More than half of social workers and a third of police officers feel powerless to help in suspected cases of child neglect, campaigners have warned.

A poll for Action for Children also found that less than two-thirds of the public who had concerns had told someone else.

The charity has called for the Government to increase families' access to support and encourage parents and the public to act early on signs of neglect.

Dame Clare Tickell, the charity's Chief Executive, said: "Neglect corrodes childhoods, robbing the most vulnerable children of hope, happiness and life chances.

"All our findings point to the stark reality that neglected children and their parents are being identified, but neither the professionals nor the public feel empowered to help or intervene, particularly at the early stages.

"When it comes to child neglect the reality is we are only tackling the tip of the iceberg, and there are many thousands out there in desperate need."

Prof Corinne May-Chahal, Co-chairwoman of The College of Social Work, added: "The point at which social workers can intervene in cases of neglect is too high.

"The system, in its current state, falls short in providing the safety and security neglected children need."

A YouGov poll of almost 300 social workers found 51% felt "powerless" to intervene in cases of child neglect while a survey of almost 250 police officers found 36 per cent felt the same.

More than half (52 per cent) of over 2,000 adults polled said they had had concerns about child neglect, but just 62 per cent had told someone else, with the others worrying about a lack of evidence and more than a third wanting more information on who to contact.

Around half of the 2,200 teachers, nursery staff and health professionals polled said the most helpful improvement would be if they were able to report less serious suspicions before they became worse.