Chapter 14 — Children’s Homes

Sexual abuse

Two (2) female witnesses reported being abused by lay ancillary staff who were employed in the environs of the Homes.

Neglect

Failure to care for the child which results, or could reasonably be expected to result, in serious impairment of the physical or mental health or development of the child or serious adverse effects on his or her behaviour or welfare.11 This section presents witness reports of neglect of their care, welfare and education. Descriptions of neglect refer to all aspects of the physical, social and emotional care and welfare of the witnesses that had implications for their physical, psychological and social development.

The Committee heard 43 reports of neglect from 41 witnesses, 20 male and 21 female, in relation to 17 Children’s Homes. Two (2) witnesses each made reports of neglect in relation to two Homes. Reports included neglect in combination with physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Two (2) of the 17 Children’s Homes were the subject of both male and female reports.

As with the other abuse types the frequency of neglect reports by witnesses varied in relation to individual Children’s Homes, as follows: Two (2) Children’s Homes were collectively the subject of 15 reports. Three (3) Children’s Homes were each the subject of four reports, totalling 12 reports. Four (4) Children’s Homes were each the subject of two reports, totalling eight reports. Eight (8) Children’s Homes were the subject of a single report.

The most consistently reported area of neglect by witnesses in Children’s Homes was the neglect of and inadequate provision for their education. Witnesses also described neglect of their safety and welfare and a failure to provide protection from harm. Reports regarding inadequate food, clothing and neglect of their health were more commonly reported by witnesses discharged prior to the 1970s.

Thirty five (35) witnesses, 23 male and 12 female, reported that their education was neglected. Ten (10) witnesses reported being removed from the classroom to work in or on behalf of the Home and that they were denied any further opportunity to avail of formal schooling ‘I worked out on the farm picking potatoes and carrots – there was no education there’. A witness who reported that she was sent to an external second-level school and was later abruptly withdrawn by the religious Sister stated the following: I loved school, I really, really loved school ... I got as far as ..., I prepared for my Intermediate. I got good reports and everything before that and then the nun suddenly said “you’re not going to stay on in school anymore. Your mother’s not sending any money for books” and they took me out and sent me to work in ... named hospital ... as a cleaner. I was so distraught, that killed me....

Others reported that due to their fear of abuse in the classroom they were unable to learn and that they were denied the opportunity to acquire an education.

Thirteen (13) witnesses reported that they left the Children’s Home with no education or literacy skills. A small number of witnesses reported that their particular learning difficulties were not assessed and that no educational assistance was available to them. They also reported being either ridiculed or ignored as a result of their learning difficulties. I received no education at all. I was seen as retarded because I had ... medical condition.... I cannot now read or write. Silence was the daily code, you were never allowed speak to others. I spent most of the time working hard from an early age. I had no friends and no outside contact with anyone.

Four (4) witnesses who attended class in the local community reported being singled out for ridicule by teachers and pupils. One witness reported ‘We were put at the back of the class and ignored. Nobody played with us. We were told we need have no aspirations above cleaning’.

The neglect of safety and welfare, inconsistent staffing and poor supervision were a frequent focus of witness reports. Twenty eight (28) witnesses, 13 male and 15 female, reported being abused in the absence of supervision by staff. A number of female witnesses reported being cared for at night by older residents, and others reported that they themselves were forced to provide care for infants, without access to or the supervision of adult staff. Six (6) of the witnesses who reported sexual and physical abuse in Children’s Homes stated that the absence of supervision and the lack of consistent staff attention made them vulnerable to abuse. One male witness reported ‘the inadequate supervision of older boys allowed rapes to take place. I was raped on 2 occasions by older boys’. Another describing the difficulty of not being believed or protected by staff commented ‘They changed. It was always changing, a new staff could come today and tomorrow he would be gone ...

Witnesses from three Homes commented on both the lack of supervision of volunteer workers and other visitors, and the unsupervised access of ex-residents to the Home. In the absence of critical overseeing of staff, visitors and co-residents, witnesses reported they were abused both within the Home and on outings. A male witness reported ‘the most serious neglect was to be sent out at weekends to ...X..., a volunteer, without any supervision or follow-up, where I was sexually abused’.

Twenty five (25) witnesses, 12 male and 13 female, reported that the quality and quantity of food was inadequate and that they were at times so hungry that they took food from kitchens, farms attached to the Homes, and waste bins. The majority of these reports were made by witnesses discharged prior to 1970. Witnesses who worked in the kitchen described the staff diet as superior to their own. ‘The staff bins were the best, they had the best scraps’. In addition to reports of insufficient food, witnesses from a small number of Homes also reported being deprived of meals as a punishment for breaking rules including being late for meals.

Eighteen (18) witnesses, nine male and nine female, reported the lack of adequate hygiene facilities to maintain their personal care. Witnesses reported inadequate provision of appropriate clothing and toiletries and having to share baths with co-residents. Four (4) witnesses reported the poor provision of appropriate sanitary wear and some commented on the lack of education with regard to sexual matters. Four (4) other witnesses from one Home gave accounts of Jeyes Fluid being used in baths that were either too hot or too cold.

Thirteen (13) witnesses, six male and seven female, commented that when they were ill or injured they did not receive adequate medical attention. One female witness described being left unattended in the infirmary with an injury to her hand. A male witness stated that his nose was broken and he was unconscious following an assault by a member of religious staff, he commented that he was removed from the classroom by the Resident Manager but that he received no attention for his injuries. Witnesses from three Children’s Homes reported that staff from both within the institution and from external agencies neglected to investigate the cause of their injuries. They reported attending hospitals, doctors and clinics where they were rarely spoken to directly about how they received the injuries with which they were presenting. You got injuries that would mend themselves. I went to the doctor he would not hear tell of it, he’d say “you’ll be ok after a few days”.

Many witnesses commented on the lack of preparation or planning for discharge and reported that their transition to independent living was traumatic. Witnesses who had no family contact during their time in the Children’s Homes or who had been reared entirely in institutional settings reported feeling bewildered when discharged. A female witness described her experience on leaving: ‘I didn’t know how to behave in a household ... I hated it. I didn’t know how to behave in somebody’s home.’