Publication
Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools run by religious orders
From Education Scoping Inquiry
Published on
Last updated on
From Education Scoping Inquiry
Published on
Last updated on
The government has approved the establishment of a scoping inquiry to inform the government’s response to revelations of historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley has appointed a Senior Counsel, Mary O’Toole SC, to lead the scoping inquiry. Access the Terms of Reference.
The purpose of the scoping inquiry is to inform the government’s response to revelations of historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders. Ms O’Toole, as Lead, is overseeing the scoping inquiry and, at the end of the process, will submit a report to the Minister for Education, including recommendations on next steps.
The work of the Lead will be informed by reports and inputs from experts across a range of areas including child protection, restorative justice and, most importantly, survivor engagement.
The Lead has requested an extension to the deadline for submission of the report to the Minister for Education. The report is now due on 7th June 2024.
Engagement with survivors is central to the work of the scoping inquiry. The survivor engagement process will provide an opportunity for the views of those who are most directly affected to be heard clearly, and ensure that the recommendations set out in the Lead’s final report to the Minister are informed by the outcomes sought by survivors.
The survivor engagement process is being led by child protection expert Kieran McGrath and conducted by facilitators trained in trauma-informed practice. More information about the survivor engagement process is available. Further information on this process will be published on this website as the scoping inquiry progresses.
The first stage of the process, in which survivors were invited to complete a questionnaire about their experiences, has closed. The survivor engagement team has begun to make contact with those survivors who have indicated a wish to engage in the second stage of the process.
Should you have any queries, you can contact the scoping inquiry by emailing survivorengagement@esi.gov.ie
If you prefer, you can call +353 (0)90 6483610 between 9.15am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or outside of those hours, you can leave a voicemail.
Please be aware that if you provide details relating to your experience as a child, staff of the Department of Education may be obliged to report this matter to Tusla. This is so that Tusla can assess whether further steps need to be taken.
The organisation One in Four provides services to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and the Department of Education has been engaging with this organisation to ensure that survivors can be supported during their engagement with the scoping inquiry. One in Four can be contacted by calling 01 662 4070 or by completing the form at www.oneinfour.ie/contact.
If you wish to report an allegation of sexual abuse you can contact your local Garda station, the Garda Sexual Crime Management Unit (01-6663430) or the Garda Child Sexual Abuse Reporting Line (1800 555 222), which is a confidential and free service available on a 24/7 basis. Alternatively, you can email GNPSB_SCMU@garda.ie
The Department of Education is providing administrative support to the scoping inquiry.
All child protection concerns received by staff of the Department of Education must be dealt with in accordance with the department’s procedures for responding to child protection concerns which come to the attention of staff of the Department of Education. These procedures set out what is required of all staff of the Department of Education when they receive or become aware of information which contains a possible child protection or welfare concern.