News & Events

Note from the Board of Caranua on publication of the independent Review of Eligibility of Persons to access the RISF (Caranua)

Speaking on the publication of the Review, David O’Callaghan, Chairperson of the Board of Caranua said: “Caranua welcomes the independent Review published today (Tuesday) by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D.  The Board of Caranua will immediately consider the proposed scenarios and options set out by the Department of Education and Skills and will then respond to their independent Review”.

“We are committed that the Fund provided to Caranua continues to be distributed as fairly and equitably as possible. We will continue to work with survivors and we encourage survivors who have not yet applied to Caranua to contact us”.

Caranua Contact Details:

  • Freephone ROI: 1800 212 477
  • Freephone UK: 0808 234 1303
  • All other places :+353 1 874 2277 (not a freephone number from outside Ireland and the UK)
  • Email: info@caranua.ie

ENDS

Information for Editors:

The Review of eligibility for access to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund was an undertaking given by the then Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairí Quinn T.D., during the passage of the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas that Caranua was established under, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012.

Caranua (the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund)

Caranua (the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund) is an independent State body, established by the Minister for Education and Skills which operates under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF) Act 2012.

To be eligible to apply to Caranua survivors must have received an award through settlement, Court or the Residential Institutions Redress Board in relation to their time in an institution. The following institutions are covered under the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002: https://caranua.ie/useful-resources/institutions-covered/ The institutions were run by congregations and funded and regulated by the State.  Those congregations are responsible for the provision of funds to Caranua and have committed €110 million.

Caranua was established under the RISF Fund Act, 2012 and is responsible for managing these funds to support people who, as children, experienced abuse in institutions in Ireland.  The legislation that Caranua was established under, the RISF Fund Act, 2012 (Section 30), states that all costs ((includes staff salaries, rent, postage, application packs, telephone costs, utilities, postage, outreach events, independent Appeal Officers costs etc) must be paid out of the Fund.

Caranua can offer support, information, advice and advocacy to survivors. The help we provide will depend on the needs and circumstances of each survivor but the areas we can help with are:

  • Health and Wellbeing;
  • Housing Support;
  • Education, Learning and Development;
  • Socially Active & Connected.

Working in partnership with public services and adding value to, rather than duplicating the services they provide, is an important element of our legislation and since Caranua was established we have expanded the range of organisations that we have worked with and through.

Further information on Caranua, including details on applying for support funding and services, are available here: www.caranua.ie

Draft Terms of Reference for Review of Eligibility to access funding support from the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund published by the Minister for Education & Skills.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D. announced a three week consultation period on 15th February 2017 in relation to the proposed draft terms of reference of a review of eligibility to access funding support from Caranua (the Residential institutions Statutory Fund).  The draft terms of reference are available on the Department for Education and Skills website at the following links: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2017-Press-Releases/PR2017-15-01.html and http://www.education.ie/en/Learners/Information/Former-Residents-of-Industrial-Schools/Caranua-Review-of-Eligibility-Draft-Terms-of-Reference.pdf

Review of Eligibility of Persons to access the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (“Caranua”)

The Review of Eligibility of Persons to access the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (“Caranua”) which was published today (Tuesday 29th May 2018) can be viewed on the Department of Education and Skills website here: https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/review-of-eligibility-of-persons-to-access-the-residential-institutions-statutory-fund-caranua.pdf

The Department of Education and Skills Press Release can also be viewed on their website here: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2018-press-releases/PR18-05-29.html