Minutes of the VSS Board Meeting No 111

Board Meeting Type: Strategic Board Meeting      

Wednesday 12th February at 10:00am (Members only) and 10.30am (All attendees)

VSS Board Room, Seatem House, 28-32 Alfred Street.

 

 Board Members Present:

Sandra Horley (SH)                        Board Member (Interim Chair)

John Cahill (JC)                              Board Member

Catriona MacArthur (CMA)             Board Member

 

VSS Officers in Attendance:

Andrew Walker (AW)                     Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Tara Lewsley (TL)                         Head of Learning and Growth

Victoria Murray (VM)                        Acting Head of Corporate Services

Emma Dargan (ED)                         Head of Service Development

Nicola Nugent (NN)                         Head of Health and Wellbeing

Diksha Balodia (DB)                      Business Support Officer (Minutes) 

 

Guest Speaker:

Fiona Ryan (FR)

 

Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA)

 

Apologies

Apologies received from Brian Gilfedder.

 

A   Welcome and Introductions

FR was welcomed by the Chairperson. All attendees introduced themselves and their role within VSS.

 

B      Minutes of Previous Meeting

The Board approved the minutes of the previous meeting on 22 January 2025.

 

C      Conflict of Interest

No conflicts of interest were declared.

 

D       Presentation from Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA) – Fiona Ryan

FR gave a presentation outlining the work of COSICA and her experiences in the role of Commissioner.
The following key areas were addressed:

-       FR emphasized the importance of making informed linguistic choices when communicating with the survivors of historical institutional abuse, and the language used in the communication and branding of the organisations that deliver these services. Certain terms and phrases which seem appropriate to organisations can often be perceived as insensitive by the service-users, and as undermining the gravity of the lived experiences of victims and survivors.

-       FR shared her experience in the role describing the importance of “Horizon Scanning”, and how organisations in Northern Ireland can derive valuable learnings from the work of similar organizations in the UK, Ireland, and other countries, and improve their own services in line with international standards of good practice.

-       FR discussed the HIA inquiry from the perspective of what was initially included, and other areas which were omitted. She emphasised the critical need for acknowledging and addressing other historical, systemic injustices which are often reported by HIA victims and survivors, towards providing adequate and proportionate support and redress to them. Some of the issues discussed were the deportation of children from NI to Australia, clerical abuse, children in foster care systems, sexual abuse, child abuse in school systems, and the cyclical nature of the systemic abuse experienced by the victims and survivors. FR drew attention in particular to the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools which has been undertaken in the Republic of Ireland, and the implications of this both locally and at an international level.

-       FR recounted several examples from meeting over 200 victims and survivors of HIA during her time in the role, describing the severity of the abuse experienced by them as children, and its long-lasting impact late into adulthood. She also described the experiences of the victims and survivors seeking support and redress from the current system, and how they feel about going through the processes. FR advised that the nature of the trauma experienced by victims and survivors of HIA, and therefore their needs, were different from those of the victims and survivors of the Troubles/conflict.

-       FR shared some preliminary findings from the recent consultation exercise undertaken by her office on services to victims and survivors of historical institutional childhood abuse. The findings of the consultation are currently being compiled into a report for issue in the coming months.

-       FR discussed the lasting impact of child abuse on the victims and survivors well into late adulthood, and how discussing and re-visiting the traumatic events can lead to re-traumatisation. She highlighted the deep-seated anxiety experienced by the victims and survivors about interacting with perceived figures of authority, how it limits their willingness and ability to seek necessary support and engage with services, and the resultant negative outcomes for their health and wellbeing.

-       FR outlined that COSICA is now establishing an Advisory Panel to provide a forum for consultation and discussion between the Commissioner and victims and survivors. The work of the Advisory Panel will be informed by the consultation exercise.

The presentation was followed by a short question and answer session. The discussions revolved around how to engage with victims and survivors more effectively and encourage them to come forward to seek support. There was a short discussion on the future of the services on offer for the victims and survivors, and how new opportunities in service provisions can be identified,

SH thanked FR for the presentation and discussion.

FR left the meeting.

E                Comfort Break

The meeting was adjourned for a short refreshment break.

 

F                 CEO Update (verbal)

Budget and VSP Planning

VSS has had ongoing engagement with TEO to address concerns around the rollover budget for 2025/26 and future years, and the anticipated pressures from the increase in Employer’s National Insurance contributions and employee pay awards.

Further engagement is planned with Community and Voluntary sector groups in the form of working groups ahead of the new VSP programme.

Working groups including 20 partners have been set-up to discuss the delivery of Health and Wellbeing services going forward, with an in-person session scheduled for 24 February.

 

 

MBMLW

A summary of responses to the public consultation on a proposed statutory public inquiry and financial redress scheme has now been published, leading to increased pressure on TEO to move forward with the associated legislation for a Public Inquiry and Redress Scheme. A paper is due for submission to the Executive by TEO to inform the creation of the new legislation and advise the associated policies for victims and survivors. VSS anticipates that following the introduction of the MBMLW Bill and (some time thereafter) the start of the MBMLW inquiry, more victims and survivors will be encouraged to step forward and seek support through VSS services.

The deadline for registering to participate in the testimony-gathering stage is 1st May 2025 in advance of which there will be scheduled leaflet drops across Northern Ireland, which could lead to an increased demand for support and services in the coming months.

Veterans Commissioner

AW updated the Board about his recent meeting with the new Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner (NIVCO) David Johnstone. It was an introductory meeting to welcome the Commissioner and describe the roles and relationships shared between VSS, CVS, TEO and NIVCO, and how they all work together to ensure effective service delivery for victims and survivors.

ACEs Prevalence Study, Queen’s University Belfast

AW noted some relevant key findings from the report. The study was notable for describing the correlation between ACEs and life-outcomes as adults for victims and survivors, and how it could inform the design of programmes and services the VSS provides.

Omagh Bombing Inquiry

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is currently in an initial phase of Commemorative and Personal Statement Hearings. AW noted that he would be attending the Inquiry as an observer, on Thursday 20th February to hear some of the individual testimonies,

Safeguarding Board Award

Following VSS’s accreditation with a Silver Trauma Informed Quality Mark, The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland recently awarded VSS as sector leaders in evaluation and sustainability of trauma informed practices. The Board noted this significant achievement and the efforts of the VSS staff in embedding trauma informed practices.

 

G                Partnership Agreement

VM provided an updated on the status of the Partnership Agreement, which is due to replace the Management Statement and Financial Memorandum and has been in draft for a number of years. VM noted that the Partnership Agreement is currently under review within TEO but is close to finalisation. The Agreement will be co-signed by the Chair of the VSS Board, the VSS CEO and the TEO Lead Official.

A draft of the Agreement will be circulated to the Board in the next few weeks once it is ready for review, and an opportunity provided for Board discussion prior to signing.

It is hoped that the new Agreement can be in place for the start of the Financial Year 2025-26.

 

H                Board Induction Plan

The new Board Induction Plan will be discussed at the next Board Effectiveness session to seek the input of the current VSS Board prior to approval. AW shared some key points for consideration with regard to the induction on new Board members, which led to some discussion. The Board agreed to review and discuss amongst themselves and revert with feedback prior to the next Board session.

 

I                  AOB/Close – Lunch

No other points of business were raised for discussion.         

 

K      Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled to take place on Thursday 20th March 2025.