Chapter 14 — Children’s Homes

Witnesses

A small number of witnesses who remained in Children’s Homes after 17 years of age reported being assisted with education and training. Others described being supported by the staff and continued to reside in the Homes until they were settled in accommodation and employment, during the 1980s and 1990s.

Everyday life in children’s homes

This section presents the information provided by 61 witnesses regarding aspects of their every day life in Children’s Homes, including education, work, health and recreation. The witnesses’ descriptions of everyday life in these Homes differed from accounts heard of Industrial Schools in a number of aspects. The physical structure of the Homes was generally smaller, there were fewer residents, and, with few exceptions, admission was on a voluntary basis. Further, in a number of Children’s Homes witnesses reported being encouraged and supported to attend second-level education and more often commented that professionally trained lay childcare workers were employed since the 1970s.6

Witnesses reported that, prior to the 1970s, classroom education was generally provided within the Children’s Homes and in boarding schools located on the same site. Witnesses also reported attending primary, secondary and vocational schools in the local community. Those who attended off-site schools reported that they valued the opportunity to mix with pupils from the local community and the contact it provided with the outside world.

With the exception of one female witness, all the witnesses gave accounts of attending primary school and the majority attained their Primary Certificate.7

Twenty three (23) witnesses, 14 male and nine female, reported that they received second-level education, 10 of whom succeeded in attaining their Intermediate/Junior, Leaving or Group Certificates. Others obtained secretarial and technical qualifications with the support of religious and lay staff from the Homes.

The diet in the period prior to the 1970s was typically described as porridge for breakfast with either tea or cocoa, potatoes with meat and vegetables for the midday meal, and bread and tea for the evening meal. A number of witnesses who were admitted in the 1960s and remained in Homes throughout the 1970s reported improvements in the quality and availability of a more nourishing and varied diet during that period.

The Committee heard evidence from witnesses of the health care provided to them in Children’s Homes, with improvements in the availability and range of services in more recent decades. Thirty eight (38) witnesses reported receiving some type of medical attention including attendance by a doctor or a nurse, treatment in the infirmary, and immunisation. Sixteen (16) witnesses described being attended by a family doctor. Accounts were heard of infirmaries or sick bays being available in 10 Homes. Eighteen (18) witnesses reported attending hospital for illnesses including: scarlet fever, appendicitis, diphtheria, and rheumatic fever. Six (6) other witnesses reported attendance at outpatient clinics or hospital casualty departments for various reasons including the investigation of physical illness, treatment for accidental and non-accidental injuries, and assessment at child and adolescent mental health services.

Forty (40) witnesses reported being involved in some form of work while resident in the Children’s Homes. The majority of these accounts related to the period prior to the 1970s. Witnesses described performing domestic tasks such as cleaning, polishing and working in the convent, and in a small number of instances serving meals to visiting priests. Other witnesses reported working for what they believed was the commercial gain of religious congregations including work in laundries, on farms, and in homes for the elderly.

Witnesses from a small number of the Children’s Homes gave accounts of undertaking domestic chores in fee-paying boarding schools attached to the convents; some commented on the apparent inequality of their circumstances by contrast with pupils in those schools.

Six (6) female witnesses reported providing care for infants and younger residents in the Children’s Homes. Some witnesses described these responsibilities as inappropriate for their age due to their lack of emotional maturity, the inadequacy of their own care, and the lack of supervision or support provided by staff.

Fifty four (54) witnesses commented on the various opportunities provided for play and recreation. Activities included outings to the sea, cinema, and the availability of television, books and toys. Other types of recreation included Irish dancing, Sunday walks and participation in Gaelic games. Many witnesses reported being encouraged by staff to participate in sport and other recreational activities.

Greater availability of equipment and games, and the opportunity to be involved in activities in the local community were reported by witnesses discharged in the 1980s and 1990s. Witnesses commented that such activities outside the Homes facilitated reintegration on discharge and gave them a sense of connection with the community outside the institution.

Witnesses commented that religion was an important aspect of everyday life and 44 witnesses reported religious practices that included attendance at daily Mass, reciting the Rosary, and attending Sunday Church. ...Named Children’s Home... was modelled on religious life, a very strict regime. The silence was constant except for very short periods, you could speak only if spoken to.

Twelve (12) witnesses, reported visits by adults from outside the institutions including benefactors, the Cigire in the classroom, and others whose identity was not always clear to witnesses. One witness recalled the visit of prospective foster parents who walked up and down a line of residents for the purpose of selecting a child for fostering. Many reported that preparations were made for these visits, which included cleaning the institutions, residents being provided with special clothing and toys, and improvements in food for the duration of the visit. Others commented that the residents were never spoken to during these visits. There was a big flap every now and again when visitors came, some of them were charity people. ... Children in the lower grades were given the toys that were on shelves or on windows and which they didn’t know how to handle and were afraid to do anything with in case of punishment later.

Witnesses commonly reported that they were not adequately prepared for discharge and that the transition to independent living was often difficult. Witnesses, who had been in institutions since early childhood, described feeling abandoned, displaced and lost on leaving the Children’s Homes. Other witnesses for whom family contact had been maintained by visits and holidays throughout their admission generally reported continued family contact following their discharge.