Department to meet with residential abuse survivors after nine month wait for response

The group has said it finds the government's lack of response to their proposals "reprehensible, neglectful and unfair". File picture.

A group representing survivors of residential institutional abuse in Ireland has hit out at the Government over a lack of response to their proposals, nine months after their submission to Norma Foley, the education minister. 

In 2019, a consultation commissioned by the Department of Education highlighted health and housing needs and social supports, among a range of issues identified for 100 survivors who took part. This led to an interdepartmental committee being established to examine the future needs of survivors. 

There was also further engagement on outstanding issues as well as submissions to the Department of Education last year as part of the consultation's second stage.  However, survivors have said little has happened since.

In December 2020, the committee of survivors, Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse (SRIA), met with Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to submit their proposal document after these consultations. 

Now the same committee has issued an angry statement having received no response from the department to their proposals. 

The Irish SOCA (Survivors of Child Abuse) said this committee, because it has yet to receive any response, thinks government wants to abandon the process, having asked the group to identify their needs as part of a survivor-led process. 

"There has been no response from Government to our Proposal document in the nine months since it was submitted. It is now clear to us (SRIA) at that time of establishing our committee the government, has clearly underestimated the scale of hardship survivors are enduring. 

"It must be noted, it was the government who sought us (survivors) out to identify the needs and requirements of survivors. 

It is fair to say, those government departments involved in this project, have simply sat on our report and have done absolutely nothing to assure our committee, or indeed the vast majority of survivors, that they are willing to act in any urgent or meaningful manner it requires. 

"In fact, our committee now feel it’s possible the government simply wants to abandon the entire process, a process, they themselves set up.

"After spending the last 18 months devoting our time voluntary and freely trying to assist those who have always lived life on the margins, we the committee, find the government’s total lack of response to our committees’ proposals reprehensible, neglectful and unfair. 

"They should be ashamed for the way it has treated 'survivors' in this fashion," the statement said. 

The SRIA committee said it intends to write to every leader of the opposition "with the view of getting straight answers from the government" over the consultation project. 

The committee said it fears survivors will be incorporated into a redress scheme similar to the delayed plans for mother and baby home survivors due to open next year. SRIA said it was their understanding that their redress scheme was to be an independent mechanism solely for survivors of residential institutional abuse. 

A spokesperson for the department of education has said the voices of survivors are critical and the SRIA committee will be met with over the coming days. 

The department said submissions from the second stage of the process are being considered and department officials have met with the appointed facilitators of the consultation's second stage. 

"Officials were in contact with the facilitators as recently as this week and are due to meet with the consultation group over the coming days," the spokesperson said.