Claims For Sexual Abuse By Your Father Explained

Welcome to our guide on claiming compensation if you have suffered sexual abuse by your father. You might be wondering, “can I make a sexual abuse claim?”. This guide will explain the eligibility criteria for sexual abuse claims. Furthermore, we look at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and when they could award compensation to victims of crimes of violence. 

Sexual abuse by your father claims guide

Sexual abuse by your father claims guide

You may also be wondering:

  • Who is eligible to claim criminal injury compensation?
  • How much compensation for sexually abused victims in the UK can be awarded?
  • What kinds of injuries can be claimed through the CICA?

This guide will look to answer all of those questions and advise you on the evidence you need to support your case. We will also look at No Win No Fee criminal injury compensation solicitors and how their services can help you. 

Or, if you would prefer to speak with a member of our team, you can do so by: 

Choose A Section

  1. Can I Claim For Sexual Abuse By My Father?
  2. How Do I Claim For Criminal Injury Compensation?
  3. What Compensation Could I Receive For Father Sexual Abuse?
  4. What Do I Need To Do To Claim For Sexual Abuse By My Father?
  5. How Can No Win No Fee Criminal Injury Compensation Solicitors Help You?
  6. Learn More About Sexual Abuse Claims

Can I Claim For Sexual Abuse By My Father?

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), sexual assault is any sexual touching that happens without consent. The sexual touching can be done with the perpetrator’s body part, or with an object. 

The CPS also defines child sexual abuse as forcing or inciting a child (a person under the age of 18) to take part in sexual activity. This is classed as sexual abuse whether or not the child knows that they are being abused or that something is wrong. Child sexual abuse does not need to involve a high level of violence in order to be classed as sexual abuse or considered a crime.

In some cases, you may be able to claim for historical abuse. Historical abuse is a term used to describe abuse that someone who is now an adult suffered when they were a child under the age of 18. 

Our advisors can offer free legal advice 24/7. Get in touch to find out whether you are eligible to claim sexual assault compensation. 

How Do I Claim For Criminal Injury Compensation?

If you have been subject to sexual abuse by your father, you can claim via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA is an executive agency that is in charge of compensating victims of violent crimes in England, Scotland and Wales. 

There are certain criteria for applying for criminal injuries compensation through the CICA. Firstly, the incident must have been reported to the police. Furthermore, you need to start the claim within the appropriate time scale, which we’ll look at further on in this guide.

Additionally, you might be able to claim against a perpetrator of sexual abuse directly if they have the funds to pay you compensation. These kinds of claims are also subject to time limits. The time limit for making a direct claim against someone who has criminally injured you is generally three years, but some exceptions can apply.

A member of our team will be able to speak with you about your circumstances and confirm whether any exceptions apply to your case. Alternatively, you could speak to a member of our team to find out more about claiming for sexual abuse by your father. 

What Compensation Could I Receive For Father Sexual Abuse?

If you experience sexual abuse by your father and are awarded compensation through the CICA, your criminal injury compensation could be made up of two heads of claim. These are called injury payments and special expenses. 

As mentioned, the CICA awards compensation based on a tariff of injuries which will determine how much sexual abuse compensation you could receive. This head accounts for both physical injuries and psychological ones, such as PTSD. 

You can claim for multiple injuries through the CICA. You could receive: 

  • The full tariff amount for the highest valued injury. 
  • 30% of the tariff amount for the second highest or equally valued injury.  
  • 15% of the tariff amount for the third highest or equally valued injury.

We have included some examples of criminal injury compensation tariff amounts from the CICA in the table below as an alternative to using our criminal injury claim calculator. 

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If you were to claim compensation against the perpetrator directly, then your claim could be valued differently. You could have your settlement valued with the help of a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).

Other Losses You May be Able to Claim in a Sexual Abuse Claim

Furthermore, special expenses may be awarded as part of your criminal injury compensation. This covers any financial losses you have incurred due to sexual abuse by your father. 

In order to be compensated for any financial losses, you must be able to prove that all costs you’re claiming for are necessary and are not available free of charge elsewhere. In addition, all costs must be reasonable and sustained as a direct result of your injuries. 

Financial losses that you may be reimbursed for include but are not limited to: 

  • Certain care costs 
  • Treatment costs 
  • Loss of earnings 

In order to be compensated for special expenses, you need to have lost earnings for at least 28 weeks after the incident. All financial losses will be paid from the date of the incident with the exception of a loss of earnings payment, which will be paid from the start of week 29. 

Find out how much sexual abuse compensation you could be owed by getting in touch with a member of our team. They can also give you guidance on how to use a criminal injury calculator. If your case is valid, you could be connected with a lawyer. 

What Do I Need To Do To Claim For Sexual Abuse By My Father?

There are specific requirements needed when making sexual abuse claims through the CICA. Firstly, the incident needs to have been reported to the police as soon as possible. “As soon as possible” usually means immediately after the incident has occurred, but if there are extenuating circumstances that prevented this then these could be taken into account. 

You have a 2-year time limit to start a claim with the CICA, which begins from the date you reported the incident to the police. However, as above, if there are exceptional circumstances that prevented you from doing so then this could be taken into account and your claim could still be accepted. If you’re wondering how long a criminal injury claim takes, the CICA Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 states that 68% of new application claims were decided within 12 months. 

The CICA will need the following evidence: 

  • Evidence that you meet residency requirements
  • A police reference number
  • Medical evidence and evidence of special expenses

They will be able to liaise with the police to confirm, amongst other things, that you cooperated with them in their investigations and that you do not have any unspent criminal convictions. Previous convictions that are unspent may affect the payout you receive.

If you have suffered sexual abuse by your father and would like to find out more information about making a claim via the CICA, please speak to one of our advisors today. 

How Can No Win No Fee Criminal Injury Compensation Solicitors Help You?

There are various types of No Win No Fee agreements that criminal injury compensation solicitors can work under. A popular one amongst claimants is a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). 

This kind of agreement means that you will usually not be required to pay anything upfront or as your claim is ongoing. Furthermore, there is generally nothing to pay your lawyer for their services if the claim is not a success. 

However, if your sexual abuse claim is won, your criminal injury solicitor will deduct a legally capped success fee that will be taken from your compensation before you receive it. 

Find out whether you are eligible to be represented on a No Win No Fee basis by getting in touch with one of our advisors. They could connect you with one of our criminal injury compensation solicitors if they feel your claim has a good chance of being successful. 

Contact Us For a Free Consultation Today

If you’ve experienced sexual abuse by your father, you could be entitled to claim. Find out more by getting in touch. You can do so by: 

Learn More About Sexual Abuse Claims

Here we have included some additional guides relating to sexual assault and abuse:

Additionally, we have provided you with links to some more of our own guides: 

Thank you for reading our guide on what to do if you have suffered sexual abuse by your father.

Writer Beck Platt 

Publisher Fern Smithers