Chapter 14 — Children’s Homes

Current circumstances

Six (6) witnesses reported that the regimented and abusive environments they experienced in Children’s Homes contributed at times to harsh relationships with their own children. Five (5) other witnesses described having been physically abusive to their children. A small number of witnesses reported that contact with their adult children had been lost following episodes of abuse or neglect in their childhoods.

It was frequently remarked by witnesses that the difficulties they experienced as parents and the inability to show love and affection to their own children were overcome in their role as grandparents. Many witnesses reported having mutually rewarding and enjoyable relationships with their grandchildren.

The practice of separating boys and girls when they were admitted to out-of-home care in the pre-1970s was reported by witnesses to have contributed to the fragmentation of their families. The painful impact of being separated from siblings was experienced both during the witnesses’ time in the institutions and following discharge. Thirty (30) witnesses, 17 male and 13 female, reported feeling disconnected, having little contact with their siblings and other family members since their discharge from the Homes. A number of these witnesses reported feeling rejected by and alienated from their family members, which they believed was the result of separation and lack of contact in their childhood.

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.