How To Use Our Child Sexual Abuse Compensation Calculator

We place our trust in those looking after children, such as care homes, schools, nurseries, social services, and others, to prevent them from coming to harm. If their negligent actions lead to a child suffering sexual abuse, there may be grounds for you to claim on behalf of a child, or for historical abuse which affected you. Our child sexual abuse compensation calculator could also help you gain a clearer idea of how much compensation you may be eligible to receive for the harm you have suffered.

Key Takeaways

• Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, sexual abuse is a criminal offence.
• Child abuse claims may be made directly against the perpetrator or a vicariously liable party, such as a school, care home, or social services.
• If claiming against one of the above parties is not an option, a claim could be made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. This is a government agency which pays compensation to victims of criminal injuries, such as child abuse.
• Compensation may cover mental and physical injuries, as well as qualifying financial losses.
• A solicitor from our panel could help you to make a child abuse compensation claim.

Our advisors understand how distressing discussing child abuse can be. They are on hand to listen to and help you to understand how a solicitor from our panel could help you.

Jump To A Section

• Who Pays Compensation For Child Sexual Abuse?
• Child Sexual Abuse Compensation Calculator Against Vicarious Liability Parties
• Calculating Child Sexual Abuse Compensation From The CICA
• How Long Is The Time Limit For Claiming Child Sexual Abuse Compensation?
• If I Claim Compensation For Child Abuse, Will I Need To Go To Court?
• Get Help From Compensation Calculator UK
• Learn More

Who Pays Compensation For Child Sexual Abuse?

Compensation for child abuse may be paid by the abuser, a third party who had a legal obligation to keep your child safe, or the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Below, we explain these in more depth:

• Firstly, you could claim compensation directly from the perpetrator if you know who they are and have the means to pay compensation.
• Secondly, you could bring a claim against a vicariously liable third party. We explain this in more depth in the following section.
• Finally, you could claim via the CICA if you can not claim against the perpetrator or a vicariously liable third party. Later in this guide, we explain when you could be eligible to claim through the CICA

Vicarious Liable Parties

Vicariously liable parties can include organisations such as nurseries, schools, care homes and social services that have a duty of care regarding ensuring the health and safety of others. To make a civil claim against a vicariously liable party, you must prove:

• You (or a loved one, such as your child) were owed a duty of care by this party.
• The duty of care was breached.
• This breach resulted in your (or a loved one) suffering harm due to sexual abuse.

Children’s Care Homes

Children’s care homes have a duty of care to ensure the safety of the children in their custody. The Children Act 1989 sets out the responsibilities of local authorities towards the children under their care.

They must take steps, such as conducting appropriate background checks on candidates before hiring. If they failed to do so and this led to you (or a loved one) having been sexually assaulted, a compensation claim could be made.

Nurseries And Schools

Nurseries and schools have a strict duty of care to safeguard children in their care. This duty arises under the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004. These require childcare providers to prevent children from harm and safeguard their welfare. Instances of child sexual abuse may constitute as breaches of this duty.

Social Services

Social services have a duty of care to safeguard those under their care, including children. This duty may involve conducting DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks on employees. If social services acted negligently, such as failing to carry out a DBS check on someone with convictions for child sexual abuse, and this led to a child being assaulted, social services could be held liable.

Child Abuse Claims Through The CICA

Child abuse claims may be made through the CICA if no claim can be made against the perpetrator or a third party. Sexual assault or abuse claims made through the CICA must meet certain eligibility criteria.

1. You (or your loved one) must have been the victim of a violent crime, as set out in Annexe B of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (CICA scheme).
2. This must have taken place in England, Scotland, Wales or another relevant place, such as a boat registered in Great Britain.
3. The incident must have been reported to the police.

Child abuse claims may be pursued through the CICA irrespective of whether the perpetrator was convicted or not.

A solicitor from our panel could help you make a compensation claim for child sexual abuse either against the perpetrator, vicariously liable party or through the CICA. Contact our advisors today to learn more.

Child Sexual Abuse Compensation Calculator Against Vicariously Liable Parties

You can use our child sexual abuse compensation calculator to see how your claim against a vicariously liable party may be valued. The figures our calculator uses come from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).

This document may be used by legal professionals when valuing your claim, as it contains compensation guidelines for a range of different psychological and physical injuries.

Our table below includes figures from the JCG relevant to sexual assault compensation claims. The figure in the first row does not come from the JCG. Please remember to use this table as a guideline only.

Injury	Notes	Compensation
Multiple injuries + special damages	Multiple serious injuries resulting from the abuse with special damages for lost earnings, care costs, and medical bills.	Up to £350,000+
Severe Sexual and/or Physical Abuse	Both serious abuse (over a long-period of time) and a severe to moderately severe prologoned psychiatric injury.	£109,830 to £183,050
Moderately Severe Sexual and/or Physical Abuse	Serious abuse and/or moderately severe to severe psychiatric harm.	£54,920 to £109,830
Moderate Sexual and/or Physical Abuse	Abuse is less prolonged/ serious and psychological harm is less severe.	£25,100 to £54,920
Less Severe Sexual and/or Physical Abuse	Abuse is short-lived and towards the lower level of severity.	£11,870 to £25,100

In addition, you may be able to claim compensation for any associated financial losses under special damages. This may include,

• Loss of earnings, both past and future losses.
• Medical bills.
• Care costs.
• Counselling or other therapy costs.

You must provide evidence, such as invoices or payslips, of any financial losses. Please contact us for guidance on how to use our compensation calculator or for a free valuation of your case.

Calculating Child Sexual Abuse Compensation From The CICA

Our child sexual abuse compensation calculator can help you gain a clearer idea of the compensation you could receive when making a claim through the CICA. The figures featured within the calculator below come from the fixed tariff within the CICA Scheme.

Under the CICA Scheme, you can be awarded compensation for up to 3 injuries per the multiple injuries formula.

1. The most serious injury is awarded 100% of the tariff amount.
2. 30% of the tariff is awarded for the second most serious injury.
3. 15% is awarded for the third.

Compensation not subject to this formula could also be awarded in instances where the abuse has led to an STI being contracted, a pregnancy or a foetal loss.

In addition to using our CICA calculator, you can also refer to our table below that uses figures from the CICA Scheme in relation to child sexual abuse. Please note that the first entry is the maximum amount the CICA will pay for any claim submitted through them.

Injury	Notes	Tariff
Multiple severe criminal injuries with special expenses	Multiple severe injuries have been suffered and special expenses for care costs, damaged personal aids and loss of earnings.	Up to £500,000
Non Consensual Penile Penetration of a Child	Causing serious internal injuries and a severe permanent, disabling mental illness.	£44,000
	Causing serious internal injuries and a moderate mental illness that is permanently disabling.	£33,000
	Causing a permanently disabling, severe mental illness.	£27,000
	Causing a moderate mental illness that is permanently disabling.	£22,000
	Which causes serious internal bodily injuries.	£22,000
	Where there were repeated incidents over 3 or more years.	£22,000
	Where there were repeated incidents over fewer than 3 years.	£16,500
Sexual Assault of a Child	One or more (non-penile) oral or penetrative acts resulting in a severe mental illness.	£27,000
	One or more (non-penile) oral or penetrative acts resulting in a moderate mental illness.	£22,000
	One or more (non-penile) oral or penetrative acts, resulting in serious internal injuries.	£22,000

Loss Of Earnings And Special Expenses

Compensation for loss of earnings and special expenses may also be awarded in addition to compensation for your injuries through the CICA.

You could be eligible to claim for a loss of earnings through the CICA, but certain eligibility requirements will need to be met.

Special expenses could compensate you for certain financial losses experienced due to the child sexual abuse. However, these need to be reasonable, necessary, directly resulting from the criminal injuries and not be available for free elsewhere.

Examples of special expenses include:

• Replacement of any physical aids damaged in the incident, such as glasses.
• Equipment needed to cope with the criminal injuries, such as a wheelchair.
• Care costs relating to bodily functions and food preparation.

You can learn more about how our CICA child sexual abuse compensation calculator works by talking to an advisor today.

How Long Is The Time Limit For Claiming Child Sexual Abuse Compensation?

The time limit for claiming child sexual abuse compensation is generally 3 years for civil claims and 2 years for CICA claims.

For civil claims made against the perpetrator or a vicariously liable party, the time limit is generally 3 years, running from the date the incident took place. However, those under the age of 18 are unable to make their own claim until they reach their 18th birthday. In these cases, a responsible adult could claim on their behalf prior to this date as their litigation friend.

In CICA claims, the time limit is generally 2 years from the date the incident took place. The CICA will consider claims being made outside of this time limit if it can be proven that circumstances that were exceptional prevented a claim from being made sooner.

In child claims, the time limits are as follows:

• If the incident was reported to the police prior to the child’s 18th birthday, the time limit will be 2 years from their 18th birthday.
• If the incident was not reported to the police prior to the child’s 18th birthday, the time limit will be 2 years from when this report is made. It will also need to be proven that circumstances that were exceptional (such as historical abuse) prevented a report being made sooner.

To see how long you may have to start your or your child’s sexual abuse claim, you can contact our advisors.

If I Claim Compensation For Child Sexual Abuse, Will I Need To Go To Court?

It is not likely that you will need to go to court when claiming compensation for child sexual abuse. This is because the majority of civil claims are settled without the need for court. Additionally, claims made through the CICA generally do not need to go to court, as you can appeal any rejected claims or compensation offered directly against them.

If, for whatever reason, your claim does need to go to court, a solicitor from our panel could help you through this.

Please contact us to learn more about the criminal injuries compensation claim process or to ask any questions about using a child sexual abuse compensation calculator.

Get Help From Compensation Calculator UK

Compensation Calculator UK could help by assessing your case, explaining the route through which you could claim, and connecting you to a solicitor from our panel. One of our advisors could answer any questions you may have about making a claim against a third party or through the CICA.

The expert solicitors on our panel could work on the child sexual abuse claim on a No Win No Fee basis, via a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means the solicitor will work on your case without you paying for their services before starting a claim, when it is in progress, or if it is not successful. If you win, your solicitor will charge a success fee, charged as a percentage of your compensation, which is legally capped.

Some of the expert services the solicitors on our panel can offer on a No Win No Fee basis include:

• Guidance through the claims process and explanations of any terms used.
• Help collecting relevant evidence to support a civil or CICA claim.
• Help accessing counselling or other therapeutic services.
• Ensuring the claim is filed within the relevant time limit.
• Ensuring both the injuries and financial losses suffered are covered in the compensation offered.

Contact Our Team Of Advisors

Contact our team of advisors today to discuss your case and receive free advice on the steps you could take next:

• Call 0800 408 7826 to talk to an advisor.
• Speak to an advisor live.
• Use our form to contact us.

Learn More

Learn more about the other types of claims we could help with:

• View our child injury claim calculator here.
• Use our assault at work compensation calculator.
• See how to claim for domestic abuse here.

External resources:

• The Crown Prosecution Service publishes information on help and support available to victims of violent crimes.
• You can find help and support after rape and sexual assault in this NHS resource.
• Learn about reporting rape, sexual assault, or other sexual offences in this police resource.

Please contact our team for further help using a sexual abuse compensation calculator.