4,228 entries for Historical Context

In summary, the most consistently reported features of the health profile of witnesses who had attended special needs facilities was depression with associated alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Twenty two (22) witnesses reported being treated for depression either currently or in the past and 31 witnesses reported having received counselling.

Communication impairments restricted a number of witnesses’ ability to report in detail about their experiences. It was also remarked that sensory and other impairments made it difficult for witnesses and others to access information about the work of the Commission. It is important to note that the evidence presented to the Committee was received from witnesses who were less restricted than others in their capacity to communicate independently and/or had access to good support networks. Witnesses repeatedly made the point to the Committee that this was not the reality for many of their former co-residents. Nine (9) of the 58 witnesses in this group did not elaborate on their life experiences since being discharged from the special needs services they attended as children. A number had gone on to live in sheltered accommodation facilities provided by the same organisations who managed the special needs services they had previously attended.

The table below lists the negative effects described by the 49 witnesses, 32 male and 17 female, who reported abuse in special needs services and also gave an account of their adult life circumstances.

Male witnesses	Female witnesses
Effects on adult life*	Number of reports	Effects on adult life*	Number of reports
Counselling required	17	Counselling required	14
Abuse not easily forgotten	12	Abuse not easily forgotten	12
Lack of trust	12	Feeling isolated	9
Suicidal feelings or attempt	12	Lack of trust	9
Alcohol abuse	11	Anxious and fearful	8
Feeling isolated	11	Post-traumatic effect	8
Angry	10	Tearfulness	7
Loner	9	Loner	7
Sleep disturbance	9	Mood instability	7
Gender identity and sexual problems	8	Feeling different from peers	5
Lack of self-worth	8	Feelings related to being a victim	5
Anxious and fearful	7	Suicidal feelings or attempt	5
Nightmares	7	Alcohol abuse	4
Tearfulness	6	Angry	4
Feeling different from peers	6	Issues of needing approval	4
Mood instability	6	Sleep disturbance including nightmares	4
Feelings related to being a victim	5	Somatic symptoms	4
Withdrawal	5	Withdrawal	4
Aggressive behaviour – verbal	4	Aggressive behaviour – physical	3
Post-traumatic effect	4	Eating disorder	3
Unable to settle	4	Fear of failure	3
Issues of self-blame	3	Feelings related to being powerless	3
Feelings related to being powerless	2	Aggressive behaviour – verbal	2
Overly compliant behaviour	2	Issues of self-blame	2
Somatic symptoms	2	Overprotective of children	2
Unable to show feelings to children	2	Unable to show feelings to children	2
Unable to show feelings to partner	2	Aggressive behaviour – psychological	1
Aggressive behaviour – psychological	1	Over harsh with children	1
Find others with similar experiences	1	Sexual problems	1
Overprotective of children	1	Unable to settle	1
Substance abuse	1	Unable to show feelings to partner	1

Twenty one (21) of the 49 witnesses who provided information about their adult life circumstances described an ongoing sense of isolation and inability to trust others. Fourteen (14) of those witnesses reported life-long difficulties as a result of the sexual abuse they experienced, particularly in terms of their ability to trust people. Other witnesses reported that separation from their families in childhood has contributed to their sense of feeling isolated and different from others. For some witnesses the relationships with their brothers and sisters have never been properly restored, depriving them of practical and emotional support networks in their adult lives. No contact whatsoever ... (with siblings) ... I’ve tried, the only thing I can say is I’ve tried to get in contact with each and every one,... but they have their own...(difficulties).

In addition to feeling isolated, between 12 and 17 witnesses also described feeling angry, at times having suicidal thoughts and experiencing sleep disturbance. Fifteen (15) witnesses reported that they abused alcohol to the extent that it had a negative effect on their lives.

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.’

Twelve (12) witnesses, five male and seven female, reported that the absence of supervision or follow-up while in their aftercare placements exposed them to risk and abuse. Others reported being discharged without any accommodation arrangements and having to sleep rough. Three (3) witnesses reported being placed in employment by the Children’s Homes where they received no payment for their work.

Any other act or omission towards 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.12 This section presents witness evidence of emotional abuse by deprivation of family contact, loss of identity, lack of opportunities for secure relationships, affection, and approval. Witnesses described an environment of pervasive fear and a lack of safety and protection. These losses impaired the social, emotional and physical functioning and development of witnesses and were identified by them as generally disturbing, both at the time and in the subsequent course of their lives. Emotional abuse refers to both actions and inactions by religious and lay staff and others who had responsibility for the care and safety of residents.

Forty two (42) witnesses, 22 male and 20 female, made 45 reports of emotional abuse regarding 16 Children’s Homes. There was some variation in the number of reports made in relation to each Home: Three (3) Children’s Homes were the subject of two to five reports, totalling 20 reports. Three (3) Children’s Homes were each the subject of four reports, totalling 12 reports. Three (3) Children’s Homes were each the subject of two reports, totalling six reports. Seven (7) Children’s Homes were each the subject of a single report.