Human Trafficking Claims

We can help you with every stage of a compensation claim as well as help you access the support you need to move forward. Our experienced CICA solicitors can help you:

• Make a CICA claim
• Review your application if you’re making a CICA claim yourself
• Review the "health" of your claim, whether you’re claiming by yourself or using another law firm
• Make appeals to the CICA Tribunal if your claim was denied
• Apply to the CICA to medically re-open your case.

As well as helping you through the CICA process, our solicitors can also help you access any rehabilitation and support you need. We have a specialist team of support and rehabilitation co-ordinators, who can help you access benefits and rehabilitation services.

We can also offer advice on Court of Protection issues through our dedicated team. For clients who lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs, we can make a claim on their behalf by working with their family members or a ‘litigation friend’. 

If your claim is successful, we can advise you on how to invest that money. We can also make sure your compensation doesn’t affect your entitlement to certain state benefits, by setting up a personal injury trust.

We offer specialist advice about all parts of the CICA process and we’re passionate about helping our clients get the compensation they deserve. Our CICA solicitors have a lot of insight into why CICA might reject a claim, so we know how to get you the best outcome possible for you.

We make sure that we keep regular contact with the CICA throughout your claim, and we always keep you well-informed about what’s going on.

Our team understands what you’re going through, and we take the time to make you feel comfortable at every stage of your claim. We regularly work with support and rehabilitation co-ordinators who can provide you with help and support for things like accessing benefits and specialist rehabilitation services.

No matter what language you speak, we can find an interpreter or lawyer who speaks your language. We also regularly work with clients with disabilities and we have extra measures in place to help.

We have offices across the UK, so we’re on hand to help wherever you’re based.

The normal time limit for making a CICA claim is two years from the date of the crime. But we understand that in situations involving human trafficking this may not always be possible.

If you’re making a CICA application after the two year time limit, there are some exceptions that the CICA will take into account including:

• Children – you can make a claim at any point before the child’s twentieth birthday, as long as someone reported the crime to the police while the person was still a child.
• Historical child abuse – if you reported your child abuse to the police as an adult, you have two years from the date you reported the crime to make a claim.
• Exceptional circumstances – the CICA can allow claims if there are good reasons for a delay in claiming (for example if you’re claiming on behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity or if you’ve been prevented from seeking help because of being trafficked).
• Medically reopening CICA claims – You have two years from the CICA’s original decision to medically reopened your claim. You can medically reopen your claim if your injury has significantly changed or worsened after you’ve received compensation.

The CICA gives out fixed levels of compensation for claims, depending on the type of injury you’ve suffered and how severe it is. The CICA scheme doesn’t offer any specific award for human trafficking but you can claim compensation for injuries and emotional trauma you suffered as a result of being human trafficked.

The minimum amount of compensation the scheme awards is £1000, and this goes up to £500,000 for the most serious injuries.

You can claim for up to three injuries through the CICA, but you get reduced amounts of compensation for the second and third injuries:

• Most serious injury – 100% of the compensation award for that type of injury
• Second most serious injury – 30% of the compensation award
• Third most serious injury – 15% of the compensation award.

In you’ve experienced sexual abuse or exploitation, you can make a compensation claim for the sexual abuse itself or for psychological trauma. The compensation you get depends on which injury has a higher value under the CICA’s Tariff of Injuries.

The CICA can also give compensation awards for your loss of earnings or expenses resulting from human trafficking, but there are strict guidelines for these payments.

The CICA may reduce compensation awards if they find issues with your conduct or behavior toward them. If you have an unspent criminal conviction the CICA will usually reject your claim. The CICA may also reject your case if you delayed reporting your case to the police, or didn’t cooperate with their investigation.