Louise McSharry: Record number of homeless children and the Kyran Durnin case show things are going from bad to abysmal

Like many parents, just before Christmas I attended my children’s winter concert. I always find these events emotional – a mix of the usual parental pride and hope that my children will enjoy it, as well as an overwhelming sense of sadness that not all the children have parents in the hall or a home that’s safe and loving. I appreciate some people might find that a little over the top.

However, when you’ve had a childhood that wasn’t always happy and safe, it’s difficult not to think of the fact that in among the happy families there are always children living a very different experience..