Successful grants promote truth, healing and reconciliation

Five organisations will share in $45,000 to raise awareness about the impact of institutional child abuse and promote truth, healing and reconciliation.

Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer congratulated the first recipients of the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation grants program, which aims to support people with lived experience to be heard, encourage healing and work together towards reconciliation.

The five successful grant recipients are:

• Cape York/Gulf Remote Area Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Care Advisory Association to host and community conversations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Friends of the Aged to develop a training video for aged care staff exploring experiences of Forgotten Australians
• Hillbrook Anglican School to develop a permanent memorial
• Link-Up QLD to host music therapy sessions for people who have experienced child sexual abuse
• Micah Projects – Lotus Place to host creative writing workshops to help participants heal.

“One of the clear messages from the Royal Commission was that many Queenslanders live every day with the pain caused by institutional child sexual abuse, so these grants are a way of actively listening to people and honouring their experiences,” Ms Farmer said.

“This project, like all the successful recipients, is one which has listened to and incorporated the views and voices of people with lived experience about what truth, healing and reconciliation means to them.

“We cannot close our eyes to the truth, and it is up to all of us to support healing and work towards reconciliation for people who have experienced institutional child abuse in Queensland facilities.”

The grants program was launched on 31 May 2019 as part of the Queensland Government’s implementation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Ms Farmer said the funded activities would take place between now and December this year.

“The important thing about these activities is they are all happening in partnership with people with a lived experience of institutional child sexual abuse, and they all recognise truth, healing and reconciliation as an ongoing process,” she said.

“They will also raise awareness of institutional child abuse and its impact, which is often lifelong and profound.

“We have to continue to bear witness to what victims and survivors have been through, and we have to keep finding ways we can support them and help them find the truth, justice and reconciliation they need to rebuild their lives.”

Former Royal Commissioner and Chair of the Truth Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce Bob Atkinson said he was pleased to see the first round of successful grant recipients be announced for the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation grants program in 2019.

“The purpose of the grants program is to continue in the footsteps of the Royal Commission by exposing the truth of what happened to children, and to contribute to healing and reconciliation, including reconciling histories,” he said.

“The Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce are pleased to support this grants program and we acknowledge that truth, healing and reconciliation means different things to different people, and we look forward to seeing the events, initiatives, programs and resources that are developed by organisations in partnership with people with lived experience of institutional child abuse.”

The grants are administered by the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women with advice from the Queensland Government’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce. The Taskforce was established in 2018 to raise awareness of institutional child sexual abuse and its impacts, drive changes to protect children, and support people with lived experience across the state.

For more information on the Taskforce and its priorities, visit https://www.csyw.qld.gov.au/child-family/queensland-government-response-royal-commission-institutional-responses-child-sexual-abuse/truth-healing-reconciliation-taskforce

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Media contact: Cat Milton 0447 117 132