IRELAND
Irish Times
Dan Keenan
Termonbacca children’s home was a “warm and loving place” a former senior social worker in Derry has told the inquiry investigating institutional abuse at care homes run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
He was the second witness, formerly involved in social work in the city, to praise the level of care provided by the nuns at two residential homes in the city.
The witness, who cannot be named, told the inquiry he first visited Termonbacca in 1975 as there were children there under supervision of the social work team he led.
Questioned by the inquiry’s junior counsel Joseph Aiken, the witness said he found the environment there to be warm and caring and the staff, including some of the sisters to be “very caring”.
He said he saw them in a positive way. It was very large home, he continued, and admitted that children might well have found it intimidating because of its size but he found it welcoming. He admitted that some children could become institutionalised in such a large setting.
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