Recommendation HIA-3: Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA)
From Report of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, published 20 January 2017.
Recommendation
We therefore recommend that a designated person should act as an advocate for such children, and should be responsible for ensuring the co-ordination and availability of services, and identifying suitable means whereby such services can be made available to those who need them. This person should be called the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA).
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended appointing a Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse to advocate for victims. In October 2020, The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) announced that First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill had appointed Fiona Ryan to the post for a five-year term, though the co-ordination of services named in the recommendation was not mentioned (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Oct 2020). In September 2019, the department and the Northern Ireland Office had reported to Parliament that the recommendations had not yet been put to the Northern Ireland Executive due to its collapse (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No formal government response published. The Inquiry reported on 20 January 2017, the month the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed; the report The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Office laid before Parliament in September 2019 records that, because of the collapse, the report and its recommendations had not yet been put to the Executive.
Delivery
The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) says completed (6 October 2020)
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill have announced the appointment of a Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse. Fiona Ryan will take up the position for a five-year term from 14 December 2020.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Northern Ireland Executive
Response - The Executive Office (Northern Ireland)
Delivery statement