Campaigners call for new agency for historical domestic adoption 

Chief executive of the child and family agency, Tusla, acknowledged that many people felt hurt and let down by the State in their search for answers to the most basic questions.

A new agency and social work model should be established to handle all matters concerning historical domestic adoption, a campaign group has said.

In his opening statement to the Oireachtas children’s committee today, Bernard Gloster, chief executive of the child and family agency, Tusla, acknowledged that many people felt hurt and let down by the State in their search for answers to the most basic questions.

"To whatever extent any person attributes that hurt to their dealings with Tusla, I offer a sincere apology,” he said.

Maree Ryan-O’Brien, founder of adoptee campaign group Aitheantas, said while the apology was welcome, it shows a need to establish an independent agency to assist adopted people find answers about themselves.

“It’s our belief that there should be a new agency, separate from Tusla, separate from the Adoption Authority of Ireland, that is dealing specifically with historical domestic adoption that is sensitive to the nuances and issues in this area within a new social work model," she said.

At the moment, for example, there’s no automatic right for adoptees to know they have biological brothers or sisters. We need to have records centralised, we need to cross-reference records, and we need to have a clearer view of the issue of adoption as opposed to the drip-feed information we have at the moment.

Ms Ryan-O’Brien said there is a lot of hurt among adoptees from previous engagements with various State agencies on this topic.

“We cannot ask people to re-engage with the very agencies that traumatised them to begin with and then go back to them again and ask them to trust that it’s going to be OK this time. It doesn’t work that way,” she said.

“Our concern is that this, in itself, will be a barrier to participation.”

Asked about the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes, Ms Ryan O'Brien said the limited remit of the commission made many adopted people feel like they did not matter.

"Not everybody who was adopted in Ireland came through a mother a baby home."