Information session for institutional abuse survivors on Thursday

SURVIVORS of institutional abuse in Carlow and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to learn about free support services at an information session next week.

Sage Advocacy, the national advocacy service for older people, is hosting the event in the Seven Oaks hotel on Thursday from noon to 4pm. The session is open to survivors, family members and those working with or supporting survivors.

The organisation provides free, independent, one-to-one support to all survivors of institutional abuse through a nationwide team of experienced advocates. The service is confidential, issue and consent-based.

Damian O’Farrell, project manager for survivors of institutional abuse at Sage Advocacy, explained that many survivors continue to face significant barriers in accessing services and support.

“We know that many people who experienced institutional abuse still face real barriers in accessing services, in being heard and in getting the support they deserve,” he said. “Our information session is about informing and offering practical support in a safe environment.” Mr O’Farrell described the profound and lasting impacts of institutional abuse on survivors, many of whom were placed in industrial and reformatory schools as young children due to poverty or perceived lack of “proper guardianship.” “I met a lady who is in her 50s and she showed me her committal order; she was in court when she was one-and-a-half years of age and she was sentenced to 14-and-a-half years in an industrial school,” he recounted.

The trauma experienced in these institutions – including physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse – has left many survivors with ongoing difficulties. Damian highlighted particular challenges around decision making and interacting with systems and authorities.

“Often, survivors don’t interact with the system, they’d rather go without and suffer,” he explained. “The system did this to these people. So, if they’re not up the housing list as much as they should be or similar, it’s not their fault. The system did this to them and it owes something to correct that wrong.” The advocacy service takes an action-based approach, helping survivors navigate practical challenges they face in daily life.

“We’re issue based, so if somebody comes along and the issue could be they can’t access a state service because they have literacy issues, that’s a big thing in the survivor community. Or maybe their medical card has expired and they need help reapplying. Or they may not be on the housing list because it’s quite complicated to fill out the application form,” he explained.

Sage Advocacy also engages in systemic advocacy work, including efforts to secure priority housing supports for survivors through local authorities.

Damian emphasised the isolation experienced by many survivors, describing artwork created by survivors that depicts profound loneliness. “There was no touch, no warmth, no parental visits, loneliness,” he said of their experiences in institutions.

He considers institutional survivors to be “a marginalised group, the same as any other marginalised groups in Ireland.” The information session represents a shift from previous approaches. “Survivors have been going to meetings for a long time, telling their stories, but this is more action based, so it’s more of an information session,” O’Farrell noted.

Those interested in attending the free information session at the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow on Thursday, 7 August from 12pm to 4pm do not need to register in advance.