Concerns have been raised about the lack of specialised services and residential placements for vulnerable children in care.
In its latest report, the Child Law Project has highlighted an inability to provide appropriate residential placements, a lack of specialised services for vulnerable children and some cases of unaccompanied minors fleeing war abroad are also included in the reports.
CEO Dr Maria Corbett said that while there is a huge variety of issues arising in the cases, there is one theme that is persistent, and that is a difficulty in providing a residential place for children.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said there are 18 special care beds across the country in three different units.
"Having only 18 special care beds is a constant issue that comes up. We also have ongoing conversations about whether children have a mental health issue that would allow them to be in a CAMHS in-patient unit, or whether they have behaviours that are distressing but they aren't a mental illness.
"So there seems to be gaps in the system and what happens then is you have children either going back to family members where it's not appropriate or they're just waiting.
"They're waiting in inappropriate places, in hospitals, or just in other units that everybody involved in their care knows is not meeting their needs."
Dr Corbett said that there are no signs of positive changes, adding that "the situation is quite dire at the moment."
In relation to unaccompanied minors arriving in Ireland, she said they clearly are coming from very difficult circumstances and need a lot of support and therapeutic support.
She said there is an excellent team - the Separated Children's unit within Tusla - who provide them with support.
"They will be initially placed in a residential unit and then often with foster families and actually these young people have often done really well when they get a chance to settle, be safe and get a chance to engage with education here."
The Child Law Project attends both District and High Court cases around child protection orders and publishes bi-annual reports on proceedings.
