The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity announced yesterday that they have withdrawn from the provision of residential child care. Explaining the decision, the order said: "We perceived an increasing strain between the increasing demands and needs of children and the resources available to provide an acceptable level of care which we were prepared to be accountable for."
Arrangements have been made for the present residential services, which include four homes and an after-care unit, to be transferred to the care of the Eastern Health Board.
The order, which has been involved in the provision of residential care since 1858, will continue its care of elderly vulnerable women and work with women in prostitution.
In a statement, the order said: "In remembering and honouring the work of staff and sisters in the past and the care which was given to children, we also need to acknowledge that some practices could not now be stood over, just as in the future some current perceptions of the best practice will be critically evaluated.
"Through ongoing contact with people who have been in our care, we know that for most of them the experience has been positive and that they have been able to go on and lead healthy adult lives.
"However, we also recognise that for others the experience of being in care was not wholesome and is an experience remembered with hurt and pain. "This we acknowledge with sorrow and regret and we wish to take this opportunity to apologise to anyone whose contact with our child-care services was marked by any form of suffering, rather than care and healing."