisure and youth groups, to provide them with training and practical guidelines to help children be safe within their organisations and alert them to abuse within the community.

"Other initiatives include updated leaflets for parents and professionals, and an awareness campaign and training to increase understanding of child neglect.

"Following this work we have noticed a rise in the number of referrals to the department. The primary focus of our work always has to be the safety of children."

A spokeswoman for Newport council added: "Identifying particular reasons in such a complex area as child protection is always difficult, but to some extent reflects the awareness of the public and other services working with children and families in telling us when they are concerned about a child's safety.

"Newport Area Child Protection Committee has produced a series of widely distributed child protection information leaflets for the public and people who work with children and families, advising them who to contact should they have concerns."