Agency to re-examine compensation guidelines for victims of child sexual assault

The agency which deals with compensation claims from victims of child sexual assault is re-examining its guidelines, the Justice Secretary has said.

David Lidington said the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (Cica) had mounted an “urgent re-examination” of its internal guidelines following concerns raised earlier this year.

Changes have been urged to ensure victims cannot be disqualified from receiving money because they were groomed into giving consent.

During Justice questions in the Commons Sarah Champion (pictured), former shadow women and equalities secretary, asked Mr Lidington what assessment his department had made of the adequacy of compensation paid by Cica.

She said: “Will he commit to updating the guidance in three specific areas? One, children cannot be complicit in their own abuse; two, as part of the grooming process children are coerced into carrying out criminal activities; and three; put compensation for victims of family abuse under the same roof before 1979.

“At the moment Cica are denying compensation on those grounds.”

Mr Lidington replied: “Well I’m happy to look further at all of those three issues.

“I can say to her that following some of the concerns expressed earlier this year Cica has decided to mount an urgent reexamination of its own internal guidelines, in particular to make sure that there is no risk that a child could be disqualified from compensation because they had been groomed into giving consent when that consent had in effect been forced from them through a subtle process of grooming.

“The department is also aware of the concerns that have been raised over how the rules of the scheme more generally work in relation to the cases of child sexual abuse.

“We are talking to Barnardos and Victim Support in detail about those concerns and the reforms that they propose in order to deal with them.”

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