Archive

It is intended that the records held in government departments that are relevant to institutional trauma and family separation will be included in the repository in the National Centre. It is expected that records will transfer to the National Archives over a number of years and in line with legal requirements under the National Archives Act 1986.

The Steering Group has established a dedicated Legal subgroup to consider and develop legislative proposals for the transfer of records that currently fall out of scope of the 1986 Act.

The Steering Group recognises the importance of records and access to them for survivors and affected persons. Survivor access to records will be central to the National Centre archive. The privacy of survivors and affected persons will be paramount in the management of personal records in line with internationally accepted access protocols. Non-personal records, as they relate to institutions and their operation, will be more widely accessible.

While it is not possible to amend records, the National Archives will design a programme to capture and gather survivors’ personal statements as part of the institutional records of the National Archives. The National Archives will invite survivors and affected persons to create their own personal statement or record which captures their personal circumstances and lived experience that will sit alongside the ‘official’ record. The Steering Group understands that it is important that survivors and affected people can create their own personal statement or record as part of the national collections.

It is anticipated that at least one survivor representative will be appointed to the National Archives Advisory Council. This is a body established under the National Archives Act to advise the Minister on all archival matters.

It is expected that the scope of the National Centre will encompass all those who have lived experience of Ireland’s historical institutional, adoption and boarded out systems. The transfer of records to the National Archives is expected to take place over a number of years, and the nature of records contained in the archive will evolve over time.

The National Centre will meet appropriate standards for universal accessibility including wheelchair access throughout.

The Centre will be a trauma-informed environment with staff from the archive trained appropriately, as it relates to their role. The Centre will offer some dedicated times where it is only open to survivors and the archive will include quiet spaces where survivors can engage and be supported by staff. A core element of the Centre is also the garden for reflection which will provide space for people to reflect and process their experiences and visit.