How To Claim Historical Abuse Compensation

By Stephen Anderson. Last Updated 28th August 2024. In this guide, we tell you how to claim historical abuse compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA is a Government agency that exists to provide a compensation route for victims of violent crime in Great Britain.

We explain what is defined as historical abuse and what criteria you need to meet before a criminal injury compensation claim can be made. After this, we discuss whether an incident of historical abuse needs to be reported to the police when claiming through the CICA.

Furthermore, we share examples of the sexual abuse compensation you could receive if your claim is successful.

If your criminal injury compensation claim is eligible, a solicitor from our panel could work with you on a No Win No Fee basis. The benefits of this type of agreement are discussed towards the end of this guide.

To see whether you can claim compensation for historic sexual abuse, you can contact us today. Our contact services are completely free to use:

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Jump To A Section

  1. What Is Historical Abuse?
  2. How Do I Claim Historical Abuse Compensation?
  3. Does Historical Abuse Need To Be Reported To The Police?
  4. How Much Compensation For Historical Sexual Abuse?
  5. Can I Claim Historical Abuse Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
  6. More Resources About Claiming Criminal Injury Compensation

What Is Historical Abuse?

Historical abuse, also sometimes called non-recent child abuse, refers to incidents where an adult was sexually abused back when they were a child (under the age of 18).

There are two types of child sexual abuse – contact and non-contact abuse:

  • Contact abuse is where the abuser either forces a child to make physical contact with someone or where the abuser makes physical contact with the child.
  • Non-contact abuse is where a child is abused, either in person or online, without being touched by the abuser.

The effects of historical sexual abuse can cause physical and psychological injuries that carry long-term consequences. For example, there may be internal physical injuries or a mental injury such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be suffered.

If you are eligible to claim historical abuse compensation, you could be compensated for whatever physical and psychological effects you’ve experienced. You can continue reading our guide to learn more about the eligibility criteria for historical abuse claims and what steps are involved in the process. You can also choose to contact our advisors to discuss your case.

How Do I Claim Historical Abuse Compensation?

If you have been subject to historical abuse, you might be entitled to claim historical abuse compensation through the CICA.

As we previously mentioned, the CICA are able to award compensation to victims of violent crimes.

In order to be able to make a historical abuse compensation claim through the CICA, you must be able to meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • You must have been harmed in a crime of violence. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 not only helps the CICA value claims, but also provides examples of incidents considered a crime of violence. Some of these include sexual abuse, assault, arson and threat of attack.
  • The incident must have taken place in either England, Scotland, or Wales (or somewhere else relevant, such as a boat that is registered in Great Britain).
  • Your claim must begin within the CICA’s time limits. This time limit is usually 2 years from the date of the incident. However, exceptions can be made to this time limit if you can prove that exceptional circumstances apply.
  • The incident must have been reported to the police.

Who Can I Make A Sexual Abuse Claim Against?

You could make a historic abuse claim directly against the perpetrator if you know who they are and that they have the means to compensate you.

Child sexual abuse claims can also be made against a vicariously liable third party rather than through the CICA, such as against institutions.

For example, if a teacher in a school sexually abused you, and the school did not perform a DBS check on the teacher that would have notified them of their previous convictions for sexual assault, the school could be liable for the abuse you suffered since they failed to protect you.

If you have any questions about making a historical sexual abuse claim against a perpetrator or vicariously liable party, you can contact our advisors.

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Does Historical Abuse Need To Be Reported To The Police?

As previously mentioned, yes. Any incident of historical abuse must be reported to the police in order to make a historical abuse claim through the CICA.

From reporting the incident, you should have a police reference number. This can be used as evidence for your claim.

Other forms of evidence you will need when claiming through the CICA include:

Moreover, the CICA will liaise with the police to gain additional information they may need regarding the incident.

Please get in touch with us today if you want to discuss more about the evidence you need in order to claim historical abuse compensation through the CICA.

How Much Compensation For Historical Sexual Abuse?

If you’re eligible to claim for sexual abuse through the CICA, your physical and psychological injuries will be valued in line with the tariffs that are set out in the CICA Scheme. These tariff amounts are fixed, meaning that you will receive the exact amount listed that correlates with your injury, if your claim is a success.

If you are claiming for multiple injuries using the main tariffs, these will be subjected to the multiple injuries forumla. This means you will receive 100% compensation for the highest valued injury, 30% for the second, and 15% for the third.

However, if you became pregnant, lost a foetus, or contracted an STI as a result of historical abuse, you could receive compensation under a different tariff.

In the table below, we have included some examples of CICA payouts that can be given for historical abuse. Additionally, our criminal injury compensation calculator can give you some more CICA payout examples.

Injury CategoryType Of InjuryCompensation
Multiple severe criminal injuries with additional damagesAn award for suffering multiple injuries and special expenses, such as loss of earnings.Up to £500,000
Non-consensual penile penetration of a minorA serious internal bodily injury and a permanent disabling mental illness of a severe nature as confirmed by a psychiatric prognosis. £44,000
A serious internal bodily injury and a permanent disabling mental illness of a moderate nature as confirmed by a psychiatric prognosis.£33,000
A permanently disabling mental illness of a severe nature as confirmed by a psychiatric prognosis.£27,000
A permanently disabling mental illness of a moderate nature as confirmed by a psychiatric prognosis.£22,000
One incident involving two or more abusers.£13,500
One incident.£11,000
Sexual assault of a minorRepeated incidents over a period of 3 or more years. £8,200
Repeated incidents over a period of up to 3 years. £6,600

Special Expenses

Additionally, you could receive special expenses as part of your historical abuse compensation claim. This includes:

  • Any equipment that was damaged from the incident that you relied on as physical aid, such as a hearing aid or glasses.
  • Any equipment you require to deal with your injuries, such as a mobility chair.
  • Home adaptation costs to deal with your injuries, such as installing a stairlift.
  • Care costs that relate to your bodily functions or your food preparations.

All of these costs need to be necessary, reasonable and directly resulting from your injuries. Additionally, they cannot be obtained for free anywhere else.

You can also claim back a loss of earnings as part of your claim, however specific eligibility criteria must be met.

If you have questions regarding how compensation is awarded for historical abuse claims through the CICA, you can contact our advisors.

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Can I Claim Historical Abuse Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?

If you confirm with one of our advisors that your historical abuse compensation claim is eligible, then you could claim on a No Win No Fee basis with a solicitor from our panel. Specifically, one of the solicitors from our panel could offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Here is how you can benefit from having your claim represented through a CFA:

  • Before your claim starts, you pay no solicitor service fees.
  • During the process of your claim, you pay no solicitor service fees.
  • If you have an unsuccessful claim, you pay nothing for the solicitor’s work.
  • If you have a successful claim, instead of paying solicitor costs directly from your pocket, a success fee will be taken from your compensation. A success fee is a small percentage that the law caps to ensure the majority of your compensation goes to you no matter what.

Contact Us

Contact us today to confirm whether you are eligible to claim historical abuse compensation. Our panel of specialist No Win No Fee solicitors can provide you with support and legal advice and can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Here is how to have a chat with us today for free:

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More Resources About Claiming Criminal Injury Compensation

Here are some of our other guides about claiming criminal injury compensation:

These other pages might also give you useful information:

  • National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) – information and support about child sexual abuse and what signs of sexual abuse to look out for.
  • Gov.UK – anonymised data and statistics on CICA cases.
  • Mind – a charity that offers information and support regarding mental health.

Thank you for reading our guide on how to claim historical abuse compensation. Hopefully, you have gained a greater understanding of how the criminal injury claims process works. If you have any questions at all, an advisor will be more than happy to answer them.