Liam Goggin
Director of Public Law Practice Area
English
If you have suffered child abuse at a public or private institution or by a particular person, there may be a Redress Scheme established to provide support and compensation. Our Child Abuse Solicitors have extensive experience in helping survivors of abuse access Redress Schemes. We know the courage it takes to come forward and claim compensation. at Simpson Millar, we have a committed abuse team who are sensitive, compassionate, and dedicated to getting abuse survivors the compensation they need to move forward with their lives.
When you're ready to talk, we're here to listen.
In recent years, various Redress Schemes have been introduced in order to compensate, or provide redress to people who have suffered abuse in certain institutions or at the hands of specific people.
We know getting monetary compensation is not the reason many abuse survivors choose to bring a claim. Some want to take control of what happened and have the abuse acknowledged. Redress Schemes can provide a sense of closure and justice and are designed to make it easier for abuse survivors to access support and compensation.
Our Abuse Team have been helping survivors for more than 30 years and can support you in taking the first steps towards making a Redress Scheme claim. We'll do everything we can to make the whole process as easy as possible for you.
Contact us for a free case assessment, and we'll talk to you about how we can help.
Redress schemes are a way of providing compensation, counselling, support or an apology or other remedy, and are set up to make the process easier compared with bringing a civil compensation claim.
If a Redress Scheme has been established, you may still be able to bring a civil claim. But there are several advantages to applying for compensation through a Redress Scheme, including:
The team at Simpson Millar has extensive experience of successfully bringing claims under numerous Redress Schemes over many years including:
The London Borough of Lambeth Council established the Lambeth Redress Scheme to enable appropriate redress to be given to children who suffered non-recent sexual, physical, and/or psychological abuse or were in fear of being abused whilst they were resident at one of the Council's Children's Homes or Shirley Oaks Primary School.
Redress under the scheme included an apology, counselling, other therapeutic support, specialist welfare advice, support and assistance, and compensation.
Medomsley was a youth detention centre in County Durham which operated from the late 1960s until 1990. Two members of staff Neville Husband and Leslie Johnson were convicted in 2003 and 2005 for serious sexual assault. Five former staff members were also convicted in March 2019 for offences of misconduct in a public office and physical assault.
To date, there have been over 1800 reports of abuse at Medomsley. The Ministry of Justice set up a compensation scheme in February 2020. Individuals are able to claim compensation even if the staff member involved has not been convicted, named or identified.
Manchester City Football Club launched a 'Survivor's Scheme' in 2019 to compensate victims of historic abuse. The scheme is for survivors of abuse by Barry Bennell, the former youth coach and John Broome a former talent spotter and coach connected with Manchester City.
The scheme incorporates awarding compensation and a formal apology.
The Church of England is establishing a Redress Scheme for survivors of abuse, but the final approval has been delayed until at least July 2025. The Church has stated that it wants to review the scheme’s eligibility criteria following concerns raised in the Makin Report, which highlighted failures in how past safeguarding issues were handled.
The scheme is expected to provide financial compensation, emotional and therapeutic support, and a formal acknowledgment of harm caused. The Church has confirmed that legal costs for survivors applying to the scheme will be funded, but this will be subject to a set tariff and specific conditions. Survivors may still need independent legal support beyond what the scheme covers.
Further updates on the scheme’s structure, eligibility, and application process are expected as the Church continues its work.
We're rated‘Excellent’It can feel like a huge step to start a compensation claim, but you can trust that we'll be by your side every step of the way. In most cases, Redress Scheme applications run as follows:
Our Child Abuse Solicitors will be by your side throughout the entire process. It matters to us that you get the compensation and support you need to move forward with your life.
Domestic violence is often perceived only as physical acts of violence – But it’s much more complicated than that. A lot of the time, people witnessing or experiencing this kind of behaviour don’t know that it is domestic violence. It therefore often goes on unreported and is often ignored. But domestic violence can happen at any point in a person’s relationship and there are many forms that it can take.
Institutional abuse, also known as organisational abuse, is when an individual or group of individuals are neglected or suffer because of poor care practices within an organisation or care setting.
If you have experienced physical or sexual abuse and wish to make a claim under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (CIC) Scheme, contact our Abuse Claims Solicitors for free legal advice and a no-obligation discussion.
Our Child Abuse Solicitors have a national reputation for being compassionate, caring, and driven to get survivors the compensation they need to move forward with their lives. Members of our child abuse team have advised on national inquiries and act as Trustees of abuse support services.
By choosing us, you can trust that we'll:
Because the terms of various redress schemes vary so widely, it is important that you seek legal advice so that you fully understand how the scheme you are applying under works. In many cases, the cost of you obtaining legal advice will be covered by the scheme.
We can help answer the following questions:
Our Solicitors have experience of many Redress Schemes and if we don’t know the answer to your question straight away, we’ll find out for you.
We're rated‘Excellent’A claim under a redress scheme is funded and the costs are paid according to the rules and structure of the specific redress scheme in question. Before proceeding with your claim, we will ensure you receive clear and detailed information about how these processes will work. This approach ensures transparency and allows you to make an informed decision about moving forward with your claim
The Redress Scheme's terms and conditions will set out the evidence required, and it will generally be lower than that required in a civil claim. For instance, the Manchester City Football Club Redress Scheme required applicants to provide a Statement of Truth about what happened to them, the dates they played at the club, and any other supporting evidence.
Yes, Redress Schemes are designed to address historic abuse claims.
Yes, if you're not happy with your current Solicitor, you can contact us to see if we can help. You may need to pay a portion of your former Solicitor's legal costs if you choose to change legal advisors part-way through your claim.
As always, we will need to look at the Redress Scheme's terms and conditions. Some provide for a review and/or appeals process. And there's always the option of bringing a civil claim. We know how disappointing an unsuccessful outcome is, especially after everything you've been through. We'll look at all your options and advise on the best route to take.
It depends on the number of claimants and the size and resources of the Scheme. In most cases, the process is quicker than bringing a civil claim.
We'll keep your personal details confidential and protect your privacy. The Redress Scheme will also have clear privacy policies in place to protect applicants' information.
There are several support organisations dedicated to helping child abuse survivors, including:
We know and trust these organisations and are happy to put you in touch.
Yes, the fact that the abuser has died will make no difference to being able to claim under a Redress Scheme.
It depends on the terms and conditions of the Scheme. Some have a fixed amount for all applicants, and others will have a payment scale depending on the severity of abuse suffered. .
No, as these are entirely separate processes. And you can still bring a Redress Scheme or civil claim even if your abuser is found not guilty in a criminal trial.
You can make an abuse claim on behalf of someone else if:
If you are claiming on behalf of someone else, we'll provide all the support and legal advice you need.
Fill in the form below to get in touch with one of our dedicated team members, or call our team today on: 0800 260 5010
