More than 6,000 children in state care across the country

According to the Child and Family Agency’s latest figures, there were 6,006 children in state care at the end of August.

This is marginally less than last year, but a 5% decrease on 2015’s figures.

A total of 5,502 of the children are in foster care and 396 in residential care.

The remaining are in other types of care placements, such as a detention centre.

Cork is the region with the highest number of children in state care, with 772, followed by the midwest, with 587.

There are also high numbers in all areas of Dublin, especially the ‘north city’ region, with 491.

Catherine Bond, the chief executive of the Irish Foster Care Association, says some children in care are not getting appropriate care.

"The one predominant issues that continues to raise its head is the need for supports for children with disabilities who are placed in foster care. The absence of services in that respect," said Ms Bond.

"The other issue then would be if a foster carer doesn't have an allocated link social worker or the child in care does not have their social worker."

Of all the children in state care across the country, 3,853 are aged between six and 15, with nearly 3,700 of them in full-time education.