2.1 What we have heard – the failures of Crown and faith-based responses
2.1 Introduction
Over at least two decades, thousands of survivors have tried to get some form of redress or restoration for the abuse and neglect they have suffered in State or faith-based care. Some have filed claims in court, others have approached institutions directly.
The Crown and faith-based institutions have responded to these claims in different ways. The Crown, for example, mounted a strong defence of early claims filed in courts, while faith-based institutions were mostly focused on settling those claims out of court, or in some cases referring them to their insurers. Both government and faith-based institutions have developed in-house claims processes. Some processes are more formal than others, but they all provide channels outside of the court system for survivors to make a claim and obtain some redress, usually in the form of an apology and financial payment.
This part looks at the responses of the Crown and faith-based institutions to reports of abuse, including the development of in-house claims processes, and most importantly, survivor experiences of those processes. It also looks at the other avenues available to survivors, and the particular issues survivors have faced attempting to access their records.
First and foremost, we hear from survivors.