Care workers have reported up to 150,000 pre-school children to social services over fears of abuse or neglect, investigations revealed.
A series of scandals involving children - dating back to Baby P in 2008 - has led to a climate of fear among midwives, health visitors, nursery workers and the public, according to the study.
Due to the intense pressure they are under to ensure they do not fail to identify a child at risk, social workers end up checking almost all of the warnings they receive, The Times reports.
Using data obtained from Freedom of Information Act requests, researchers from the University of Central Lancashire found that of the half a million children born in 114 council areas in 2009-2010, 115,735 were referred to social services by last year.
Of the 150 councils contacted, 114 responded. The newspaper reports that when extrapolated to cover the whole of England and Wales, more than 150,000 children born that year had been brought to the attention of child protection teams by the age of five.
Researchers say that while public and professional vigilance is welcome, the number of alerts received by social services meant staff were wasting their time on innocent families.
One example of a referral that did not make it beyond an initial assessment included a call from a neighbour who said a father was yelling at his children and might be taking drugs.
Lead researcher, Andy Bilson, said other data showed how much time referrals took up.
Last year 87% resulted in an initial assessment - most of which came to nothing - 25% led to a formal investigation, and 9.8% ended in child protection plans being put in place.
Professor Bilson said: "The tragic deaths of children ... and desperation not to be the one who misses the early signs next time have led to a climate of suspicion with child protection investigations spiralling."
PA
