Child Abuse Solicitors

Why Choose Simpson Millar?

• Our Abuse Team have been helping child abuse survivors for many years and have a strong track record of securing compensation and a sense of justice for them
• You’ll have a specialist Child Abuse Lawyer assigned to your case right from the start. They’ll be with you throughout your claim and will explain everything in clear, straightforward language
• Even if the abuse took place a long time ago, we may be able to still help you get justice
• Our Child Abuse Solicitors can connect you with a large network of support and survivor groups. People who better understand what you’ve been through and can give you help and support
• Everything you tell us will stay completely It will only be disclosed if you agree. By talking to a specialist Child Abuse Solicitor, who has helped other people in similar situations, you can take the important first step in getting your story heard and accessing vital support
• Our Lawyers are members of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL)

People We’ve Helped

These are some of the people we’ve helped to make successful claims for child abuse:

Who Can I Claim Against?

Our Solicitors deal with child abuse claims against many different kinds of people and organisations. These include:

• An individual person, who is often a family member or family friend
• Employers of abusers
• Foster parents
• Operators of children’s homes and schools
• Social Services departments that placed children in care, or didn’t do enough to protect children being abused
• Government bodies
• Religious organisations
• Charitable foundations

This is not an exhaustive list, so if you’ve suffered from child abuse, one of our specialist Solicitors can have a chat with you about your particular situation.

What is the Child Abuse Claims Process?

It’s important to understand exactly what will happen when you make a child abuse claim. We’ve outlined the process as simply as possible so you know what to expect if you do decide to make a claim for child abuse compensation.

1. A Free Case Assessment - when you get in touch with us, we’ll ask you a few simple questions and consider any information you’ve given us, to see if you have a good chance of a successful claim. We know that this process won’t be easy for you, so our Child Abuse team will be respectful and empathetic throughout
   
   
2. Allocate - if we take on your case, you’ll be given a specialist who will work with you and support you throughout your claim. Any worries or concerns you have, you can speak to them. We’ll give you open and straightforward legal advice, without using complicated legal language and we’ll be friendly, approachable and sensitive throughout the whole process
   
   
3. Getting the Evidence - we will gather evidence to help prove your claim. We may arrange for you to see a medical expert, such as a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. This will help us to be clear about the impact and effects of the child abuse you’ve experienced on your life and support your claim for compensation. This may be worrying or upsetting for you, but we’ll talk it through with you so you are clear about what to expect
   
   
4. How Much Compensation – we know that your claim isn’t just about the money, but we do have to look at how much compensation you may get for the injuries you’ve suffered, should your case be successful. We’ll do this by looking at the evidence we have from the medical experts and understanding how the abuse you suffered as a child has affected your life. We’ll also look at whether you can work now and in the future, if the abuse has impacted your employment opportunities, and whether you need ongoing support in future
   
   
5. Settling Your Claim - we’ll present the details of our claim to the person or party responsible. You may be worried about having to go to Court, but most abuse cases do not go this far and are resolved or concluded before any Court date. If your claim is one of the few that does go to Court, we’ll be there with you throughout the whole process. If, for any reason, your case can’t continue, we’ll explain your next steps.

Time Limits on Making a Child Abuse Claim

Strictly speaking in England or Wales, you must make your claim within three years of the date the abuse took place, but the law is sympathetic to those who have stayed silent about the abuse they suffered. After all, there are many compelling reasons why a survivor of abuse may have only recently spoken out. They could:

• Be scared that nobody will believe them
• Feel ashamed or embarrassed
• Feel they are to blame for the abuse
• Not feel they have the words to describe or explain the abuse
• Not understand that what happened to them was wrong
• Want to protect their family, or even the abusers
• Have been intimidated or threatened with violence
• “Love” the abuser and don’t want to lose the good parts of the relationship
• Feel powerless to stop the abuse
• Have suppressed the memories of their abuse
• Be struggling with the psychological impact of the abuse

We understand why people might not want to come forward for many years and we’ll always talk about this with our new clients. The law does its best to take any time delay into account, as long as the evidence that the abuse took place can still be put before a Court of Law.

How Do I Pay for Making a Claim?

We don’t want legal costs to be another worry for you. We offer flexible funding options to suit you.

If you meet the strict means testing criteria for Legal Aid, this could be available, but we also offer a No Win, No Fee agreement - just ask us for details. You could also use any Legal Expenses Insurance cover you already have in place or pay us directly to represent you.

Simpson Millar Solicitors are a national law firm with over 500 staff and offices in Billingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Catterick, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester.