Calls by Vic kids in crisis go unanswered

Victoria's child abuse hotline reportedly failed to answer 20,000 calls for help in an 18-month period with some people waiting two hours to speak with an operator.

Freedom of information documents obtained by News Corp suggest almost 57,000 calls to the Child Protection Crisis Line were not responded to between mid-2010 and late 2015.

Children Minister Jenny Mikakos insists the Andrews government has increased funding to the service "after years of neglect by the previous government".

"Labor has increased funding, resulting in a decrease in the number of abandoned calls and a significant reduction in waiting times," the minister says in a statement on Thursday.

The government says in the last six months of 2016 the percentage of abandoned calls dropped to six per cent, with the average waiting time cut to one minute and 11 seconds.