This guide can help you if you want to seek compensation for adult sexual abuse. Claims of this nature are typically made through an executive agency within the Ministry of Justice, known as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). This guide explores the process of submitting a sexual abuse claim as an adult and other key information you might find useful:
Important Points:
- The CICA can award compensation to the victims of violent crime and sexual assault in England, Scotland and Wales.
- Sexual abuse and domestic abuse claims can be made without an identified suspect or a conviction.
- There is a 2-year time limit for claims normally made this way, but it can be adjusted in certain circumstances.
- The CICA can compensate you for up to 3 injuries.
- The solicitors on our panel can offer their services through a type of No Win, No Fee agreement.
Please read on to learn more about the process of making adult sexual abuse claims through the CICA. Our advisors are skilled and sympathetic and can also answer any general questions you might have about starting a claim or working with a sexual abuse claim solicitor on our panel. Simply:
- Call us in complete confidence on 0333 091 8597
- Ask a question via the live chat below.
- Contact us online.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I Make A CICA Adult Sexual Abuse Claim?
- Claiming Sexual Abuse Compensation Through The CICA For Vulnerable Adults
- What Is The Process For Claiming Sexual Abuse Through The CICA?
- How Much Adult Sexual Abuse Compensation Could I Get?
- How Can SACA Help Me Claim For Adult Sexual Abuse?
- Get Further Support After Sexual Abuse
- More Information
Can I Make A CICA Adult Sexual Abuse Claim?
Yes, you could make an adult sexual abuse claim through the CICA if you meet the required criteria as follows:
- You must have been the victim of a violent crime as defined in Annexe E of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. This includes sexual assault and abuse.
- The incident must have taken place in England, Scotland, Wales, or some other location designated under these locations (such as a boat registered in one of these places).
- You must have reported the crime to the police as soon as practicable.
- Your claim complies with the correct relevant time limit, which we look at in more detail below.
At the start of your CICA adult sexual abuse claim, you may also need to show that you were unable to claim compensation via an alternative route, such as directly against the perpetrator.
If you have any questions so far about eligibility for your adult sexual abuse claim, please connect with the team. You can call, email or ask anything through the live chat feature for an immediate response.
Claiming Sexual Abuse Compensation Through The CICA For Vulnerable Adults
It is possible to claim sexual abuse compensation through the CICA on behalf of others if you act as a litigation friend. This is a concerned party appointed by the courts to represent the person’s claim.
Litigation friends typically act on behalf of individuals under 18 or claimants who lack the mental capacity to manage their own claims.
If you’d like to learn more about acting as a litigation friend for a vulnerable adult or minor seeking compensation for sexual assault, please connect with our team for free and confidential guidance.
What Is The Process For Claiming Sexual Abuse Through The CICA?
Often, the process for claiming sexual abuse through the CICA starts with proving that the crime was reported to the police. Also, claiming within the time limit is an important consideration. Normally, the CICA applies a 2-year deadline in which to launch a compensation claim. This period commences from the date of the incident.
Exceptions can apply to this time limit if you can show that exceptional circumstances prevented you from claiming at the time. Also, time limits work differently for people who experienced sexual abuse as a child, and you can contact us for more information on this.
Evidence
Claims made through the CICA require the following evidence:
- Proof that you meet the residency and nationality criteria.
- Copies of medical evidence that prove you suffered harm from the sexual abuse.
- A crime reference number that confirms that you reported the incident to the police.
- Proof from the police that your conduct did not contribute to the incident and that you co-operated with them fully.
- Evidence of any financial losses related to the incident (we discuss this below in more detail).
Will Sexual Abuse Need To Be Reported To The Police Before I Claim?
The CICA will require that the incident has been reported to the police in order to consider a claim. Therefore, it should be done as soon as reasonably practicable. Cases are determined individually, so if there was a delay for a justifiable reason, a claim may still be valid.
You are not expected to provide proof of the crime itself, or show that the perpetrator was identified, charged or convicted. The CICA liaise with police and other authorities as needed for any additional information required.
Reasonable co-operation is expected to bring any assailant to justice, and any unspent convictions the claimant has might affect their entitlement to an award. You can read some statistics on sexual assault here.
Do I Need To Wait For The Assailant To Be Prosecuted?
There is no requirement for your assailant to be prosecuted or criminal proceedings concluded before you can make a CICA claim. As stated above, reasonably co-operating with police investigations is a requirement, but a prosecution is not a prerequisite for claiming. It’s vital to submit a claim promptly, so don’t let concerns about a conviction delay you.
We can help with any questions you may have about adult sexual abuse claims made through the CICA.
How Much Adult Sexual Abuse Compensation Could I Get?
The amount of sexual abuse compensation you could get depends on the type of injury you suffered and its severity. If your claim for compensation through the CICA is a success, you will be awarded an amount in line with fixed set of tariffs within the CICA Scheme
In the table below, we have listed some of the tariff amounts within the CICA Scheme that may be relevant for adult sexual abuse claims. Please also not that the top figure did not come from this tarif,f and this figure is the maximum amount the CICA will award for any type of claim made through them
CICA Tariffs
| INJURY | CICA TARIFF | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Expenses | Up to £500,000 | Compensation for suffering multiple severe criminal injuries as well as for special expenses and any lost earnings. |
| Non-Consensual Penile Penetration | £44,000 | Resulting in serious internal injuries as well as a permanently disabling severe mental illness. |
| £33,000 | Resulting in serious internal injuries as well as a permanently disabling moderate mental illness. | |
| £27,000 | Resulting in a severe mental illness that is permanently disabling | |
| £16,000 | A pattern of persistent severe abuse for more than 3 years. | |
| £11,000 | Involving 1 attacker. | |
| Sexual Assault | £27,000 | Cases that result in permanently disabling severe mental illness. |
| £22,000 | Cases that result in permanently disabling moderate mental illness. | |
| £22,000 | Instances that result in serious internal bodily injury. | |
| £8,200 | A pattern of persistent severe abuse for more than 3 years. | |
| £6,600 | Pattern of repeated severe abuse lasting up to 3 years. |
The CICA provides a multiple injury formula which allows the claimant to seek compensation for up to 3 injuries. This is calculated by taking the stated figure for the injury in question and awarding as follows:
- 100% of the figure for the highest-valued injury.
- 30% of the tariff amount for the second-highest (or equal).
- 15% of the total normally awarded for the third injury, if it is either equal to the second injury or the third highest value.
Additionally, compensation can be awarded through a tariff that is not calculated using this formula for cases where you contracted a sexually transmitted infection, became pregnant, or lost a fetus as a result of a crime of violence.
What Financial Losses Could I Claim?
You could be eligible to include special expenses as part of your adult sexual abuse claim. Under this category of loss, you could be reimbursed for:
- Any physical aids that you relied upon which were damaged in the incident, such as hearing aids, eyewear or mobility aids.
- The cost of any equipment that you needed in order to function after the injuries, such as a wheelchair.
- Care costs relating to your bodily functions or food preparation.
- Home modification costs can help with your injuries, such as installing a ramp.
You will need to put forward evidence that these costs directly rose from the injuries you suffered, and that they were both reasonable and necessary. It is also required to show that they could not be obtained freely from elsewhere.
You may also be able to claim for any lost earnings, but specific criteria will need to be met
Navigating a CICA calculator may seem complex, so please speak to our advisors if you have any questions. They could also provide with further examples of CICA payouts.
How Can SACA Help Me Claim For Adult Sexual Abuse?
At Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA), our panel of solicitors can help with your CICA claims in a number of ways. Firstly, knowing that skilled and expert solicitors are striving to help you can bring valuable emotional support to your compensation search. But they also provide a wealth of other practical services such as:
- Help to collect supporting evidence such as medical reports of physical injuries and psychological harm, (such as sexual abuse PTSD).
- Organise any psychotherapy or rehabilitation you may need due to your injuries.
- Give guidance on any complex legal terminology.
- Expertly handle the demands of the claim, such as dealing with any CICA requests or deadlines.
Additionally, all the solicitors on our panel offer these expert services under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement. With this No Win No Fee agreement in place:
- You won’t need to pay any upfront service fees.
- There will be no ongoing service fees to pay.
- You will not pay anything for your solicitor’s work should the claim fail.
- A success fee will be deducted from your compensation by your solicitor as a legally limited percentage.
Speak To Our Team Of Sexual Abuse Claim Specialists
If you’d like to learn more about the process of claiming compensation through the CICA for adult sexual abuse:
- Call us in complete confidence on 0333 091 8597
- Contact us online.
- Ask a question via the live chat.
Get Further Support After Sexual Abuse
The following links are to related charities and support groups in the UK. They aim to help sexual assault survivors and adult sexual exploitation victims move from victim to survivor:
- The Survivor’s Trust is an umbrella organisation for 120 groups offering support to women, men and children who have survived sexual violence, childhood sexual abuse and rape.
- New Pathways helps provide confidential advice about sexual violence to sexual abuse survivors of all ages.
- SARSAS offers counselling and specialist victim-survivor support as well as an online course to help with trauma and self-care.
- Here, mental health charity MIND offers a guide to support options after being sexually assaulted.
More Information
In addition to the guidance here about adult sexual abuse compensation claims, you might find these other links from our website provide helpful reading:
- Here you can read about sexual abuse in a marriage.
- Also, there is a guide about the long-term effects of sexual abuse that can occur.
- This resource explores examples of sexual abuse that you can claim for here.
External information to help:
- This link looks at requesting copies of your medical records.
- Here you can find out more information about the law concerning sexual offences.
- Lastly, read advice from Rape Crisis about reporting sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation to the police.
Thank you for reading this guide about adult sexual abuse claims. If the team can be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
