Do Public Inquiries Really Benefit Survivors of Childhood Abuse?

By Ruth Stark
The Guardian
January 22, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/jan/22/inquiries-benefit-survivors-childhood-abuse

What do adult survivors of childhood abuse really need when they open up about their experiences and expose themselves to public scrutiny? Justice or acknowledgement of the trauma they have suffered?

Northern Ireland and Scotland have set up initiatives that aim to provide a place for abuse survivors to talk about their experiences. The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry has begun in Northern Ireland, and new legislation in Scotland will establish a National Confidential Forum that will work in partnership with the Mental Welfare Commission.

In England, social workers at a recent workshop on the subject suggested that people who have been abused need to feel believed. But victims of abuse, who have been through public inquiries, say it is justice they seek.

Human rights and social justice are inextricably linked. This is written into the 2004 international definition of social work and is central to the British Association of Social Workers' code of ethics.

Social work professionals often refer to people achieving validation, increased self-esteem or having their case substantiated when defining positive outcomes.

But discussions with people who have used these services suggest social justice is often more complex than the professional perception. It delves into the intricacies of truth and reconciliation.

Social justice is not just about victims being validated, it is also about overcoming stigma and becoming included in social connections – rather than, as one professional put it, "one of those people" displaced from the norm. If you feel apart from society it is more difficult to make those connections.

Reflecting on my own practice, I have been revisiting some of the guidance handed out to me as a young social worker. I was encouraged, not only to listen to the words people spoke, but to look beyond to the hidden pain they were experiencing because they had been degraded by others, who sought to exercise power and control over them.

This observation has forced another reflection on how we work now – the rules and regulations that seem to be imposed by employers and regulators that may constrain how professionals respond or connect to people. This is often based on the recommendations of inquiries and forums where there has been abuse of connections, of touch, of power and control; and where people have again been treated without dignity and respect.

We know that when normal connections with others are interrupted or abused a person's wellbeing is affected. This may be transitional or may affect their health or ability to make and sustain relationships. Our mental health facilities are packed with people who struggle with connections.

Victims of sexual abuse or torture during confinement, experienced connections that were about power and control and that were often established in secret. This adds a further dimension to the abuse of connections – the control factors in communication.

Measures, such as the setting up of the HIA Inquiry and the National Confidential Forum, are seeking to address issues arising from the abuse of connections. But we must look further than just the validation found through listening to the reality of horrendous journeys through public care.

One person abused in public care said recently "care at home was as bad as being in care, but care came with stigma". So how do we hear that pain that comes from the stigma? What do we need to do as professionals to help people on that journey from pain to change?

One of the frequent issues that adults raise is the quality of information that they access in their social work records. They describe the judgmental language, the lack of photos – they cannot find the positive buried beneath the over-emphasised negatives. They cannot make the connections they need to with the siblings or former friends they had lost as they were moved around the system.

We complain about the amount of administration we have to do as social workers – but what and for whom are we recording? Do we often, in the pressure to conform to employers, regulators and inspectors, neglect to record a part of a journey that may help someone to move from pain to change? Are we disempowering people by not recording the full picture or helping them to remain connected?

If we are to achieve the principles set out in our own international definition of social work, we have to look in our own backyard to see how we are contributing to abuse – perhaps through the systems we are operating in, and in neglecting to see the significance of social justice to the people with whom we work. We need to continue to explore the issues and ask ourselves what can we do in our reflective practice to help people achieve positive change in their lives?

It is time for us to listen to people whose journeys we have influenced, and reflect, not only on our professional responsibility to address this issue, but to inform the political will to redress a wrong more effectively and support people on their journey toward resolution and justice.

Ruth Stark is a social worker, BASW member and convenor of International Federation of Social Workers' human rights commission

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