Children's charity Barnardos is extending the opening hours of its post-adoption helpline service to meet demand after the recent publication of the mother and baby homes report.
Over the last two weeks, more than 150 birth mothers and birth family members, adopted adults and adults raised in institutional care have contacted the service.
The report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was published on January 12th, revealing stories of cruelty, emotional abuse and soaring infant death rates in a series of State- and religious-run institutions.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the report outlined a “dark, difficult and shameful chapter of recent Irish history” in which an “extraordinarily oppressive culture” had “treated women exceptionally badly”.
The State, churches and the families of pregnant women and the fathers of their children were responsible for the ill-treatment of women, according to the report which took more than five years to research and compile.
Those making contact with Barnados since the report was launched have included birth mothers in their 70s and 80s with long buried traumatic memories of being frightened and lonely in a mother and baby home, and adopted adults who have been troubled most of their lives with the need to know who they are.
Also in contact with the charity were the families of birth mothers who have died, deeply affected by what their mother might have experienced in a mother and baby home, as well as adults who were raised in homes and now want to take the first step in trying to find their families.
Christine Hennessy from Barnardos said the helpline service had seen “an outpouring of anger, hurt and grief across the country.”
“In many ways, while this report was welcome, it can be triggering for birth mothers, birth fathers and adult adopted people who have had experience with the system. It was a dark period in Irish history that is still causing a ripple effect across the country today, and many are in need of support when faced with it,” she said.
As well as providing professional confidential support through its helpline (now available Monday-Friday 9.30am-4.30pm), Barnardos is offering two online support meetings over the coming weeks: for birth mothers on February 17th, and adopted adults on February 19th.
For more information, call (01) 4546388 or email adoption@barnardos.ie.
