No child in distress should ever be admitted to an adult unit and the practise should be prohibited.
The warning from "Mental Health Reform" follows HSE correspondence revealing 27 children spent a total of 87 days in adult psychiatric facilities last year, including in Cavan and Monaghan.
Bernadette Brogan, Policy and Research Manager with Mental Health Reform, says adult psychiatric facilities are "inappropriate environments for a child in distress".
The HSE said these children spent time in adult facilities because "some areas do not offer an emergency out-of-hours service," which included local counties Cavan and Monaghan.
Speaking on Northern Sound, Bernadette said levels of care and services shouldn't be dependent on a "postcode lottery":
