A new report on the mental health of children in state care has criticised the number of placements for young people and has described the system as "traumatised and traumatising".

Letters of protest have been handed into the Dáil today calling on the Government to put children's mental health at the top of their agenda.

Thirty-eight organisations including Barnardos, Amnesty, and the Vincent de Paul have come together to seek urgent reform of the mental health system for children.