The following blog was provided by Josephine Whitehouse, trainee solicitor with Leigh Day’s abuse claims team, and Amy Chater, Partner at Leigh Day specialising in Court of Protection financial deputyship matters. Survivors of abuse may find themselves in receipt of money following a successful civil compensation claim or application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Setting up a “personal injury trust” to hold the funds can be a helpful way to manage the money. This blog intends to provide an introduction to personal injury trusts. What is a personal injury trust? A per ..read more

The following blog was provided by Hayley Chapman, Solicitor in the Abuse Team at Bolt Burdon Kemp. Taking legal action in relation to abuse that you have suffered is a significant step for any survivor. Questions people often ask are: what will this actually achieve? Will I get anything from it? It is entirely sensible and appropriate to ask these sorts of questions. Which process? The first step is to be clear on is the type of legal action you are contemplating, because different processes achieve different things. For survivors of abuse, there are usually three main legal routes you can g ..read more

In early February we at NAPAC realised a long-term ambition and held our inaugural Survivors and Justice Symposium, graciously hosted by our law firm partner, Leigh Day. What was the purpose of the day? Though every survivor’s journey is different, it is likely that at some point in their recovery they will engage with one, if not all of these institutions: law firms and legal teams public or private healthcare departments the police third sector organisations such as support services and helplines   We brought together over 60 key stakeholders from these areas, to listen, learn and fo ..read more

The following blog was provided by Andrew Lord, a Senior Associate Solicitor at Leigh Day representing survivors of abuse. He is also the Chair of his firm’s LGBTQ+ Committee.  February is both LGBT+ History Month and when we recognise Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week here in the UK. Working for survivors of abuse every day, whilst also campaigning for my community as Chairperson of Leigh Day’s LGBTQ+ Committee, provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the some of the unique and multi-layered barriers that LGBTQ+ survivors face when speaking out about sexual ..read more

This blog was provided to us by the abuse claims team at law firm, Bolt Burdon Kemp. Survivors of abuse are often unaware that they are not limited to only seeking justice through the criminal process. Pursuing financial compensation in respect of the abuse they have suffered is also possible through the civil courts. This is known as a civil claim. In this blog, I explain the civil claims process, so that any survivor of abuse reading this can assess whether they would like to make a civil claim and the process they can expect to follow when they are ready to explore their legal op ..read more

This blog was provided to us by the abuse claims team at law firm, Bolt Burdon Kemp. Victims and survivors are often unaware that they can claim financial compensation in respect of the abuse they have suffered. This is known as a civil claim. In this blog, we talk about what a civil claim can achieve, when you might be able to make one, and next steps if you think you might want to make a claim. What you can achieve Many victims and survivors who contact us say that the most important thing to them is not money, but having some acknowledgment that the abuse happened, and that it was wro ..read more

This blog was provided to us by Emma Barrow, an abuse solicitor at law firm, Bolt Burdon Kemp. When someone has sadly been abused and makes the brave decision to seek justice, the first (and often, only) option they think of is to report it to the police. However, survivors of abuse often aren’t aware there is also another route to seeking justice, which is through the civil courts.  Here I explain the differences between bringing a criminal and a civil claim, so any survivor of abuse reading this can make an informed decision about their legal options. Whilst a criminal complaint can le ..read more

How often do you switch on the news to find another account of a child abused, and a life irrevocably altered? In the UK it is rapidly becoming a daily occurrence, and yet the same myths and stereotypes continue to circulate. We reassure ourselves that it was the work of a bad apple, a lone stranger. It couldn’t happen in our family. It only happens in religious organisations or certain geographical areas. If it was happening to a child that we know, of course we would spot it, we would intervene, we would support, and we would enact justice. But that is not the case. According to data from N ..read more

It has been a year since the final report of The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was launched, on 20 October 2022. It represented the culmination of seven years’ work with contributions from 7,000 survivors of abuse in childhood through the Truth Project. It brought national attention to the importance of listening to and learning from survivors. Where are we now? We were reassured by the commitments made in the Government’s initial response in May, followed by the launch of the CSE Taskforce, a public consultation on mandatory reporting, and exploratory work to inform a n ..read more

The government has announced the formulation of a new child sexual exploitation taskforce to pursue organised criminal gangs who are sexually exploiting or grooming children. What were the key points of the announcement? A new taskforce will see specialist officers assisting police forces with active investigations into child sexual exploitation and grooming   Data analysts will work alongside the taskforce using the latest data and intelligence to identify criminals   Legislation will be introduced to make being the leader of or involved in a grooming gang a statutory aggravat ..read more