Right Of Place Second Chance response to the Paper Towards Healing and Renewal
Preamble;
It is important to understand that this paper is not a conclusive response to the document Towards Healing and Renewal, however it is a view based on the needs of survivors of institutional abuse, and in particular the views of Right of Place Second Chance survivors and their families. Uppermost in our minds is the necessity to alleviate the distress of financial worry and social isolation of survivors. In the past number of years, many survivors and our members have experienced new and unexpected challenges, which need our support, and assistance. Right of Place Second Chance focus is based on the needs and issues, which, continue to affect the lives of our members on an ongoing basis. It is important to acknowledge that many of our members who left these institutions, in many cases, did so with limited education and no skills. I do not need to elaborate on the consequences of this history except to say that the institutions of Prisons, Mental Health Hospitals, Graveyards, and the streets were places to which many survivors fell hostage to, resulting from the abuse suffered as children.
It is shocking that as children they should have experienced this kind of abuse, especially while in the care of Religious Orders. So, our initial response is to welcome the steps taken in this paper to once again acknowledge the hurt and pain and lack of response to the plight of survivors when it was most needed. Clearly, there is a need for further counselling funding provided to Faoiseamh and the expanded responses to support this service. This response is of some benefit to some survivors. Right of Place Second Chance would like to now respond to some of the key points in this document.
- We realise that this is a document that tries to embrace too many groups; a kind of one pill to cure all ills. This we believe is a weakness in your document.
- For example, the statement that “…..what is set out in this document here today represents only part of a longer journey to be undertaken by the Church in bringing healing and peace to survivors of abuse…..” What does this mean for survivors and their families? To the Bishops Conference we say that our journey has been long enough, too long.
- Right of Place Second Chance believes that a date for the completion of meaningful negotiations that seeks to respond to the needs of survivors on a priority basis must begin immediately.
- It has been two years since the publication of the Ryan Report, and eleven years since it first started its investigations. Many of our members have died in abject poverty, shame, and on a journey with no end since then. For many more, our time is limited.
- Each group in this document, e.g. parents, young people, priests, survivors of institutional abuse, and those abused by the clergy all have their own unique pain, anger, and issues to be resolved, and need a separate focus in the process of their healing and renewal.
- It is important to note once again at this point that Right of Place Second Chance represents only our members who are representative of a wide group of believers and non-believers. So, with this in mind we would now like to make some comments on the six steps in your document Towards Healing and Renewal.
Step One; Prayer for the survivors of abuse
Right of Place Second Chance recognises that many of our members and survivors have held on to their faith and we recognise that prayer has been and continues to be a support in their lives. For them we welcome the commitment of this document to their spiritual needs.
Right of Place Second Chance also represents survivors, who have no faith, religion, or belief; who do not want prayer, so this step offers him or her nothing except further pain and anger.
Step Two; Listening with sensitivity and care
We welcome the acknowledgement, once again, that the Church “…failed to listen to the distressing cries of those who were abused as children….” We further welcome the invitation to priests, religious, and parish communities to bring their social, pastoral, spiritual and liturgical resources, and practical care to help in the process of healing for those who have been abused – and their families.
We must point out that there are a sizeable group of survivors who will not engage with this process until some kind of meaningful attempt is made to address their immediate needs.
Step Three; Spiritual support to individual survivors of abuse
This step has no relevance whatsoever to survivors who are not of the Church. Consequently, it only contributes to their sense of alienation in this process.
Step Four; Creating a Safer Future for the children in the Church
All steps taken to create a safer future for children are very welcome.
Step Five; The review of Dioceses, religious Congregations and societies by the National Board for Safe guarding Children
This review is welcomed and it demonstrates a commitment to the a normal process in an understanding of the standards required by any group involved in the day to day contact with children and the vulnerable in our society.
Step Six; Financial Support for future safeguarding and care
We believe that this step is the weakest of all the six steps outlined in your document Towards Healing and Renewal As we identified in our preamble the priority needs of survivors now is to alleviate the distress of financial worry and social isolation. Consequently concentrating on a plan for the next five years solely on counselling does not address the current realities facing survivors in the new changed economic and social reality.
There is a need for counselling for some survivors. It would also be an accurate reflection of the attitude of survivors that the majority do not want counselling now or in the future. Survivors are in the main in their forties, fifties, sixties, and older who are struggling with their health, financial hardship, and social isolation. These are the main areas of concern for survivors and this document does not address these issues with any degree of understanding. The notion of counselling as a priority is misplaced.
Right of Place Second Chance respectfully makes the following recommendations in response to your document Toward Healing and Renewal.
- Target the groups you wish to, support, help, and bring healing and renewal to. Each group will need different levels and kinds of help. This will enable clarity of purpose and relevancy of administration in support for each targeted group.
- Set up a task force to include survivor leaders for the conclusion of a negotiated engagement with survivors of industrial abuse.
- Reconsider the commitment towards financial support in your five year plan for counselling services
- Identify the real and pressing needs of survivors of industrial abuse.
- Fund the identified needs of survivors with a five-year financial package.
This paper does not purport to offer a full and comprehensive response to the supports and needs of all survivors but it tries to identify some of the steps that can be taken in order to reach a qualified agreement that reflects our member’s needs in the economic, social and health care demands of to-day.
Right of Place Second Chance takes this opportunity of thanking the Bishops Conference for their considered document Toward Healing and Renewal. We hope that our response acts as a further step in all our efforts to bring healing and peace to all affected groups in this process.
Very good, thank you.
Good to see you are telling the Bishops we want to tell them what we want and not the other way around. Thank you Right Of Place
Hi Phil,
Thanks for your comment, and yes this is only the beginning. Any information that is relevant to our member base will be posted on this website for all to see. This will then allow you not only see what is happening but have a direct say it what is your organization.
If you are in any of the areas give us a call, if you are from the UK call our Waterford office on +0035351309364 and I will assist you personally. It is only together can we help Survivors that most need it.
This is powerful. I am so happy that the Old RightofPlace is gotten rid off cause i would never of got this informaion. I wish you every success and I hope there is much more that will happen. I have an idea about things to do, who will i ring?
Micheal,
Thanks for getting back. I will ring you, I want to hellp.
And that is good to no the informaion I can see on this page. Again I wish you continued success, thanks for putting up this page it is very good.
Hi,
Thank you for putting these up. I think it is good what you say. I hope you do well. It is importent to have Right Of Place working good for survivers.
Could Right of place please let us know when they will be holding their First meeting, as it seems that since the new Board of Directors have taken over, Meetings of any nature seem to be something past?
Also i would like to know where this group got their Membership, they say they represent? A lot of Survivors in my area say they are not getting any Information of any kind from this New Group.
These people got a small amount of information previously from Lower Glanmire road, but nothing for a long time now. Most of all the questions they are asking is, when is this new group going to hold a meeting for the First time.
Can anybody in Right of Place, answer these simple questions please.What has happened in regard to the Fishing Group?
Has Mr Francis Treanor taken over as head man or what. I believe he chaired a meeting in the Kerry region last weekend, that turned out to be a Sham i believe. How come the Leader, Mr Walsh did not attend?
Hi Mossie,
Thank you for commenting and indeed one thing you can be assured is getting the correct information from us. In response to your above post:
We will be holding Regional Meetings within the next number of weeks in each of the regions that we serve. The reason for the delay has been to ensure that the organization after it’s re-birth, has a solid foundation and that the organization can support the Regional levels, to ensure the delivery of services we provide is reaching Survivors in each Region. We have to look at the future and how we can be strong enough as an organisation in our delivery of services into the difficult and uncertain future that many Survivors have. To this degree, we want to deliver the services that Survivors tell us, not what we tell them. So holding meetings, to assist in electing Regional committees is in the forefront of our agenda.
In relation to the membership, this is again something we are committed to ensuring is engaged into the future. We plan to ensure that our organisation is backed up by an active membership base who can interact and offer their many talents to ROPSC. Over the coming weeks and months we will be reviewing our membership base.
If people you know are not getting any information from ROPSC, then I would suggest two things: 1) We have 4 New Regional offices, designed and developed to offer support and services to members. We have also developed this website to offer information and another way of members to interact with each other. If you ever meet any Survivor, let them no they can always call us, call into our offices or we can call out to them.
2) We do not claim to represent every Survivor of Institutional Abuse, only our members. As such we send out continuous Information and Newsletters to our members. However if somebody is not a member of ROPSC, they would not receive information directly from us (nor can they attend meetings), because we would never claim to represent any person who is not a member of ROPSC. It is our aim, with this website and through the media to re-engage with Survivors and their families to advise them of the services that we provide and to help them re-engage. It is our intention to attract many former and New members into our organisation into the future. We want to be a strong group, representing the views of our members to the state, the religious and the various agencies to enhance Survivors lives. The future of Survivors and their families is too important an issue to fight alone, we need to do it together.
The fishing group was hugely successful (with nearly 40 people signed up), please view our Forum to see some information. We will also add pictures and more info as soon as possible.
Mr. Francis Treanor was appointed as Area Support Co-Ordinator, on a part-time basis, and his responsibility is to ensure the effective delivery of services by our Outreach Officers in each of the regions. Mr.Treanor, is a Survivor, first of all and is a qualified Barrister and the organisation is lucky to have such a highly regarded and qualified person working for us to ensure the successful implementation of our services. The reason he was there at our recent Kerry meeting is that we want our regional committees and regional members, working directly with our Outreach Officers, to ensure the services we provide are what is needed by our members. As such in Mr.Treanors professional capacity, it was important that he attended with the Outreach Officer, to ensure this was being done successfully.
Mr.Michel Walsh is still the current chairman of ROPSC, but it is clear to see from the above information, why his attendance was not needed and why it was important for Mr.Treanor to attend.
It is hard to define the meaning of “sham” so I will not directly comment, only to say the meeting was quite successful, from the information that I was provided with.
Mossie, I thank you for your questions. We welcome any Survivor or member coming onto this website, or our Forum and asking questions. There is too much incorrect information out there but one thing our organisation can offer, amongst others, is correct and factual information. I would urge you to inform people of this website, of our new offices and to keep an eye on their local media over the next number of weeks and months. The work that we are doing is only beginning but we have one hope – To work on behalf of members, with their input, to develop and advance the lives of Survivors, their dependents and their families.
Thank You Mossie.
hi if m treanor is so great why dont
he repesent survivers against the trust fund ill tell you why, treanor barry buckley (the three sell out traitors)sat down with biffo and sold us down the river to feather own nests, like you your father m walsh and the rest of the familys cartels
Hi Bill,
Thank you for your comments, but just to clarify a number of the issues that you have brought to our attention.
Whilst I will agree there has been mistakes made in the past and the issue of the trust fund was not handled the way Survivors wanted, this has nothing to do with the current Board of Directors or even Mr. Treanor.
If you read this website, any of our literature or speak to any of our employees / Board of Directors you will see that ROPSC is against the Trust fund in its current form. One of the reasons for the new Board taking over, was the very fact that they were not asked their opinions on the trust fund.
As long as the New Board is in place, ROPSC will activly campaign on behalf of our members to say that the Trust fund is not wanted. In fact read our FAQ’s section and you will see in black and white.
Read our news section and you will see this in black and white, we do not make a secret of the fact we are 100% against it.
In addition to this, as well as providing services we are also a representative group. As such we are aware that our members do not want the trust fund and we can only ever say what our members want us to. As a result Mr.Treanor as a representative of ROPSC is against the Trust Fund in its current form. We all may have our own personal views on certain aspects, however we can only ever say what our members want us to.
So Bill to summarize, i agree, there has been mistakes in the past, but if we are to dwell on them and constantly re-affirm them we will forever be locked in a circle. This helps nobody. The best thing we can do is learn from these mistakes (which were made by the previous Board) ensure we do not make them again and that we become a strong group representing the views of Survivors and their families, to enhance their lives and provide a better future.
But to stres again, Right Of Place Second Chance are unapologetic in our stance that we are 100% against the trsut fund in it’s current form. As a consequence, any representative of Right Of Place as an extension is against the Trust Fund
I hope the above clarifys a number of issues for you, but again you are right to ask the questions. I understand that because of the past you may be sceptical of the future, however I hope through our honesty and transparency we can change this opinion because all of us, Survivors, dependents, family members and friends need to look ahead of us to a brighter future. Remember you can never no where you are going if you always look behind you.
Hi to all survivors and their families,
The May/June Newsletter will be out in about fourteen days time. It will be on this website in a day or two, so that’s the benefit of having access to a computer.
Running an organisation of this size and stature is a demanding job, but one that is very rewarding when you see concrete results happening every day on behalf of survivors and their dependants. I am now making an appeal to survivors who may be retired and would like a new challenge; to offer their services, skills, and experience to this new organisation. We welcome all enquiries and offers of help. Ring any of our offices, or call in and speak to any of our outreach people and get the information to enable you to help.
Have you got ideas of your own that you feel might help survivors in areas of art and crafts, fishing, other kinds of activities, perhaps a book club?
May I also take this opportunity of thanking the many people who support us
AND THATS NOT TOO MANY NOW, MICHAEL, IS IT??
Just want to say Michael and his Team are a breath of fresh air compared to the last crowd.Annmarie our outreach worker is a god send.
Thanks for all your help
Kind Regards
Pat