The Children's Ombudsman says there is a fear and a sense of shame and lack of trust in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
A damning report yesterday found serious failings in the CAHMS services in south Kerry, where 227 children were exposed to risky treatment, and 46 were harmed significantly, after being prescribed inappropriate medication by a junior doctor.
The Taoiseach described the findings as "shocking" and he's called for an audit of all CAHMS services across the country.
Children's Ombudsman Niall Muldoon says there are currently 72 services in the country, but over 100 are needed.
"We're really understaffed, under-resourced and under-invested in."
The Ombudsman said the lack of governance within the services compounds issues further. which was seen in South Kerry.
"There was no case management, there was no data protection, there was no shared clinical diaries."
He said the environment led to a "free for all" in regards to individuals ignoring the rules.
