Church Child Abuse Claims

We have a dedicated team of child abuse lawyers with the experience to help get the compensation you deserve. Our team know what you’re going through, and will handle your case with sensitivity and compassion. Tracey Storey, the team's head, is the coordinator of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers' Special Interest Group on Child Abuse, as well as sitting on the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers' Executive Committee.

We understand that therapy and counselling are crucial to helping an abuse survivor to move on with their lives, and we will work hard to secure a compensation settlement that can help to provide this.

Some of the church child abuse cases we've worked on in the past have included:

• A £200,000 settlement for a former choirboy who suffered years of abuse by a Church of England priest during the 1970s, starting when he was just eight years old
• A settlement for a police officer who was sexually abused by a trainee priest when he was 14 years old, which helped to fund his programme of private therapy. The priest was also convicted and imprisoned.

To make a compensation claim, the first thing you need to do is get in touch with us for a free consultation. We'll discuss the circumstances of your abuse, advise you on whether or not we think you can claim, and work out whether you could benefit from legal aid or a No Win No Fee* arrangement.

If you decide to make a claim with us, we'll usually follow the same four stages:

• Investigation. We'll take a full history from you, taking time to understand what happened and when. We’ll note any injuries or psychological trauma you've experienced as a result and we may refer you for a medical or psychological examination to investigate the full impact of your abuser's actions. We may also look into records kept by the police, courts, schools, Local Authorities, or medical institutions.
  We'll also need to work out who the claim will be made against. It could be an individual, or an organisation either responsible for that person's actions, or for your safety. If it's an individual, our investigators will have to look into their financial assets to find out if they'll be able to pay any settlement we agree.
• Rehabilitation. Abuse, whether physical, sexual or emotional, can have long-lasting impacts on both physical and mental health, and we'll help you to access any medical or psychological care and support you need, both now and in the future.
• Compensation. We'll work out how much compensation you should get based on the severity of your injuries or trauma, your pain and suffering, any medical expenses you've had to pay, and whether your abuser has impacted your ability to find work.
• Conclusion. If your opponent accepted blame, you'll be awarded compensation. If not, the case will be settled in court – although this is rare. If you do have to go to court, we'll be there support you every step of the way. If we agreed to handle your claim under a No Win No Fee* arrangement, then you won't have to pay anything if you were unsuccessful.

Yes, legal aid may be available for some types of abuse cases.

Legal aid is means-tested. We can help you with the application process for this and, if you do not qualify, we will explore other types of funding such as No Win No Fee* agreements.

Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.

At the start of your case, we'll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. You may be eligible for legal aid, or be covered by legal expenses insurance (LEI) or a trade union policy. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household or car insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.

If we think you're best supported by a No Win No Fee* agreement, we'll explain the process clearly. You'll only have to pay anything if your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees, with the remaining costs coming out of your compensation settlement.

Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.

You generally have to make a compensation claim within three years of the date of abuse taking place.

If you were a child at the time, then you have until the date of your 21st birthday to make a claim.

However, there's often a case for making a claim after these dates – we have helped clients to claim for abuse that happened decades ago. Whether or not you'll be able to make a non-recent abuse claim is judged on a case-by-case basis by the courts, so it's best to get in touch with us for some advice.

It's possible that you might have to appear in court as part of your claim. But in our experience, the vast majority of claims are settled out of court, following a negotiation between us and your opponent.

If you do have to appear in court, we'll be there to represent and support you at every step of the way.