Operation Kenova

Victims & families

Victims and families are at the heart of Kenova, which seeks to establish the truth of what happened.
 
At the launch of the investigation, Kenova lead Jon Boutcher gave an undertaking to the families that he would do everything in his power to uncover the truth as to what happened to their loved ones. No stone would be left unturned and no issue too difficult to address.
 
As a further sign of his commitment to the families Mr Boutcher has visited Northern Ireland and met dozens of families face-to-face. He has listened to their stories, addressed their fears and concerns and promised a professional and thorough investigation. 
 
To ensure victims are kept at the forefront of Kenova investigations,  an independent Victim Focus Group  has been formed. The members of the group are internationally recognised experts in the field of human rights and victim support and offer guidance to Kenova on all matters relating to victims.
 
Leading family engagement at the tactical level is Investigating Officer (IO) Jim Redmond with Family Liaison Coordinator (FLC) Paul Webb who took over from Jayne Richards on her retirement in 2020. The team works to a Family Liaison Strategy which you can read here.
 
The investigation team has seen a large number of families which has resulted in a number of people being interviewed and valuable new evidence being gained. Specialist Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) have been deployed to each family to provide on-going investigative updates and keep the families involved in the investigation.  
 
The welfare and confidence of the families is of paramount importance to the investigation. Every consideration has been given to the sensitivities of each family, ensuring officers from Kenova deliver a bespoke service to meet their individual needs. 
 
To provide further help and support to the victims and families, professional relationships have been forged with many organisations in Northern Ireland which provide families with multiple services, including counselling, advocacy and complementary therapies. 
 
These include: