Fund for abuse survivors won’t be extended

[Rob Northall]

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

Supports from the €110m fund administered by Caranua are not to be extended beyond survivors of institutional child abuse, Education Minister Richard Bruton has decided.

Richard Bruton

His department has concluded that the statutory fund, which is still short over €7m of the amount promised by at least one religious order, will be fully spent on services for past residents of institutions for whom it was originally intended.

There had been calls during a review of the fund’s administration to widen the eligibility to other survivors, such as those who had been through mother and baby homes, Magdalene laundries, the Bethany home in Dublin, or other institutions.

The Department of Education review allowed for such expansions to be considered only if it first established there was likely to be an underspend of the existing fund.

The application of several possible scenarios indicated that the entire fund will be used up through supporting people covered under the original eligibility criteria. These are people who qualify as former residents of the institutions which were covered by the Residential Institutions Redress Board.

While Caranua set a target of reaching half the estimated 12,000 living residential survivors in 2016, it has so far made payments to 5,068 people. They have received €72.5m to assist with a range of services, most of it for housing (€51.3m) and health (€19.7m) needs, with the rest going on education and exceptional needs.

After accounting for applications on hand and anticipated applications at the end of 2017, totalling €17.5m, and future administration costs, it was estimated that €8.7m would remain to be distributed for recipients.

The review was carried out in accordance with a provision in the 2012 law establishing Caranua to administer the fund. It concluded it was clear there would be no underspend of the fund by those currently eligible to apply to it for support.

“Until the fund is exhausted, it ought to continue to be used for the benefit of those survivors who meet the criteria originally devised,” it said.

Caranua chairman David O’Callaghan said last night that the review’s options recommended for future management of the fund will be considered before it responds.

These included continuing a €15,000 cap on supports an individual can receive, despite some submissions to the review advocating it be lifted or increased. Another option is for more intensive planning of how remaining funds are distributed, with a suggestion of extra steps to ensure services are made available on a needs basis and as fairly as possible.

Separately, Mr Bruton is seeking abuse survivors’ views on the format and subjects for discussion in a public forum to consider their opinions about how the State has responded to the issue of institutional abuse.

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

Source - https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/fund-for-abuse-survivors-wont...

[Barbie]

Hi all, its the same old, same old, nothing new stories, we as survivors are well used to this kind of atrocities as we have put up with this since we were very small children.

CEO, Mary Higgins that was responsible for running Caranua the fund set up to help survivors and her statement made to the media saying nothing would please us as we were all to damaged - https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/caranua-boss-many-victims-not...

This is her statement to the public accounts committee about the running of the fund - https://webarchive.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/pac/co...

She had been out on paid sick leave since her statement to the media back in 2017 - https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/caranua-chief-withdr...

Our own governments past and present obviously felt the very same as Ms. Higgins, CEO of Caranua, where adult survivors couldn't be trusted to know their own needs. And felt that our fund from the start with the Redress Board needed to controlled by solicitors and barristers and anyone that could make money from survivors except the survivors themselves. They felt we couldn't be trusted to manage the fund and set up another white elephant Caranua that drained the fund to pay for office rental space, salaries of management and staff and all the luxury trips to England and around Ireland. They should have just taken the fund and given it back to the religious as it has gone back to them bit by bit anyway, and all the leaches that could get money from the fund. I'd actually like to see a full audit of works and money given to survivors from the fund, as most of us couldn't get one thing from them. Why couldn't the state treat us like adults (grown ups) and divide up the money between the survivors entitled to it and have cut out all the blood suckers where only the survivors could gain from the fund.

[Pat Brennan]

Met a Solicitor at the Ford Cork Week at Crosshaven on his Yacht, and said to him ,off the cuff I suppose we paid for that and he came straight out and said yes Pat ye did in fact..he represented most of the survivors in cork with their redress claims...I felt sick to be honest.. 

[Barbie]

Well Pat, sure of course he did, as did the many other blood suckers that said to survivors look the other way while I rob you blind!

[Pat Brennan]

Very True..Barbie.

[jack colleton]

I Am Aware Of One Solicitor In Cork Who Was Not Human But His Name I Can Not Recall Right Now.

[jack colleton]

Wow.  Have You Begun That Book Barbie?!

[Barbie]

No Jack, LOL but maybe we could all write a chapter of that book and call it "The Shame of Ireland" the real stories!

[jack colleton]

And Barbie The Book Could Be Published Here.

[Barbie]

yes indeed Jack!

[Timothy Garde]

Hi I agree I feel like I'm going to carranua cap in hand I have received very little from them and absolutely no help with housing in anyway they kept telling me it was not part of the funds,,yet they say they spent 53millionon housing needs they now tell me that I can apply for white goods up to 10,000 I would rather help with housing and it would be cheaper,,I'm paying my own dentist bill in advance and waiting and chasing them for 65 euro they won't speak with me and my advisor keeps changing whom I've tried to contact without success,,they should have divided the funds equally and not have set up this joke of an organization carranua,,

[Barbie]

Hi Timothy, were all in the same boat when it comes to Caranua, I also needed help with housing and even sent emails to the minister a waste of time. They should just shut up shop and divide whats left among us. Shower of chancers!

[Pat Brennan]

Contacted Caranua re the Enhansed Medical Cards for Survivors ....not happening..