Mother and Baby Home Collaborative Forum

The Collaborative Forum of Former Residents of Mother and Baby Homes was established in 2018. The purpose of the Forum was to enable survivors to identify, discuss and prioritise the issues of concern to them, and facilitate their active participation in recommending actions and solutions to address those concerns.

In accordance with its Charter, the Collaborative Forum was an entirely separate process to that of the statutory Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. The recommendations of the Forum were published in April 2019, however its full report could not be published while the matters it referred to were still under consideration by the Commission of Investigation. The Forum’s Report is premised on the opinions and sincerely held views of Forum members in relation to their lived experiences, and makes a series of recommendations covering areas such as Identity and Information, Terminology, Health and Wellbeing, and Memorialisation. It was provided to the Commission of Investigation to ensure it had the opportunity to consider the report as part of its work.

Following the publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation in January 2021, and on foot of legal advices, the Department engaged with organisations criticised in the report to ensure they had an opportunity to review relevant material and provide any observations which they deemed appropriate. Although this process took some time, it ultimately facilitated publication of the Forum’s report in full in November 2022. The report is available to read via the below link.

Minister O’Gorman has publicly acknowledged and paid tribute to the great efforts of all members of the Collaborative Forum. The achievement of Forum participants in representing the voices of survivors has had real value and meaningful impact in the context of the State’s response and the recommendations made by the Forum have directly influenced the important ongoing work in seeking to address the priority concerns of survivors and their families.

• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 11 December 2019
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 04 November 2019
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 24 July 2019
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 10 December 2018
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 12 November 2018
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 15 October 2018
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 12 September 2018
• Mother and Baby Homes Collaborative Forum Meeting 26 July 2018

• Appointments to a collaborative forum of former residents of mother and baby homes and related institutions
• Charter for a collaborative forum of former residents of mother and baby homes and related institutions
• Minister Katherine Zappone announces new Chair of the Collaborative Forum for Former Residents of Mother and Baby related Institutions
• Minister Zappone publishes Recommendations from Collaborative Forum for Former Residents of Mother and Baby Homes and Related Institutions
• Address by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs at the First Meeting of the Collaborative Forum on Mother and Baby Homes
• Opening Remarks by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on the Tuam Mother and Baby Home
• Minister Zappone commences public information campaign seeking expressions of interest to participate in a Collaborative Forum of former residents of Mother and Baby homes and those with comparable experience in a County Home