Ken Clearwater. Photo: RNZ / Phil Pennington
- Abuse survivors are retraumatised and struggling following the release of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry final report.
- An advocate says some are suicidal and need additional support and services.
- The government says it is working at pace on the redress scheme for survivors and the Survivor Experiences Service is available.
- A board member of the Survivor Experiences Service says it was never funded nor envisaged to provide the comprehensive care now needed.
The government will have blood on its hands if it does not immediately provide support to the survivors of state and faith-based care, an abuse survivor advocate says.
Many survivors are struggling in the wake of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Ken Clearwater feared some might take their lives without meaningful wraparound support and services.
"You've given your life and soul to the royal commission and all of a sudden you're sitting in the middle of a paddock with nothing to support or surround you," he said, of the feeling of many survivors in the wake of the final report being tabled in Parliament.
"There's no blanket to wrap around you. There's no love to wrap around you. There's no resources to wrap around you and it has to be looked at. And it has to be looked at now."
Only a fortnight ago as the royal commission's final report was tabled, minister after minister was talking a big game about support for survivors.
"I know survivors have been waiting a long time for changes to how the state and churches provide redress, and I want to assure you that we understand the urgency and the importance of that work," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
"We know that survivors have waited a long time for this report and are eager to see action," associate health minister Casey Costello said.
ACT Party leader and Cabinet minister David Seymour acknowledged those who could not be present for the report's tabling "because they passed before it came, because it took too long".
"We must do better and as a government we are committed to delivering our response to the report with the respect and dignity it deserves," Erica Stanford, the minister leading the government's response to the royal commission, said.
But Clearwater said the government's policies did not match its rhetoric.
"I heard all those words in Parliament, I heard that they want to do the best they can, and yet we are struggling out here. And if you have a look at the policies at the moment, they've cut back 400 social workers. On one hand they're saying they want to do something for the survivors of state and faith-based care but the services aren't available, so it's pretty contradictory."
Erica Stanford with the Abuse in Care Inquiry report. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Stanford did not agree to an interview with RNZ, but in an emailed statement said: "Many of the royal commission's support functions/services are available as part of the Survivor Experiences Service (SES).
"I am advised the SES has capacity and capability to provide a broad range of support to survivors of abuse. In areas where the SES does not have the capacity/capability, such as crisis services, it links survivors in with the appropriate supports and helplines.
"Along with the SES, the Crown Response Unit and the royal commission secretariat publicise information on their website, and when contacted by survivors, about where support can be accessed. I will be seeking advice on what further services could be provided by the SES to provide additional support to survivors."
The SES was meant to be a stopgap for survivors until the redress scheme was in place. However, RNZ understands from multiple survivors that calls to the service had gone unanswered and some had not even got a response back after a week or more.
Survivor Tu Chapman - who sat on the board of the Survivor Experiences Service - said the service was never funded nor intended to provide the holistic pastoral and crisis care needed for survivors in the wake of the royal commission. The service was limited in what it could offer since the final report was tabled, she said.
"We know that's not enough, but we're very limited in what we can actually do and how we actually do that," Chapman told RNZ.
"We can't get to everyone. We want to get to everyone, but that's just not viable because the government restricts what we can do in this space."
Marches outside Parliament on the day the abuse in care inquiry was made public on 24 July, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
There were things which could have been in place for survivors at the time of the royal commission coming to an end, but the question now was who would put their hand up to provide that much-needed support, Chapman said.
"I do think there are some processes and perhaps some services that could have been in place. But actually whose responsibility is that post the royal commission and what is the Crown Response Unit - which is responsible now for the report, its policy and ultimately establishing the redress system - what are they actually doing in this space? That's what I want to know."
Clearwater and Chapman agreed ACC was not placed to provide the kind of care and support needed for survivors with the wait for ACC-funded counselling often months.
Clearwater said survivors were hurting after the royal commission, and he feared some might take their lives if the government did not act.
The pair said meaningful support services for survivors could be put in place and urgently - it just required the political will of the government.
Stanford said she acknowledged the "bravery and courage of the nearly 3000 survivors who shared their experiences of abuse and neglect with the commission and contributed to its important work".
"The government is working at pace on redress, with key decisions being made over the coming months. This includes prioritising decisions on redress for those in Lake Alice.
"The leader of the opposition has expressed regret the previous government did not move faster in response to the interim redress report. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to make up the time that was lost during that period, but now that we have received the final report we are working at pace on redress as a priority."
