Specialist Care and Assistance Facilities
Sufficient funds should be made available by government on a ring-fenced basis for a fixed period of ten years, subject to a review after five years, to establish dedicated specialist facilities in Belfast, Derry and, if necessary, at other suitable locations across Northern Ireland to provide: (a) general counselling services for those who have suffered abuse as children in residential institutions in Northern Ireland, supported by appropriate links to the health service and to other relevant housing, education and employment services; and (b) practical help with literacy and numeracy, education, employment, housing and benefits advice tailored to the needs of individual victims of institutional abuse.
- The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019 provided for ring-fenced funding for specialist support services.
- No published assessment of whether the full range of specialist facilities specified in the recommendation is available across all locations in Northern Ireland, including those beyond Belfast and Derry, has been identified to March 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedNo formal government response published.
Progress Timeline
The Victims and Survivors Service launched dedicated support on 1 December 2020, offering caseworker support, counselling, complementary therapies, disability aids, persistent pain management and social and welfare support. Services are available in Belfast, Derry and other locations across Northern Ireland. Ongoing delivery.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
On 1 December 2020, the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) launched a new service dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing of survivors of Historical Institutional Abuse, in partnership with WAVE Trauma Centre and Advice NI.
View detailed findings
The service offers dedicated health and wellbeing caseworkers, talking therapies, counselling, complementary therapies, disability aids, persistent pain support, welfare support, and drop-in social support. Services are delivered regionally across Northern Ireland. VSS also ensures victims living outside NI have access to support.