Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy and church representatives acting under the authority of the Diocese of Dromore
The Diocese of Dromore is committed to bring healing to the survivors of clerical sexual abuse, and to all those affected by these egregious crimes. The Diocese apologises unreservedly for the hurt and damage caused to victims and survivors of any priest or church representative acting under its authority. The Diocese of Dromore finds such behaviour towards children and vulnerable people abhorrent, inexcusable and indefensible.
The Diocese of Dromore is committed to a journey of justice, truth, healing and abuse prevention. The legacy of abuse is not time limited. The impact on victims and survivors is deeply personal and is carried differently by each one. The Diocese seeks not to lose sight of the individuals involved, nor their personal journey, nor the hurt felt by those close to them, when referring to non-recent abuse.
By this Scheme, it seeks to put in place a process which can resolve the on-going concerns of victims and survivors of abuse within the Diocese. It will endeavour to ensure the process is victim-centred and place the needs of the victims and survivors to the fore; it will be open to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse suffered at the hands of representatives of the Diocese; and it will seek to be comprehensive, practical and successful in achieving the healing that victims and survivors need.
Having listened to victims and survivors, the Diocese is keen to reduce the trauma and stress caused by participation in an adversarial legal process, and is also keen to ensure its limited resources are directed mainly towards the victims and survivors. It proposes a redress scheme that is less stressful, moves more quickly and prioritises payments to the victims.
The Scheme will be open to receive applications from 29th September 2021 until 29th September 2023. Update July 14th 2023: To enable all those who were abused to apply to the Scheme the Diocese has extended the Scheme by 6 months enabling others to make applications up to 29th March 2024. Read the statement about the extension by clicking here.
Redress Scheme Overview (pdf document)
Contact
Questions or queries relating the scheme can be sent to [email protected]