There is support for Irish survivors in Britain affected by the Mother and Baby Home report that was published last week. Help can be found from organisations such as iCap, the London Irish Centre, Irish Community Services and Leeds Irish Health and Homes.
Irish in Britain’s CEO Brian Dalton said: “We recognise that the impact of the report will profoundly affect many people living here in Britain. We know there is a large number of survivors within Britain and we want to highlight the support services within the Irish community network available to those who may need support and advice.
“Irish in Britain will continue to advocate for equivalence and parity for British-based Irish survivors of historical institutional abuse in Ireland and thank our member organisations who work to improve the lives and experiences of our citizens.”
The report into the Mother and Baby Homes has been long awaited and its publication delayed.
The Commission was established by the Irish government in 2015 to provide a full account of what happened to women and children in Mother and Baby home institutions during the period 1922 to 1998.
The report details the experiences of women and children who lived in 14 mother and baby homes and four county homes.
The publication of the report was expected to be an important milestone for the many thousands of former residents, their families and advocates, in particular those who directly contributed to the Commission’s work by sharing their deeply personal and lived experiences.
However, what was already expected to be a difficult time for many survivors of these homes in Ireland and across the diaspora has been made worse by details being leaked to a newspaper prior to its planned publication this week.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has described it as ‘very disrespectful” that details from the long-awaited final report by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation were published in a newspaper over the weekend. He also said he supports an investigation into who leaked the information.
Survivors can receive support from iCap by calling 0207 272 7906 or going to icap.org.uk, the London Irish Centre by calling 0207 916 2222 or going to londonirishcentre.org, Irish Community Services by calling 0208 854 4466 or going to irishcommunityservices.org or from Leeds Irish Health and Homes by calling 0113 262 5614 or going to lihh.org.
The Irish in Britain website has a dedicated section with information, phone numbers and links to support for survivors across Britain at irishinbritain.org/what-we-do/irish-survivors-information.
