The Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA) has published her report on Supports and Services to Victims and Survivors of Non-Recent/Historical Institutional Child Abuse, and VSS warmly welcomes its findings and recommendations.
The report gives voice to the experiences of victims and survivors and makes a compelling case for the specialist support they need throughout their lives.
VSS is proud to be recognised, alongside our community partners, as trusted providers of this support. The findings speak for themselves: nearly half of all participants reported a strong reliance on services like VSS for their health and wellbeing.
The report calls for services to remain accessible across the lifetime of victims and survivors. This is an ageing population, and the intersection of lifelong trauma with the health challenges of older age makes continuity of care more important than ever.
We also welcome the emphasis on outreach and awareness — including for victims and survivors outside NI — and the recommendation to develop strategic communications initiatives to reach those who may be unaware of the support available to them.
At the heart of this report is a commitment to trauma-informed practice. VSS is proud to be delivering on the Executive’s Programme for Government commitment to embed trauma-informed responsive systems across the public sector, ensuring every interaction with our services is safe, respectful and centred on the needs of victims and survivors.
VSS will continue to play its part in translating recommendations into sustained action.
Read the full report at www.cosica-ni.org
Find out more about VSS’s community partners and the services available to you at HIA Community Partners – Victims and Survivors Service