Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry: 1950–1999
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa,
Greetings to you all and welcome to this gathering.
We are here to express our profound regret for the abuse and neglect survivors experienced within the support services meant to protect you.
We offer a sincere and heartfelt apology to you and your whānau.
I am Andrew Crisp, the Chief Executive of IHC.
Firstly, on behalf of IHC, I acknowledge and support the important findings and recommendations of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry: 1950-1999.
IHC called for the Inquiry and our thanks and respect go to the survivors who told their stories and the Royal Commission for its work. The stories of abuse highlighted in the Inquiry are completely and utterly unacceptable.
In apologising:
We recognise the fear, distress, and isolation many experienced, and the impact this had on families and whānau. We acknowledge the lasting effect this had for people.
We offer our sincere and unreserved apology.
We apologise to those who have passed away without receiving this acknowledgment.
We apologise to Māori and Pasifika survivors who faced additional harm through racism and cultural disregard.
To all survivors: we are sorry and want you to know that it was not your fault.
We hope our apology is a step toward healing and resolving the past.
It was and is our job to know what is happening in our services, to make it safe for you to tell us if you are worried, scared or hurt. It is our responsibility to recognise the possible signs of abuse and neglect, to be vigilant, to act swiftly and to hold wrong-doers accountable.
We're committed to help survivors get the support and help you need.
Over our long history, IHC has been part of the system that allowed abuse to occur historically. We take responsibility for our part in that.
I would like now to tell you about our response to the Inquiry.
An apology alone is merely words and so we have committed to three action areas in our response.
One: We will continue to improve.
In the 25 years since the Inquiry’s review period, IHC has taken allegations very seriously. Our process requires us to act immediately whenever there is any suggestion of abuse.
We have made many significant changes in line with the Inquiry recommendations, and we will continue to. We are dedicated to continuous improvement with people at the centre.
IHC advocates for, and supports, strengthening the leadership of people with intellectual disabilities.
People with lived experience of intellectual disability participate in our Member Council and the Chief Executive’s Advisory Group.
Their voices and experiences will help guide us as we work together towards a safer and kinder future for all.
Two: We’re offering people immediate, practical support. IHC still supports many people in residential services who first received those services during the Inquiry’s historic period.
We will contact those people and their whānau directly over the coming weeks to share IHC’s apology. We will offer support, including counselling where it may be needed.
We will also offer a payment to that group still with IHC residential disability services from the Inquiry period.
The payment is for that group of people because we know it is harder for them to share any experiences of abuse they may have from the past. Many people in that group cannot speak up for themselves or have not had someone to speak up for them.
Recipients are still welcome to talk with IHC about their experience if they choose to and we will support them through that process.
Three: we will support people to share their experiences if they wish to. We know few people with intellectual disability have come forward to share their stories of abuse or neglect but that does not mean it has not happened.
We encourage people to contact IHC directly, or the Survivor Experiences Service. We have a response process that we can help people through that is trauma-informed, respectful and accessible.
In finishing. I want to thank those of you who are here today.
I want to reiterate our deepest apologies to all survivors. We remain profoundly sorry and committed to making better, safer disability services.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa.
IHC consulted with a range of people about our apology and response, including families, the Survivor Experiences Service, some members, the Government’s Crown Response Office and people with intellectual disabilities.
IHC will support anyone who is considering coming forward to share their experience in the safest way possible. We encourage those who may not have come forward yet to reach out directly to IHC by email: historic.inquiries@ihc.org.nz.
People can also choose to contact the Survivor Experiences Service by phone to 0800 456 090 or Text 8328 or via the website, which has resources for people with disabilities at: www.survivorexperiences.govt.nz.
The Survivor Experiences Service is survivor-led and aims to provide a safe, supportive, confidential place where survivors of abuse in care, and their whānau, can share their experiences. All services are free.
Following the Inquiry, IHC took time to think about what we could do that is tangible for people who are currently in our residential disability services and who were in those services during the Inquiry period.
Many people in that group cannot speak up for themselves or have not had someone to speak up with or for them. So, we decided to offer everyone in that residential service group, who was with IHC since the Inquiry period, a payment.
The payments of $2500 per person, totalling approximately $3 million, recognise the difficulties faced by this group of people in sharing their experiences. The payment does not prevent people from coming forward to share their experiences, engage with IHC, or enter into a restorative process. We encourage and will support anyone to do that.
The payment is something we can do now while we continue to engage with the Government about its planned redress framework for non-government organisations. It does not prevent any recipient of the payment from engaging with IHC or other organisations, or from sharing their experience.
Our staff have been engaging directly with people in our services who have been with IHC since the Inquiry period (1950 - 1999) and their family and whānau, to offer the payment and support, including counselling where necessary, and an engagement process.
IHC staff have been speaking directly with people in our services to share the apology and options for support. Our commitment to survivors, their families, whānau, people in our care, communities, and networks is to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all. We want people to feel accepted, to thrive and to be safe.
The Abuse in Care Report provides a range of recommendations for ensuring appropriate levels of care are delivered. IHC has made many significant changes and improvements in the 25 years since the Inquiry period, some of which you can see here. We have considered the Inquiry recommendations and have started identifying where we can make further improvements. We will also lead where appropriate and contribute to the sector-wide recommendations.
IHC is engaging with the Government about plans for a non-government organisation redress framework still being developed. We will be guided by the Government’s redress plans, which we expect will be fair, consistent and not too onerous or overwhelming for survivors.
We will continue to engage with survivors, their families, and whānau who have approached us. That engagement follows a restorative approach, including access to independent counselling where appropriate.
We continue to invest in and develop changes to our systems to ensure improvements to supervision and monitoring, training for our support workers and managers, and regular reviews of our health and safety and reporting systems.
And we continue to advocate for and support strengthening the voices of people with intellectual disabilities. The people we work with, and for, are now active participants in the decision-making about their care and support. This ensures their needs and preferences are respected.
We have made it easier for people to share their stories. Our complaints management system across the IHC group has been refreshed in consultation with Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People. We want the people we support, their families and whānau to feel heard and have no fear when telling us about things that are not working or that they feel unsafe.
We have people with lived intellectual disability as members of our Member Council, which reports to the IHC Board. And we have established a Chief Executive’s Advisory Group of people with intellectual disabilities. Their voices and experiences will inform IHC as we work together towards a safer and kinder future.
We also acknowledge our many IHC team members who provided, and provide, quality support, advocated for the inquiry, contributed to it and continue to ensure people are safe and supported to raise concerns.
Current or former staff who would like to talk about IHC's apology can also contact: historic.inquiries@ihc.org.nz
We expect current staff to continue to raise any concerns through our complaints process.
IHC National Office
Level 15, 57 Willis Street
Wellington
9am to 5pm
Monday to Friday
.png)
.png)