Irish families to home up to 20 Syrian children

Twelve Irish families have been chosen to home up to 20 children from Syria who need immediate care.

The families are working with International Orphan Aid and have all been approved in line with the Hague convention.

It is estimated that around one million children have lost one or both of their parents through the Syrian conflict.

Kathy Monaghan, a director with International Orphan Aid, is hoping to care for one of these children.

She said that these children have already been through so much and should not end up in Direct Provision.

"An awful lot of them are going to be traumatised, and of course we have language difficulties as well," she said.

"But we have members of the Syrian community here as well and they have already offered support in Ireland, for translating and for counselling.

"We just think that the emotional needs and the psychological needs would be best provided for in families, not in Direct Provision, because they have been through so much already."