From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Following the announcement last week of the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and related matters, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs wishes to provide an update on progress to date and to draw to the attention of relevant members of the public the information and counselling services which are available.
Minister Flanagan stated:
“The first important point to note is that a special e-mail address has been created to facilitate submissions from organisations and individuals in relation to the proposed Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. Submissions are invited regarding information relevant to the scoping exercise now underway, e.g. the institutions or locations which should be considered for inclusion or the general matters which the Terms of Reference should require the Commission to examine.
“The government is anxious to have the Commission of Investigation established before the Dáil recess and has set a tight deadline. I am urging those who wish to make submissions to act without delay in availing of this opportunity to inform the considerations now underway.
“As well as working closely with my own officials, it is my intention to meet a number of key advocacy groups and to have further meetings with spokespersons of other political parties in the next couple of weeks. It is important that we all work together to progress this important initiative, mindful always of those who spent time in Mother and Baby Homes and the need to be sensitive to their situations and to act efficiently to put an effective Commission in place.”
The Commission will be statutory and independent and will operate under the Commission of Investigations Act, 2004. The process of developing a detailed terms of reference for the Commission is being supported by a high level Cross Departmental Review Committee. The Committee continues to meet and is collecting a range of information in preparation for further detailed consideration by Government. The Group will report to Government before the end of June 2014.
Government will also decide upon the composition of the Commission which, under the Commission of Investigations Act 2004, can be made up of one or more members. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has already confirmed that it is the government’s intention that the scope of this Investigation will go beyond the home operated by the Sisters of Bon Secours in Tuam and will deal with other Mother and Baby Homes, including the Bethany Home. There have been calls for inclusion of a range of other institutions and concerns and these will be given consideration as part of the process underway. Further information in relation to the Commission will be communicated publicly by Government as soon as these matters have been decided and information is available.
Information and Counselling Services
Minister Flanagan stated:
“There are a number of services available to those affected by the matters being considered in the context of Mother and Baby Homes. In particular, I am conscious that there is a demand for information and my department has worked with the HSE in relation to arrangements for the provision of information.
"There is now a telephone Information line available for people seeking information or details of support available to those affected by these issues. Those seeking such information may telephone the HSE National Information Line; Low Call Telephone 1850 24 1850 during Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
"Those affected can also directly contact the CONNECT free telephone out of hours professional counselling and support service where they can talk in confidence with a trained counsellor. CONNECT is an out of hours service available from 6-10pm. It normally operates from Wednesday to Sunday but it is currently operating seven evenings per week as part of the response to those affected by the Mother and Baby Homes coverage. The CONNECT out of hours service is contactable at Freephone 1800 477 477 from the Republic of Ireland and 00800 477 477 77 from Northern Ireland and the UK.
"The National Counselling Service is also available to assist those affected. The HSE National Counselling Service is a professional, confidential counselling and psychotherapy service available free of charge in all regions of the Health Service Executive for adults who have experienced trauma and abuse in childhood with priority given to adult survivors of institutional abuse in Ireland. Callers to the HSE National Information line will be connected to a local service.
"Finally, those seeking adoption information and tracing information may wish to visit the following sites:
ENDS