Dr. Niall Muldoon:

It is difficult for me to comment on that individual case but it is crucial we start to look at our children and how they are impacted by homelessness, for example, the homelessness of their parents. There are situations where mothers go into homelessness with their children and the father is not allowed to visit. They may not be separated but they may not live together in certain places. The children are impacted in so many different ways and that is why we want to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into our domestic law so that every decision, whether it is on homelessness, housing, justice, education or health, is thinking of children's rights every step of the way. Everything has to be child rights compliant. We should be able to facilitate the best interests of the child every step of the way. That is something we need to push harder for. Situations like that should not be happening but with the way the situation is set up at the moment, it is not unusual, unfortunately. However, we have to provide second and third chances.