“We all need to work together so that more victims / survivors are aware that confidential, professional, help & support is available to them – no Spiritan boy (now man) who suffered abuse should be left behind.”

What is Restore Together?

Restore Together is a voluntary support group for victims / survivors of sexual abuse in Spiritan schools (Blackrock College, Willow Park School, Rockwell College, St. Mary’s College, St. Michael’s College & Templeogue College). It is made up of victim / survivors and non-victims. Together we advocate for the provision of structures to aid healing from the trauma of abuse.

Restore Together engages with the Spiritan Order regularly regarding the development and urgent implementation of a comprehensive Restorative Programme to help bring healing to those who suffered as children and continue to suffer as adults.

In this, our third, newsletter:

- We outline the support and help for victim / survivors of child sex abuse at all Spiritan schools that is available through the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme and which Restore Together has negotiated with the Spiritan (Holy Ghost) Order.

- We call for your help in raising awareness amongst victims / survivors and their families and friends that Help & Support is available through the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme.

- We look at the information available regarding the scale of the abuse and insights on those who have availed of the support offered so far.

- We give Restore Together’s reaction to the O’Toole Scoping Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in Schools

Please share our four key messages:

1. Help is at hand: Victims / survivors of sex abuse at Spiritan schools urgently need Help & Support which is available through the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme.

2.Child sex abuse is the most abhorrent issue in the history of the Spiritan schools. The abuse was criminal in nature, and horrific in its scale and impact.

3. This is a current, not historic, issue: The non-recent child sex abuse that took place is not an historic issue but a current one. Though the abuse took place decades ago, it continues to torment victims / survivors daily and destroy their lives.

4. All of us have an important part to play in helping victims / survivors, by making sure they know that confidential, professional, help & support is available to them. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that no Spiritan survivor of abuse will be left behind.

What is the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme?

The Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme is based on a Restorative Justice model of healing and reconciliation. This internationally respected approach involves supporting victims / survivors to talk through their trauma to process what happened to them in a holistic, collaborative and non-adversarial manner, which is victim-led.

The Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme has six elements to it. Three elements are already active and Restore Together is engaging regularly with the Spiritan Order about the other three. Victims / survivors need all six elements of the programme to be activated to best help them in their daily lives and before it is too late.

The six key elements of the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme are:

1.Apology – from the Spiritans to individual victims / survivors through words and actions.

2.Therapy/Counselling – confidential, ongoing aid by independent, expert professionals.

3.Restorative Justice - This is an internationally respected model of healing that involves providing a safe space where victims / survivors can share and receive acknowledgement of their history of abuse.

4.Redress Scheme – monetary payment for victims / survivors in acknowledgment of the impacts of sex abuse at Spiritan schools.

5.Testimony Gathering – chronicling the experiences particularly of victim / survivors but also insights from the whole community regarding sex abuse at Spiritan schools, to help understand, heal and provide learning for the future.

6. Memorialisation – the establishment of physical places of memorialisation, acknowledgment and reflection on Spiritan school campuses.

We urgently need your help to raise awareness that help & support is available

A key focus of Restore Together’s work is raising awareness among victim / survivors and the wider Spiritan schools’ community that there are a range of supports, formal and informal, including independent professional help, already available through the Spiritan Schools Restorative Programme.

It is a well-documented fact that sex abuse is under-reported and that is especially true of non-recent male, child sex abuse. We are acutely aware that there are many people affected by abuse who need support but have not yet made the very difficult decision to come forward.

We want you to know there is an entirely confidential listening ear together with practical professional help and support available should you, or people you know, need it. We want everyone else to be aware of and to encourage those who may benefit from this support to consider availing of it.

Restore Together advocates on behalf of victim / survivors as for too long your voices have not been heard. There are many reasons for that, but we hope that by everyone coming together, victim / survivors and non-victim / survivors alike, that will change.

The Scale of the Abuse is horrifying and overwhelming

Staggering numbers illustrate the scale of the abuse. In our June bulletin we reported that approximately 300 victim / survivors had come forward to report being impacted by abuse in Spiritan institutions or by individual Spiritans. Since the release of the Government Scoping Inquiry report in September a further 12 victim  / survivors have contacted Tim Chapman and his team to investigate options available to start the healing journey.

Separately, the extremely comprehensive and lengthy report from the Scoping Inquiry into Sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders, by Mary O’Toole SC which was published in September, indicates that abuse in Spiritan schools was particularly severe. However, as 79 of the 180 victims / survivors who gave testimony to the Inquiry were from Spiritan schools, this may have biased the results.

Here are a few facts to give an idea of what was reported:

Getting Help

If you, or someone you know, would like to talk to someone, we ask you to contact Tim Chapman at timchapman@rjteam.net in total confidence.

Tim is an independent Restorative Justice expert, specifically chosen by Restore Together, who will be able to advise on the supports and advice available.

THE SIX TENETS OF RESTORE TOGETHER’S ADVOCACY

1.Apology

“The first step to reconciliation is to honestly remember the past” - Nelson Mandela

In November 2022, Fr. Martin Kelly, the then Provincial of the Spiritan Order (formerly Holy Ghost Fathers) addressed the Restore Together press conference in the RDS in Dublin. As head and representative of the Order, he made a public apology to all those impacted. It can be viewed here: https://spiritan.ie/public-apology-by-fr-martin-kelly/

Fr. Kelly subsequently issued personal in-person and written apologies to many of the 42 people who have taken part in Restorative Justice meetings with him and other representatives of the Spiritan Order.

In the period since the original apology two years ago and subsequent Restorative Justice meetings, we have received many contacts from victim / survivors expressing frustration, disappointment and anger that there has been little or no follow-up communication, either general or individual, from the Spiritans. This has led to feelings of extreme frustration and disillusionment among victim / survivors for whom the initial step of coming forward was a huge and very difficult step.

Restore Together continues to communicate this feedback to the Spiritans and urge the Spiritans to significantly improve their communications with victims. We believe that the Spiritans should communicate regularly and meaningfully with victims.

There has been a recent change of Provincial in the Spiritans and we have met with the new Provincial, Fr Brendan Carr, and conveyed this feedback to him. Fr. Carr has assured us that he has taken this feedback on board and will act on it. Fr Carr, and his community, have made addressing the clerical sex abuse core to the Spiritan mission.

2.Therapy/Counselling

Expert therapy and counselling from independent professionals are available to all impacted by abuse, in all Spiritan institutions, from any counsellor of your choice for as long as deemed beneficial by your counsellor. Many victim / survivors have reported that they have found these services extremely helpful and a source of comfort.

Therapy / counselling is completely confidential. Costs are paid entirely by the Spiritans. Counsellors must be certified but can be based anywhere in the world and can be met in person or online.

Restore Together have developed relationships with two established providers who understand and support the group’s work, as well as the HSE:

Towards Healing: https://towardshealing.ie/ email: info@towardshealing.ie
Freephone: 1800 303416 (Rep of Ireland) Freephone: 0800 0963315 (Northern Ireland & UK)
One in Four: www.oneinfour.ie/ email: info@oneinfour.ie Phone: +353-(0)1-662 4070
HSE: www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/counsellingpc/contact.html

Please contact these organisations directly for free, confidential, expert support. They provide counselling services face to face or by phone or online (Zoom / Teams, etc). Their therapy options include psychotherapy, family support, group counselling based on collaboration, responsive therapy and evidence informed practice.

To arrange for your counselling to be paid, contact Tim Chapman at timchapman@rjteam.net

3. Restorative Justice

The work of Restore Together is guided by the internationally respected Restorative Justice model. This involves supporting victims / survivors to talk through their trauma to process what happened to them in a holistic, collaborative and non-adversarial manner, which is victim-led. The Restorative Justice model creates space for victims / survivors to understand and acknowledge the profound impacts of their abuse and to rebalance the power relationship between victims / survivors and the Spiritan institution.

A Restorative Justice approach ordinarily explores how harm can be repaired and how some form of justice can be achieved. In this instance, Restorative Justice seeks to engage the Spiritan institution in a way that acknowledges the history of the abuse and supports it in accepting accountability and the responsibility to contribute to healing. The process looks at various forms of abuse, including sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

So far, approximately 160 people have made contact with the Restorative Justice Team (RJ Team), with a view to learning more about the Restorative Justice process and exploring other available options, such as therapy and counselling and restorative and healing circles.

This work has led to 42 individual Restorative Justice meetings to-date, where those impacted by abuse, have met face-to-face with some of those currently responsible for the institutions where the abuse happened - (Spiritan Provincial, Safeguarding Office, School Principals, etc) to discuss openly and forthrightly, the impacts their abuse has had on them and others, the culture of abuse within Spiritan schools and, if chosen by the victims / survivors, the now mostly dead, perpetrators. These meetings, facilitated by RJ Team members, allow victims / survivors to share their stories, ask questions, voice any concerns they may have, and to make any requests of the Spiritans in an environment that is conducive for victims / survivors to share their stories, and which prioritises respect and support.

Many other victims / survivors have reached out to the RJ team to document their stories, explore their options, make indirect contact with the Spiritans and / or inquire about access to free therapy or counselling.

This process is victim / survivor led. There has been no pressure put on victims / survivors to go any further forward in the Restorative Justice process, if they choose not to.

Members of the RJ Team have also provided two different kinds of online Restorative Circles to v victims / survivors, who have either had a restorative meeting with the Spiritans, or who have an interest in meeting other v/s in a safe, shared space.

The first type of circle, (facilitated by experienced Restorative Practitioners, Andy Battell and Joe Power, from the RJ Team,) are open to victims / survivors to attend and discuss a range of themes relating to their abuse and its impacts. Participants are invited to suggest themes themselves. People may choose to attend as few or as many circles as they wish and discussions take place in a larger/main group (maximum 8-10 participants) and also smaller ,breakout sessions (2-3 people). Whilst informal, these circles respect each participant's decision as to how they wish to be involved.

There have been 3 series of 6 circles since November 2023, with the current series ending at the end of November 2024.

Some previous participants' comments about the circles have included:

"The Circles helped me discuss topics in a 'safe' group, with no judgement and in a way that helped relieve the emotional pressure I felt."

"I found the facilitators to be extremely supportive and non-judgmental. They lead the conversation but in no way tried to control it."

"The topics were relevant and instigated conversation from all involved. Sharing experiences and emotions is very powerful. Breaking up into groups and reporting back worked very well."

The second type of circle, (facilitated by two experienced circle-keepers, Lili and Jolene), offers a structured, non-judgmental space where a small group of the same people come together over several weeks to embark on a deep, transformational journey. Within the protective environment of the circle, participants explore the impact of their experiences and where they are now on their healing journey, creating links with others as they listen to their stories and share their feelings and thoughts when they feel ready. This process helps break the cycle of isolation, fostering strength and healing through the collective wisdom and support of the group.

Some previous participants' comments about the circles have mentioned:

“My internal confusion about how I react to what happened to me has been somewhat clarified by listening to what happened to others; I have learned much through this process from the sharing of the participants.”

“I am learning how to listen. I don't feel as alone. It gave me hope. I also am learning to slow down and be kind to myself.”

“I have found that this has answered all of my needs.”

If you would like to hear more about the Restorative Justice programme and to work through your options, including the possibility of signing up for therapy/ counselling, circles and/ or setting up a Restorative Justice meeting with Spiritan Representatives, please contact Tim Chapman at timchapman@rjteam.net

If you would like to talk directly to the Spiritans, please do so by contacting their Safeguarding Officer John Moore at john.moore@spiritanplt.ie

4.Redress Scheme

Restore Together continues to advocate vociferously to the Spiritan Order seeking the urgent implementation of a redress scheme to address with a monetary payment the hurt and suffering which has been caused to victim / survivors by the Spiritans.

For the past 18 months, we have met with the Spiritans and their solicitors to advance this objective. Considerable progress has been made in recent months and a proposed scheme is in the final stages of review. Restore Together’s position on the proposed scheme is that it must be victim-centred* and non-adversarial.

We are seeking to have claims determined by a wholly independent expert panel, who will all be trauma-informed and trained. Having considered an application the panel would make a monetary award, using the same guidelines which courts apply. What this means is that a victim / survivor would receive from the panel the same level of award they would receive in a successful or unchallenged court case. However, they would be spared the trauma, risk and costs of a contested legal process and trial.

Once an award is determined, an applicant would be free to choose whether to accept it or not. An applicant who chooses not to accept an award could still pursue a legal action if they so wish. It is hoped that a first phase of the scheme will be operational in early 2025, but the timeline is determined by the Spiritans.

5. Testimony Gathering/ Truth-Telling

Restore Together believes that victim / survivors must have an opportunity to tell their stories, be listened to, recorded for posterity and believed. We have proposed to the Spiritans the establishment of an independent project to capture those stories. We have advocated that this be established as soon as possible.

Over the past few months Restore Together has worked to assemble a team of experts to carry out this project. The proposed team has submitted an initial concept document to the Spiritan Order. Restore Together, the proposed project team and the Spiritans have had initial discussions based on this document regarding how the project might be run.

As with the redress scheme above, we continue to stress the urgency of getting this project established as soon as possible.

Restore Together has advocated that the project should have a number of important elements as follows.

- Participation should be voluntary, and the procedures followed should be trauma-informed.

- The project should invite other parties including the Spiritans and the schools’ communities (past pupils, teachers, staff etc), family members and others affected by abuse to fully share recollections.

- All available information about sexual abuse in the schools including all files and records should be available to the project team.

- Everyone participating in the project can decide exactly how they wish their input to be made and subsequently used. The degree of confidentiality and anonymity will be determined and controlled by those sharing their testimony – they can decide which details can be anonymous or shared.
-
The final report by the project team should be made public in full.

* "A victim-centred approach places the rights, wishes, needs, safety, dignity and well-being of the victim at the centre of all prevention and response measures concerning sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harassment (SH)." UN IASC www.interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-champion-protection-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-and-sexual-harassment/iasc-definition-principles-victimsurvivor-centered-approach-0

6. Memorialisation

Restore Together believes that the issue of sexual abuse in the schools must be fully remembered by the schools themselves. We believe that the schools must work to address the feelings of betrayal and abandonment repeatedly reported by victim / survivors and make it clear to victim / survivors that they are remembered by the schools, that they are valued members of the school communities.

The issue of the sexual abuse in the schools can no longer be treated as a dark secret to be hidden away and not spoken of. There are many ways that what happened can be remembered including through physical memorials, ceremony, the written and spoken word and visually.

The Restorative Justice team has described how victims feel they have been treated by the Spiritans and the schools. “It is clear to us that for many survivors the pain that continues to this day comes from a continuing sense of betrayal and abandonment - a sense that ‘the Spiritans do not care about me; they only care about protecting themselves.’ This arouses the feelings that they experienced as an abused child, powerless and alone. Many victims see themselves as ‘one of your own’ and cannot understand that the institution sees them as a threat rather than as a member of the Spiritan/Blackrock community who has been seriously wronged and deserves compassion, care and justice”

Restore Together is working closely with the Blackrock College Union to advance the memorialisation initiative and engage with the College and other stakeholders. Restore Together and Blackrock College Union are working closely to support victim / survivors, to encourage them to come forward if they wish and to assure victim / survivors that they are fully supported by the Union and their fellow schoolmates.

Restore Together have had initial discussions with a view to the establishment of a joint working group between victim / survivors and other stakeholders, including Blackrock College and Willow Park, to explore appropriate Memorialisation of the abuse in those schools and the effect on victim / survivors. Restore Together is meeting the boards of the three schools in December to advance this aspect of the Restorative Programme.

Victim / survivors feel this is extremely important to help encourage people to understand, discuss and debate abuse in its many forms. We must create an environment which remembers victim / survivors and what they suffered, which encourages witnesses and victims to speak up, to ensure it doesn’t happen again and to help reclaim the school campuses for those who were abused.

Restore Together has also met with the Past Pupils Unions of the other Spiritan schools to encourage consideration of similar initiatives in other Spiritan schools and to reiterate that Restore Together and the Restorative programme is here to help survivor / victims from all Spiritan schools. The response from the other Past Pupils Unions is supportive.

Restore Together’s reaction to the O’Toole Scoping Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in Schools

In September of this year, Restore Together publicly welcomed the publication of the O’Toole Scoping Inquiry and its recommendation for a Commission of Inquiry into Non-recent Sex Abuse at Schools.

At the time, Restore Together wrote to the Minister for Education, issued a public statement and gave media interviews stating our strong wish that any statutory inquiry must act quickly. It must put the best interests of victims / survivors first by providing healing, redress and justice to victim / survivors without any further delay and not interfere with any positive programs already underway.

Restore Together’s belief is that the Spiritan Schools’ Restorative Programme or similar support programmes already in operation or under negotiation with various other religious congregations must not be limited, set back or delayed in any way by the establishment by the Government of a statutory inquiry. The urgent need for victims / survivors to get access to healing, redress and justice is paramount.

We have asked that the voce of those impacted be centre to the future work, not just providing testimony but in the decision-making process. Unfortunately, in the three months since the report’s release there has been no evident action or response from the government to move the recommendations forward.

Coming soon : The Restore Together Web site

Work on a web site to facilitate people getting in touch and keeping up to date on developments is at an advanced stage. The web site will be launched before Christmas. Keep an eye to www.restoretogether.ie

Restore Together Committee; Gearóidín Charlton, John Coulter, Corry McMahon, Philip Feddis, Eoin MacNeill, Conor McDonnell, Eugene Harrington, Brendan O’Connor, James White, Conor Dempsey.