This article contains guidance about claiming historical sexual abuse compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which is an executive agency that can award compensation to those injured by violent crime.

We will discuss some of the evidence you may have to show when making a claim through the CICA.

We will also provide information about compensation amounts to help you understand what could be awarded should your claim succeed.

Read on to learn more about receiving compensation for sexual abuse. As an alternative, you can contact our team of advisers and ask your questions directly. Our advisers have a great deal of experience and may be able to put you in touch with a criminal injury lawyer to help begin a claim. Reach them by:

• Calling 020 8050 2736 to speak to an adviser
• Reaching out using the chat feature on the screen now
• Filling in our contact form

Choose A Section

1. Can You Claim For Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation Via the CICA? – A Guide
2. When Are You Eligible To Make A CICA Claim?
3. Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation – What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Through The CICA?
4. What Sexual Abuse Compensation Could You Receive From The CICA?
5. Use Our Panel Of Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors To Make A No Win No Fee Claim
6. Learn More About How To Receive Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation

Can You Claim For Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation Via The CICA? – A Guide

Historical sexual abuse, also called non-recent abuse, is any form of sexual abuse that happened to an adult when they were still a child. Child sexual abuse is not just one thing; it could involve one or several sexual activities, such as:

• Touching a child in a way they don’t like, with or without clothing
• Forcing, coercing, or threatening a child into performing sexual acts

In order to make a claim for sexual abuse compensation via the CICA, certain eligibility requirements must be met. One in particular is that the incident needs to have been reported to the police.

If someone experienced sexual abuse as a child but the incident was not reported to the police, this must be done once they are able to report the incident themselves as an adult. However, exceptions can be made if there was an extenuating reason that meant this could not be done as soon as they turned 18.

To learn more about the other eligibility requirements for putting forward a claim via the CICA, continue reading. We discuss this in the following section as well as the other avenues you could take to claim.

When Are You Eligible To Make A CICA Claim?

If you know the identity of your attacker and they have enough financial assets, you may be able to claim against them directly. Alternatively, you may be able to claim against a vicariously liable third party, such as a school. However, if neither of these options are available, you may still be able to claim criminal injuries compensation via the CICA.

As mentioned, there are certain eligibility requirements for claiming through the CICA, such as reporting the incident to the police. Other requirements include:

• You must have experienced a crime of violence as defined by the CICA. This definition can include sexual assault.
• The incident needs to have occurred in England, Wales, Scotland, or other relevant place.

Keep reading to learn more about sexual assault claims. Alternatively, contact our advisers if you have questions about criminal injuries compensation eligibility. Our team can provide further guidance.

Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation – What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Through The CICA?

If your historical sexual abuse compensation claim is directed through the CICA, you may be asked to provide certain pieces of evidence. This could include:

• Evidence to show you meet the residency requirements
• Medical evidence that shows you sustained an injury the CICA can compensate for
• Information about the financial losses you’ve suffered as a result of the incident
• A police crime reference number to show the incident was reported

It is also important that you are aware of the CICA time limit. This is usually 2 years after reporting the incident to the police.

However, there may be exceptional circumstances that affect this. Additionally, exceptions can be made to the two year time limit in which you have to begin your claim. In both of these instances, it would need to be proven that extenuating circumstances affected your ability to either report the incident or start the claim within the relevant time frame.

Contact our advisers to learn more about how long you have to claim criminal injury compensation.

What Sexual Abuse Compensation Could You Receive From The CICA?

If your claim is successful, you will receive an award for your injuries that is valued in line with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. The Scheme contains a fixed tariff of injuries.

You can get an estimate for this award by using a sexual abuse compensation calculator. Alternatively, you can check the table below, which contains amounts from the tariff.

Criminal Injury	Amount	Notes
Sexual Offence (the person is any age)	£44,000	Non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth causing a serious internal bodily injury alongside a permanent, severe and disabling mental illness.
Sexual Offence (the person is any age)	£27,000	Sexual assault that results in a permanent, disabling and severe mental illness.
Sexual Offence (the person is any age)	£22,000	Sexual assault that results in serious internal bodily injuries.
Sexual Offence (the person is any age)	£6,600	Sexual assault involving a pattern of repetitive and frequent severe abuse over a period of up to three years.
Sexual Offence (the person is any age)	£1,000	Sexual assault involving minor non-penetrative sexual acts that occur over the clothing.
Sexual Offence (the victim is a child)	£22,000	A pattern of repetitive and frequent incidents that result in serious internal bodily injuries.
Sexual Offence (the victim is a child)	£3,300	Sexual assault involving a serious pattern of repetitive sexual physical acts under the clothing that are non-penetrative.
Other payments	£22,000	Infection of HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
Other payments	£11,000	A permanent disability from sexually transmitted infection not including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV.
Other payments	£5,500	Loss of foetus.

You may claim for up to three injuries, in which case the multiple injury formula would apply. As such, you would receive:

• 100% for the injury with the highest tariff amount
• 30% for the injury with the equal or second-highest tariff amount
• 15% for the injury with the equal or third-highest tariff amount

Whilst the Scheme can only compensate for a maximum of three injuries, if you became pregnant, contracted a sexually transmitted infection, or lost a foetus as a result of the incident, you may receive additional payments. These payments won’t be subject to the multiple injury formula.

Additional Compensation In A CICA Claim

In addition to compensation for your injuries, you may be able to receive a loss of earnings payment and a special expenses payment.

In order to claim for loss of earnings, you must have been unable to undertake any paid work or have a very limited capacity to do so for longer than 28 full weeks. If you are eligible to receive this payment, it will be awarded from week 29.

To be eligible to receive a payment for special expenses, you must have lost earnings, the capacity to earn or been incapacitated in a similar way due to the seriousness of your injury for more than 28 weeks. If you are eligible to receive this payment, it will be awarded from the date of the injury.

For more information about the compensation that could be awarded after claiming successfully through the CICA, get in touch on the number above.

Use Our Panel Of Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors To Make A No Win No Fee Claim

You may benefit from hiring a solicitor to represent your claim. The solicitors on our panel have experience handling criminal injury claims and can help you through the process of seeking historical sexual abuse compensation.

The solicitors on our panel usually offer their services under a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Using this agreement means that you generally don’t have to pay for their services if your claim fails, or upfront.

Instead, the solicitor will take what’s called a success fee from your compensation, but only if the claim succeeds. This is amount is subject to a legal cap.

Contact Us For Free To See If You Could Receive Historic Abuse Compensation

To learn more about the process of claiming historical sexual abuse compensation, get in touch with an advisor. They can offer legal advice during a free consultation. They are also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Reach them today by:

• Calling 020 8050 2736 to speak to an adviser
• Reaching out using the chat feature on the screen now
• Filling in our contact form

Learn More About How To Receive Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation

Below are some other criminal injury guides:

• Child Abuse Compensation Claims
• Can You Claim Compensation For Domestic Abuse?
• Top Tips For Claiming Compensation For Assault And Battery

We’ve also included third-party resources:

• Reporting Abuse – NSPCC
• Report Rape Or Sexual Assault – GOV
• Help After Rape And Sexual Assault – NHS

Thank you for reading this guide about claiming historical sexual abuse compensation. If you would like to know more about any aspect of your potential claim, contact us today using the provided details.

Writer Morgan Fox

Editor Meg Maloney