Under the CICA Scheme, a claim must either be brought within two years of the incident occurring or, in the case of childhood abuse, by the applicant’s 20th birthday.

It is often the case that an application is brought over 20 years out of time. However, it is rare for a claim following historical sexual abuse to be disallowed for being out of time. The CICA have the discretion to extend the time limits as long as certain conditions are satisfied. It must be established that there are exceptional circumstances as to why the applicant could not have applied earlier and that the evidence available confirms that a claim can be brought without extensive enquiries by a claims officer.

Yes, you must have reported the alleged offence to the police to pursue an application. If you have your own convictions, then this may count against your application

We can accept cases under ‘no win, no fee’ type agreements whereby you do not pay our costs if your application is unsuccessful, providing you have kept to your responsibilities as a client.