Call for records about mother and baby institutions and Magdalen Laundries

By Rebecca Black, PA

A call has been made for records relating to former mother and baby institutions, Magdalen Laundries and workhouses in Northern Ireland.

It comes as part of a Truth Recovery Programme to investigate what happened at those institutions which operated in the region from 1922 to 1995.

More than 14,000 women and girls are thought to have passed through these type of institutions with many found to have been mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up children for adoption.

In 2021, Stormont was urged to establish a public inquiry to investigate the institutions and deliver financial redress to survivors.

A consultation on proposals for a public inquiry and an associated redress scheme has been carried out.

Meanwhile, a team at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has been identifying and preserving records relating to the former institutions.

David Huddleston, acting director at PRONI, said that securing all surviving records which hold significant and critical information about personal experiences and identity, along with information on maternity and child welfare systems, is critical to the work of the future public inquiry.

“As well as records of the institutions, the team at PRONI is interested in acquiring other related documents which may have survived from this period, for example, records of private maternity nursing homes, the papers of former midwives or social workers, or letters or diaries of individuals whose lives were touched by these issues,” he said.

“If you discover any historical documents which you think may be of interest to the Truth Recovery Programme, please contact the PRONI Truth Recovery Records team via access@communities-ni.gov.uk.”

He added: “We understand this may be a very difficult and emotive subject, particularly for individuals and families personally affected.

“We would like to assure the public that any contact with the team will be treated sensitively and confidentially.”

The Truth Recovery Programme website can be accessed at: https://truthrecoverystrategy.com

If you have been affected by Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries or Workhouses and would like support, please contact the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) on 028 9031 1678, 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, or email support@vssni.org.