Support Considered for Children Who Lived in Mother Baby Homes

By Fiach Kelly
Irish Times
April 11, 2017

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/support-considered-for-children-who-lived-in-mother-baby-homes-1.3045672

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone: set to have consultations “regarding the nature and type of services and supports in the area of health and well-being that they consider would be helpful to them at this stage”. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill

Support for unaccompanied children who lived in mother and baby homes may be better than access to a redress scheme, the Government has said.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone said she would carry consultations “regarding the nature and type of services and supports in the area of health and well-being that they consider would be helpful to them at this stage”.

This process will be completed by the end of June, and Ms Zappone will bring firm proposals back to Cabinet before the summer with supports expected to be in place by the autumn.

The Government said it was “not possible” to implement a recommendation to reopen the 2002 redress scheme for survivors of institutional abuse for children who lived in mother and baby homes.

Extending scheme

Ms Zappone, who published the second interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes on Tuesday, consulted with Attorney General Maire Whelan, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Education Richard Bruton, among others, about the possibility of a redress scheme.

Extending the 2002 scheme for survivors of institutional abuse to those who spent time as unaccompanied children in mother and baby homes was recommended in the second interim report.

The Government said the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes “has made no finding to date about abuse or neglect in these homes”, adding that it does not want to pre-empt its final findings.

“The Government is conscious that the Commission has made no findings to date regarding abuse or neglect, and believes it would not be appropriate to deal with the question of redress in advance of any conclusions on this issue by the Commission,” a statement said, while also describing the 2002 scheme as “complex to administer and often difficult for applicants”.

The report also says it is “difficult to see” what could be provided by further investigation into the area of illegal adoptions and false registration of births.