Victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation are being failed by the system, according to a report that warns child protection authorities are likely to be missing many cases.

It would be a "serious mistake" to think Rotherham-style child abuse is not happening here, according to the study of child protection arrangements by the Care Inspectorate, commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Estimates of prevalence based on reports by adults of abuse in childhood suggest many more should be listed on child protection registers, said the body that scrutinises care services.

The implication is that many or even most cases of child abuse are being missed by Child Protection Committees (CPCs), the bodies responsible for co-ordinating police, council and health board action in each local authority.

Professor Alexis Jay, the ­Government's former chief inspector of social work and author of the damning report into widespread child abuse in Rotherham, said there was no reason to think similar levels of abuse were not happening in Scotland.

The report said that while the committees and other agencies were working very effectively in many areas, there was a danger many at-risk children were not being spotted. The committees should "consider carefully the reasons why there are very low numbers of children and young people being placed on the Child Protection Register because they are at risk of sexual abuse," it said.

It says that in 25 out of 26 council areas there was effective leadership and direction of child protection committees. However, in a small number a lack of communication between the heads of agencies such as health and social work and CPCs was leading to weaknesses.

Of 11 areas inspected formally, ­planning of child protection services had stalled in six and deteriorated in three. In formal inspections, the ­ability of teams to assess and respond to risks and needs of vulnerable children was assessed as weak in Clackmannanshire and Stirling and unsatisfactory in Dumfries and Galloway. Planning of child protection services was found to be weak in Orkney, East Lothian and Dumfries and Galloway.

Annette Bruton, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate, said child protection arrangements generally were good, but there was no room for complacency. "Abuse takes many forms and, because it takes place in secret, it is hard to detect and prevent," she said. "It would be a serious mistake to assume Scotland is immune from the type of exploitation we sadly see elsewhere."

Children who are vulnerable but not on the child protection register might also be at risk, she said. "There must be just as much concern for children who miss the threshold but need support."

Professor Jay said: "No-one knows the true extent of child sexual exploitation in any community. We need a stronger focus on not just understanding the scale of the problem but identifying the children themselves so we can help them."

She said boys and children in ­minority ethnic groups were among the groups where abuse was often under-reported. Children in the care system were also often at increased risk of exploitation within the system or grooming for exploitation.

The professor added: "In Rotherham, one-third of victims were already known to the authorities for child neglect or child protection issues."

Lucy Morton, manager of NSPCC Scotland's Glasgow centre, said: ­"Official statistics about the amount of child sexual abuse do not give a true picture. Insidious and secretive by its very nature, sexual abuse is a crime usually only witnessed by the abuser and the victim. One-third of all children who are abused never speak to anyone about it, even when they are adults. As a society we need to be prepared to talk about and challenge the unthinkable, just as agencies need to look at how we can better support victims."