Homeless children who are placed in emergency accommodation are having their rights breached, according to a new report.

The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Geoffrey Shannon, has published his annual review, with some stark findings.

The ISPCC said that the report provides an essential service by carrying out an independent review of children’s rights and how they are protected.

CEO Grainia Long, says children and their families should no longer be housed in emergency accommodation.

“Unfortunately, the numbers continue to go in the wrong direction,” she said.

“So I think what Geoffrey Shannon has … done a very good service to children in Ireland, because he has reminded Government and the Oireachtas that, irrespective of the scale and nature of the housing crisis, the rights of children are paramount, and it’s not good enough that we simply keep placing children in emergency accommodation, and he recommended that the practice stop.”