Mother and Baby Homes Public Inquiry: Chair Appointed as Truth Recovery Process Moves Forward

Rachel Langdale KC has been appointed Chair of the Truth Recovery Public Inquiry into Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland. Victims and survivors have welcomed the appointment as an important step. Many of them have campaigned for decades for the truth about what happened to them and their families.

Phoenix Law is a long-standing representative of victims and survivor groups. We look forward to working with the Chair and the Executive as the inquiry’s terms of reference and rules are developed.

A long road to a public inquiry

The appointment follows years of campaigning by survivors, their families and advocacy groups. In 2021, an independent Truth Recovery Design Panel recommended a statutory public inquiry, along with other measures to support truth, acknowledgement and redress. In March 2023, the leaders of Northern Ireland’s main political parties gave a public apology to victims and survivors in the Assembly.

The appointment of a Chair is the latest step in that process. For many survivors, it is the first real sign that the inquiry they have long called for is taking shape.

Why the inquiry matters

More than 12,000 women and girls entered mother and baby homes, Magdalene Laundries and workhouses in Northern Ireland. These institutions were run by churches and the State until the 1990s.

Many of those women and girls suffered human rights abuses and degrading treatment. Some were separated from their babies against their will, and many children were adopted without their mothers’ full and informed consent. Many families were never told what happened, and records have often been incomplete, hard to get or withheld.

The effects of these experiences did not end when people left the institutions. Survivors, their children and their wider families continue to live with the consequences today.

Time is of the essence

Many survivors are now in their senior years. Campaigners have warned that time is running out for those who have waited decades for answers.

Adele Johnstone of Birth Mothers and their Children Together welcomed the appointment. She said she hoped it would “herald a genuinely independent, rigorous and survivor-centred inquiry in which victims and survivors are listened to, treated with dignity and given a meaningful voice throughout the process.” She also noted that the secondary legislation needed for the inquiry to proceed is still awaited, which is causing further delay.

Phoenix Law shares those concerns. The inquiry must be properly established and able to begin its work without unnecessary delay.

Survivors must be at the heart of the process

Claire McKeegan, Partner and Head of Litigation, Healthcare and Abuse at Phoenix Law, said:

“We now look forward to engaging constructively with the Chair and the Executive on the development of the terms of reference and inquiry rules. Survivors must be at the heart of that process.

The success and credibility of this inquiry will ultimately depend upon its independence, its terms of reference, the powers and resources available to it, and the extent to which victims and survivors are meaningfully involved in shaping its work.

It is essential that the inquiry follows the evidence wherever it leads and examines fully the institutions, individuals, agencies and systems involved in the treatment of women and children over the period within its remit. It must also confront the difficult questions of institutional and individual responsibility and ensure that evidence is not lost, overlooked or unnecessarily delayed.

For many survivors, this is not simply a historical inquiry. These are deeply personal experiences which have affected their lives and those of their families for generations. The process must therefore be conducted with sensitivity, transparency and an understanding of the particular needs of survivors.

The victims and survivors we represent have shown extraordinary persistence in seeking truth and justice.”

What happens next

The next stages are:

1. setting the inquiry’s terms of reference, which will decide what it examines
2. making the inquiry rules, which will govern how evidence is gathered and how survivors take part
3. putting the secondary legislation in place so the inquiry can formally begin its work

These early stages are vital. Decisions made now will shape how far the inquiry can go and how meaningfully survivors can be involved. Phoenix Law will keep engaging with the Chair and the Executive to make sure survivors’ voices are heard from the outset.

Who may be affected?

You may wish to get legal advice about the inquiry if:

1. you spent time in a mother and baby home, Magdalene Laundry or workhouse in Northern Ireland
2. you were born in one of these institutions or adopted from one
3. you are the child, relative or descendant of someone who was in one of these institutions
4. you have been trying to trace records or family members connected to these institutions

Coming forward early can help make sure your experience is heard and that important evidence is kept.

How Phoenix Law can help

Phoenix Law is a human rights and public law firm based in Belfast. We have extensive experience representing victims, survivors and bereaved families in public inquiries, inquests and legacy cases. We currently act for victims and survivor groups in the mother and baby homes truth recovery process.

We can:

1. Explain how the inquiry works and how you can take part
2. Represent you throughout the inquiry process
3. Help you prepare and present your account
4. Advise on getting records and personal information
5. Advise on any related legal options that may be open to you

We know these experiences can be painful to talk about. Every enquiry is handled sensitively and in strict confidence, at a pace that suits you.

Contact Phoenix Law:
Phone: 028 90 328 383
Email: abuse@phoenix-law.org