Leading child protection charity the NSPCC yesterday defended its spending record after figures revealed that half of the money it receives is spent on paperwork rather than children's services.

The NSPCC spends at least 50 per cent of its total income on publicity, campaigning and administration.

But a spokesman said those activities were vital for protecting children as well.

The charity said nearly £53m - 86 per cent of the money it received last year - went "directly" towards helping children.

Of that, 59 per cent went on its local services for children while the rest went mainly on publicity and campaigning.

Only the remaining 14 per cent of all the donations the NSPCC received went on administration and support.

The spokesman said: "The NSPCC's work is diverse and its methods many, but its single aim has not changed since 1884 - to stop cruelty to children. To say only half goes to children is a completely distorted way of looking at it.

"Our local services to children are the core of the NSPCC's work. But we are a campaigning organisation and we have a twin-track approach to our work."

In March last year, the NSPCC launched its Full Stop campaign, featuring the Spice Girls, footballer Alan Shearer and other stars which the aim of raising £250m by the end of this year.

But earlier this week the Duke of York, who is chairman of the campaign, disclosed that it had raised only £80m.

The charity, which spent £18m on advertising the campaign, said that it had further pledges of £100m.

"With £80m coming in we have a return on our investment of more than four to one, which is very efficient," the spokesman added.

The NSPCC's spending was highlighted by Community Care magazine following the release of the charity's annual report.

The spokesman said that direct services alone were not going to cut child abuse.

"We help hundreds of thousands more children by influencing legislation and policy than we could directly through local services," he said.

Meanwhile Neil Hunt, NSPCC director of child protection, said it was ridiculous to suggest the money was not helping vulnerable children.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday: "We took a conscious decision that having been around for 115 years and helping millions of children, that the millennium was an opportunity for us to raise debate about child protection in this country.

"We wanted to take the debate out of services and say it was a matter for the British public as a whole to look at.

"Raising awareness of this issue does not come cheap. We're making no apologies about this. I do not understand this criticism."