Chapter 14 — Children’s Homes

Current circumstances

Twenty one (21) witnesses, 14 male and seven female, reported that contact with family members was frequently characterised by ambivalence and conflict. Many witnesses described having ongoing and close contact with a number of their siblings and almost no communication with others. Seventeen (17) witnesses gave accounts of receiving help and support from extended family members following their discharge, including grandmothers, aunts and uncles, in the absence of such assistance being available from parents and siblings.

Ten (10) witnesses had no contact with any family members, including four male and two female witnesses who had no information about their families in spite of their attempts to trace relatives.

The majority of witnesses reported a history of full employment since their discharge from the Children’s Homes. Twenty (20) witnesses, 15 male and five female, reported being employed for 30 years or more. A further 13 witnesses, five male and eight female, were employed for 10 years or more. Thirty one (31) witnesses, 17 male and 14 female, reported being in full-time employment at the time of their hearings. Table 78 illustrates the employment status of witnesses reported at their hearing:

Employment status	Male	Female	Total witnesses
Employed	8	12	20
Retired	11	2	13
Disability income	2	1	3
Unemployed	8	2	10
Self-employed	6	2	8
Defence Forces	3	0	3
Working at home	0	4	4
Total	38	23	61

The following table provides a breakdown of the witnesses’ reports of their current occupational status at the time of their hearing:

Occupational status	Males	Females	Total Witnesses
Professional	0	1	1
Manual and technical	4	2	6
Non-manual	3	5	8
Skilled manual	11	2	13
Semi-skilled	8	3	11
Unskilled	12	8	20
Unavailable	0	2	2
Total	38	23	61

Twenty (20) witnesses reported being employed in unskilled positions. Most had spent many years of their childhoods in residential facilities and reported that they were ill-equipped for any employment other than domestic positions or unskilled work. A number of these witnesses found employment in institutional settings as cleaners, waiters and porters and in the Defence Forces.

A number of witnesses commented that their lack of education while in the Children’s Homes contributed to subsequent difficulties with employment. The table below illustrates the highest education level attended, but not in all instances completed, by both male and female witnesses:

Highest level of education	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Primary	16	9	25
Secondary	14	9	23
Third level	8	4	12
No education	0	1	1
Total	38	23	61

The 12 witnesses who attended third-level education reported doing so as adults and a number reported having had years of successful employment, including careers in nursing, retailing, and management. One female witness reported that she never attended school.

Other witnesses described having difficulties with authority, which led to frequent changes of employment and periods of unemployment. A small number of these witnesses later established themselves in successful, long-term self-employed careers.

Forty seven (47) witnesses reported having stable housing arrangements at the time of their hearing, as shown in the following table:

Accommodation	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Owner occupiers	23	12	35
Local authority/ council housing	5	7	12
Private rented accommodation	4	2	6
With relatives	1	1	2
Sheltered housing	0	1	1
With friends	1	0	1
Hostel	1	0	1
Unavailable	3	0	3
Total	38	23	61

A number of witnesses described earlier periods of unstable housing with frequent changes of address. Many had lived in temporary accommodation during the initial years following their discharge. Ten (10) witnesses, eight male and two female, reported having been homeless and living in transient accommodation facilities at some time in the past.

Witnesses provided information to the Committee about their general health and well-being in the course of their hearings. For the purpose of writing this Report the Committee categorised the witnesses’ physical and mental health status as good, reasonable or poor based on their past and current health history. The following table illustrates the physical health status described by witnesses at the time of their hearings:

Physical health status	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Good	20	7	27
Reasonable	17	15	32
Poor	1	1	2
Total	38	23	61

Most witnesses reported either good or reasonable physical health. There was a notable gender difference between the 20 male and seven female witnesses who described themselves as being in good physical health. Thirty two (32) witnesses stated that their health was reasonable, notwithstanding treatment currently or in the past for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular, and thyroid and urinary problems, some of which were age related. Six (6) witnesses stated that they suffered recurrent back pain and four witnesses believed that their current hearing loss, thyroid conditions, and other ailments were linked with neglect of their healthcare as children in the Homes. Witnesses who described poor physical health had generally experienced long-standing ill-health.

In the course of their hearings witnesses also provided information about their mental health. Witnesses’ mental health status was categorised on the basis of the information they provided regarding their past and current well-being, and their need for psychiatric treatment and counselling services. Table 83 outlines witnesses’ current mental health status:

Mental health status	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Good	11	8	19
Reasonable	17	9	26
Poor	10	6	16
Total	38	23	61

Nineteen (19) witnesses described their mental health as good. They commented that generally they had been able to resolve the trauma associated with their childhood abuse in spite of occasional sadness. Some of those witnesses reporting that they benefited from counselling and assistance from mental health and other services, particularly in the early years following discharge.

Twenty six (26) witnesses were categorised as having reasonable mental health. Many of the male witnesses commented that they used alcohol to help them cope with difficult memories. A number stated that they were unable to talk openly to others and found discussion of their past experiences too traumatic and as a result had not used counselling or other services. A male witness commented that he managed to cope with his own depression and suicidal thoughts, stating: ‘I could never go that far... (suicide)... although I often think about it’. Female witnesses in this group commented that in spite of periodic feelings of anxiety or depression they managed to cope with their difficulties with the assistance of ongoing personal and professional support.