The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby homes noted in its final report that there are very few insights into the emotional and psychological problems that ‘boarded-outs’ faced.
These include ‘the prejudice shown towards them by classmates, teachers, priests or the affection or lack of affection displayed by foster parents’.
However, child inspectors’ reports from the time noted there was a deep fear on the part of many ‘boarded-outs’ of being sent to America.
The final report said: ‘Children boarded out… were obviously apprehensive of being removed and sent to America and as a result were nervous and ill at ease and had lost the feeling of security which is so essential.
‘Foster parents were also uneasy at this development. Their fears were not unreasonable because county managers had approved a number of American adoptions.’
Although ‘boarded-outs’ were technically no longer under the care of the county council when they reached the age of 16 and payments to their foster parents stopped, some local authorities continued to exert influence on the children. In particular, Galway County Council – which had charge of Ms Carroll – was singled out by the commission report for this behaviour.
The report noted: ‘In Galway, many children were placed for very inadequate wages when they reached the age of 16… and given to understand that they cannot change their place of employment nor ask for higher wages until they reach the age of 18.’
Last week Taoiseach Micheál Martin made an unexpected formal apology in the Dáil to the ‘boarded out victims of child institutions who were abandoned by the State, along with thousands of others’.
The apology followed a 51-day hunger strike by four former ‘boarded-outs’.
Despite the Taoiseach’s apology, there is still no compensation forthcoming from the State for those born in mother and baby homes who were then placed in foster care.