A member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has described the situation of children in care in Ireland as "really concerning".
Professor Philip Jaffé welcomed the publication of a letter by a District Court judge, expressing concern for children in care, which was published earlier this week.
Mr Jaffé said it was "not a good thing" to send children into " retrograde" situations.
The UN Vice Chair for the Rights of the Child previously expressed concern about services for children in Ireland, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Asked if his visit had allayed those concerns he said "not really".
Prof Jaffé said: "We're at a point where we know what the problems are but we need to move forward and implement solutions, develop budget lines. We have to put in place professionals that know what they're doing and have sufficient numbers.
"So, there are a number of steps that still need to be taken, but at least I think that there's been a conscious understanding of what the issues are and how dire of a situation is for children."
Earlier this week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said a report by the Child Law Project highlighting an "unprecedented crisis" in child and family agency Tusla is a matter of deep concern.
A former Dublin District Court judge has written to numerous Government ministers and other State agencies expressing his "utmost concern" over the welfare of some children in care, and the likelihood of future legal challenges as a result of what he described as current "systemic" shortcomings.
According to the Child Law Project, Judge Dermot Simms sent a letter in May - accompanied by six reports - to four ministers, a number of relevant State bodies, and an Oireachtas committee calling for immediate and coordinated action to remedy the current crisis.
The Child Law Project publishes regular reports from the courts regarding child protection orders and reports on the nature and outcomes of proceedings.
The latest volume comprises 67 reports and a letter from Judge Simms expressing concerns.
Two months ago, Judge Simms, who has since retired, sent the detailed letter accompanied by related documents after he had been told in court by Tusla of an "unprecedented crisis" facing it.
In May, the Children's Ombudsman on mental health surveyed 2,166 children aged between 12 years old and 17 years old.
It found six in ten children who attended CAMHS in the past year had difficulty accessing the service and nearly half of those individuals said the service that they finally received did not help with their mental health issues, according to a report.
The 'A Piece of my Mind' report identified long waiting times as the biggest challenge in accessing CAMHS and many people found that the service failed to address their needs.
In January, the HSE said it will begin a review of all open CAMHS cases focusing directly on children and adolescents who have not been monitored for six months or more.
