The Ombudsman for Children is calling for urgent improvements in accommodation for children and young people in the care of the state.

Dr. Niall Muldoon says in particular, there should be changes in the care of those with mental health issues.

His office has dealt with a number of complaints where children are being placed in inappropriate care facilities, including being accommodated in adult psychiatric wards or paediatric wards, where no mental health support is available, often due to a lack of sufficient beds in the appropriate adolescent psychiatric wards.

And two areas where initial focus on care of children in inappropriate setting was placed by the Ombudsman - Children within Direct Provision and 17 year olds within the Prison System, despite political will to change, the problems continue.

Overall there's been a 9 percent increase in complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children since 2012.