A total of 37 new case reports have been published by the Child Care Law Reporting Project - detailing the neglect, physical and sexual abuse of children.

The misery of children finding nothing under the tree on Christmas morning while their mother slept off a hangover upstairs is just one of the heart-rending cases to feature in the latest batch of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP).

Vulnerable children are being left on waiting lists or in care abroad due to a lack of secure care beds in Ireland.