Although the exact timeframe has yet to be announced, the Church of England has confirmed it will be finalising its National Redress Scheme for survivors and victims of abuse during 2024.
The Church Commissioners’ board has allocated £150m in funding, and anyone who has experienced abuse perpetrated by someone representing the Church of England, including physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse, regardless of where it took place, will be able to apply.
The purpose of the church redress scheme is to demonstrate in tangible and practical ways that the church is truly sorry for its past failings relating to safeguarding and to help victims and survivors move towards rebuilding their lives.
It will offer eligible survivors and victims of Church-related abuse financial awards, as well as other forms of redress including apologies, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, and access to therapeutic and emotional support.
In the most recent announcement from the Church just last month, it was confirmed that Kenneys Law has been appointed as the scheme administrator and is working with the Redress Project Team and Board and the Redress Survivor Working Group to finalise the design of the scheme.
What we know about the scheme
There hasn’t been any confirmation of when the Church redress scheme will open to eligible applicants, but here’s a summary of what we know so far:
If you are a survivor of abuse perpetrated by someone representing the Church of England, even if it happened a long time ago, you can apply. This includes physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse (including spiritual abuse) at any age.
You can apply for compensation even if you don't live in the UK any more. If the abuse happened outside the UK, you can still apply too.
The scheme is open to people who have received any payments or awards previously; however, these may be considered when calculating any financial award.
If someone is not eligible for financial redress, they may still be offered other forms of redress. This might include offers of apologies, acknowledgement of harm caused, access to therapeutic support, and other actions appropriate to their circumstances and wishes.
Victims and survivors who are eligible for financial compensation will also be offered other forms of redress.
Applications will be assessed according to an agreed set of criteria: firstly, as to whether it qualifies, and secondly, as to what level of redress is appropriate to the abuse experienced.
Whether your abuser has died or not isn’t relevant to the assessment of an application. However, applicants are likely to be required to confirm details of their abuser.
The Church redress scheme will run for at least five years.
When it opens, applicants will be able to choose how to apply from a range of options including a secure Redress Scheme website and online portal, telephone helpline, or paper-based form.
How Andrew Grove Solicitors can help
As abuse law specialists for over 27 years, we can support you through the application process and ensure you get the level of redress that you deserve. Our team is highly experienced; we've helped survivors and victims of abuse worldwide recover millions in damages. We've also taken legal action against a range of different organisations including local authorities, children’s homes, foster parents, religious organisations, and the Scouts Association.
Not all applicants will require a solicitor to submit their application, but experience has taught us that it will be more beneficial for applicants to use a solicitor to make an application on their behalf to ensure that they obtain the full benefit of the scheme. It also removes the stress and worry of dealing with the application and any negotiations. We can prepare the application by obtaining all relevant records, preparing the application form and advising on any settlement offered to ensure that any applicant gets the redress that they deserve.
Get in touch
We understand there are many reasons why people feel anxious about coming forward, but we would encourage anyone who has suffered abuse at the hands of the Church to get in touch. Our team of experienced and caring solicitors can help guide you through the entire process. By starting now, when the scheme does go live, we will be in a position to act swiftly and get the application submitted as soon as possible.
To find out more about the Church redress scheme or how we can help, telephone 01223 367133 or 07810 224545 or email andrew@andrewgroveandco.com or katherine@andrewgroveandco.com