Payouts made to more than 20 women who were drugged and sexually assaulted at a home for young girls have been slammed as an insult by one of its former residents.

Teresa Cooper was one of those paid £1,000 by the Church of England for contributing to a review into Kendall House in Gravesend, the results of which were published in two reports, one in June and another released earlier this month.

Both reveal how girls as young as nine were forcibly injected with a variety of drugs, locked in an isolation room, kept in straitjackets, given electric shock treatment at a nearby mental health hospital, and raped.

Ms Cooper, who took part in the second review and was praised for her “relentless” pursuit of justice by the investigation’s expert panel, described the money from the church as nothing more than “a token gesture”.

She said: “For 30 years my life has been a walking, talking, breathing hell. The church damaged my career, my reputation, just about every part of life. They have ruined everything. The only thing they haven’t damaged is my cat.

“Does £1,000 make up for that? I think it’s an insult. They can’t just pay the women £1,000 and think that will pacify them for the time being. I think it’s a serious insult.”

An investigation into the home in Pelham Road, which opened in 1947 and shut in 1986, was ordered by the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev James Langstaff, in January 2015.

The report released in June exposed more than three decades of cruelty across 137 pages of testimonies from former residents and members of staff.

So many people came forward after it was published that a further report was commissioned and released on Tuesday, December 13.

All of the former residents who contributed to both reports have now been paid, which a spokesman for the dioceses of Rochester and Canterbury described as “an expression of our gratitude”.

"The church damaged my career, my reputation, just about every part of life" Teresa Cooper

They said: “Ex-gratia payments have been made to all of the former residents of Kendall House who participated in both the initial review and in the production of the addendum report, as recommended by the panel.

“These payments are an expression of our gratitude to the women who have had the courage to share their stories, and an acknowledgement of the pain of revisiting their trauma.

“We fully accept all of the panel’s recommendations and have already made significant progress in implementing them.”

Interviews for both reports were led by Dr Sue Proctor who chaired the investigation into disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile and described the Kendall House investigation as the most troubling thing she had ever worked on.

The panel’s review described the home as “a frightening, violent and unpredictable place to live” and issued both dioceses with a range of recommendations, including the payments and a public apology.

Speaking after the release of last week’s report, the Bishop of Rochester said: “We are very grateful to all of the women who courageously came forward to tell their stories, and we recognise how challenging that was.

“The diocese would like to thank all of the former residents who have participated and we apologise unreservedly to them for the hurt and distress caused.”

Ms Cooper is continuing to pursue legal action against the church over birth defects suffered by the children and grandchildren of former residents.

Her daughter Sarah was born with a cleft palate. Her two sons and grandchild also have serious health issues.