Welcome to our guide on claiming compensation for sexual abuse by your father. You may think that if you’ve been the victim of abuse by your father that you’re not entitled to compensation, but this is not the case.

You can attempt to take them to court and claim compensation from them directly. If this isn’t possible, perhaps because they don’t have the means to pay you compensation, you could make a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

Before reading this guide, you may have some questions regarding sexual abuse with a father and daughter:

• What are the effects of sexual abuse by a father?
• How can I start a claim for sexual abuse? 
• What could be included in a claim through the CICA for sexual abuse?

This guide will answer these questions and more. We understand that this is a difficult and sensitive time, and we’re here to help you get the compensation you deserve for the suffering you’ve undergone. 

Get In Touch With Our Team 

Our claims team could help make the claims process run more smoothly and may help you to get more money from your claim than you otherwise would. 

To contact our team of advisers, we suggest you:

• Give them a call on 020 3870 4868. An adviser is always available to chat with you and learn more about your situation.
• Fill in our online claims form, where one of our advisers will respond at your earliest convenience.
• Chat with an adviser via our live chat pop-up box to the bottom-right of this screen for an instant reply.

Services And Information

1. Everything You Need To Know About Sexual Abuse By Your Father
2. What Is Sexual Abuse By Your Father?
3. What Is The Definition Of Sexual Abuse?
4. Sexual Abuse And Assault Laws
5. Types Of Sexual Abuse
6. Sexual Abuse By Your Father Compensation Calculator
7. Spotting Signs Of Parental Sexual Abuse
8. Spotting Signs That A Child Has Been Sexually Abused
9. Spot The Signs Of Grooming By A Child
10. Parents Obligations To Protect Children
11. Sexual Abuse Claim Time Limits
12. I Suffered Parental Sexual Abuse, What Should I Do?
13. Claim For Sexual Abuse By Your Father On A No Win No Fee Basis
14. Other Information
15. FAQs About Parental Sexual Abuse Compensation Claims

Everything You Need To Know About Sexual Abuse By Your Father

This article will first provide an explanation of the definition of sexual abuse, so you can have a better understanding of what sexual abuse by your father is. Next, there’ll be a section surrounding sexual abuse and assault laws and different forms of sexual abuse. We’ve also included a compensation table to show how much compensation you could receive.

Additionally, the article will include information on how to spot the signs of sexual abuse and how to tell if a child may be being sexually abused by their father. There will also be a section exploring how to spot the signs of online grooming and sexual exploitation.

We will go on to talk about the personal injury claims time limit to see how much time you have left to make a personal injury claim. There will then be a section outlining what you can do if you’ve been sexually abused by your father and what steps you can take to build a claim. 

Furthermore, we will outline some further related guides to help give you as much information as possible about making a claim. Finally, there will be a section with answers to our most frequently asked questions about making a personal injury claim for being sexually abused by a parent.

What Is Sexual Abuse By Your Father?

Sexual abuse by your father is likely to have a severe negative effect on your mental health. It can also cause physical injuries that can affect you in the long term, like broken bones.  

The graph below illustrates statistics taken from the Office for National Statistics. It outlines who victims of sexual assault, or attempted sexual assault, told about their experience.  

As you can see, 69% of people told someone else about their assault. The most common specific group told was someone who was known to the victim personally, which 60% of victims did. On the other hand, only 16% of victims told the police. 

What Is The Definition Of Sexual Abuse?

Sexual abuse is a sexual act that the victim doesn’t consent to. The law states that all sexual activities require consent from both people involved. According to UK law, children are not able to consent to sexual activities. This means that any sexual contact between an adult and someone under the age of 16 is abuse. 

Sexual abuse by a father can be contact abuse or non-contact abuse. Contact abuse is where the perpetrator has physically touched or come into contact with the victim. It can include things like rape or another type of unwanted sexual contact.

On the other hand, non-contact sexual abuse doesn’t need there to have been any contact between the victim or perpetrator. This can include things like forcing a child to watch pornography or an adult exposing their genitals to a child.

Sexual Abuse And Assault Laws

Children under 16 legally can’t consent to sexual activities in the UK. This means that any adult that engages in sexual activities with a child is breaking the law. Sexual abuse laws in the UK cover:

• Rape
• Engaging in forceful sexual behaviours 
• Forced prostitution
• Online grooming
• Showing someone pornographic pictures
• Sexual verbal abuse
• Forcing the victim to engage in sexual activities with someone else

This list of offences is by no means exhaustive. There are a number of ways that a father can sexually abuse their child that aren’t listed above.

You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse by your father. You can contact our friendly team of advisers who can have a chat with you to learn more about your situation. They can then connect you with a personal injury solicitor from our panel who can help with your claim in a sensitive and understanding way.

Types Of Sexual Abuse

There are various types of sexual abuse, such as:

• Sexual exploitation
• Online Grooming
• Sexual activity
• Sexual harassment
• Rape or sexual assault

Rape is where someone uses their penis to penetrate someone without their consent. Someone without a penis cannot be convicted of rape.

Sexual assault is where someone is kissed, touched or forced to engage in sexual activity against their will. Sexual assault can include penetration, either with part of the perpetrator’s body or a foreign object.

As we’ve already mentioned, sexual abuse doesn’t always require contact between the perpetrator and victim. The use of sexual language, online grooming and exposure to pornography are all forms of sexual abuse that don’t require physical contact between the victim and the perpetrator.

If you’ve been the victim of sexual abuse by your father, you can get in touch with our team today. They may be able to help you start a claim for compensation for your injuries.

Sexual Abuse By Your Father Compensation Calculator

Some articles will provide a personal injury claims calculator to illustrate how much compensation you’ll receive for a sexual assault claim. Instead, we’ve chosen to illustrate some potential compensation amounts in the table below. 

These figures are taken from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). You can attempt to claim compensation from your father directly if you’ve suffered abuse. But if he doesn’t have the means to pay compensation to you, then this claim is unlikely to be successful.

The figures from the CICA tariff compensate you for the injury itself and the mental and physical impact it’s had on your life. Therefore, the awarded amount will depend on how long the injury lasts, the length of treatment, and the severity of the injury.

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Injury:	Severity:	Further details:	Compensation amount:
Sexual assault	Repetitive severe sexual abuse (whether by one or more attackers) over a long period of time	Occurring over a period of up to 3 years	£6,600
Sexual assault	Non-consensual penetration with a penis of the vagina, mouth, anus or any combination of the above.	Occurring over a period of 3 years or more	£8,200
Sexual assault	Non-consensual penetration with a penis of the vagina, mouth, anus or any combination of the above.	By one attacker	£11,000
Sexual assault	Non-consensual penetration with a penis of the vagina, mouth, anus or any combination of the above.	By two or more attackers	£13,500
Sexual assault	One or more of non-penile penetrative or oral genital act(s)	One incident	£3,300
Sexual assault	One or more of non-penile penetrative or oral genital act(s)	Two or more isolated incidents	£4,400

Loss of earnings and special expenses

You can claim for loss of earnings through the CICA. In order to do so, you need to have been off work for at least 28 weeks following the accident. You won’t be compensated for the first 28 weeks that you were unable to work. 

You can also claim for special expenses in a CICA claim. Special expenses must be necessary, reasonable and incurred as a direct result of the injury you’re applying for. In order to claim these, you will also have to have been off work for 28 weeks; however, the special expenses will be backdated to the date of the injury.

You can claim to replace equipment damaged in the incident that you rely on as physical aid. This can include glasses, hearing aids or dentures. You will need to provide evidence that this cannot be provided for free on the NHS. Similarly, you can be compensated for the cost of care related to your bodily functions, the preparation of meals and supervision, provided that this can’t be obtained for free elsewhere.

For more information on what could be included in a claim for sexual abuse by your father, speak to our team today. One of our advisors would be happy to discuss your claim with you.

Spotting Signs Of Parental Sexual Abuse

It can be difficult to spot the signs of a child being sexually abused by their father. Signs that a parent or family member is sexually abusing a child can include:

• Lack of boundaries or privacy levels, e.g. walking into the bathroom while the child is using the shower
• Excessive attention on one particular child
• Spending an inappropriate amount of time with one child
• Insistence of spending time alone with one particular child

Of course, these behaviours can be innocent and not indicate any abuse between a father and child. However, if you’ve noticed a number of these behaviours are being exhibited, it could be cause for concern and a reason for extra vigilance.

Read on to find out more about the behaviours that a child might exhibit if their father is sexually assaulting them. Otherwise, get in touch with our team today; they can help you start the process of claiming compensation for the suffering you or your child have experienced.

Spotting Signs That A Child Has Been Sexually Abused

Before we discuss the signs that a child has suffered sexual abuse by a parent, it’s important to know that these signs can occur at other stressful times, too. This can include during a parental divorce, after the death of a pet, friend, or family member or because of problems with friends at school.

That being said, here are some signs that a child may be getting sexually abused by their father:

• Sudden change in eating habits (eating more or less, or has trouble swallowing)
• Suffers nightmares and sleeping issues without a known reason
• Mood swings (rage, sadness, fear, withdrawal)
• Hints that they have a secret with an adult or child 
• Displays adult-like sexual behaviours 
• Speaks about a new friend that’s older
• Leaves clues that may start a conversation about sexual assault
• Has unexplained gifts or money
• Has a sudden fear of unknown places and people
• Produces drawings or has dreams of a sexual nature

Signs in older children include:

• An older child exhibiting child-like behaviours (thumb-sucking or bed-wetting, for example)
• Refuses to remove clothes in appropriate situations, such as when bathing or getting ready for bed
• Requests other children engage in sexual activities with them
• Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviours 

If your child has shown these behaviours due to suffering sexual abuse by a parent, you can chat with our team of advisers about making a personal injury claim through the CICA.

Spot The Signs Of Grooming By A Child

Grooming is when an adult builds up a relationship of trust and an emotional connection in order to exploit, manipulate or abuse a child. An adult can groom a child in person or online. 

The typical stages of grooming are:

• Targeting the child
• Gaining the child’s trust
• Filling an emotional void
• Isolating them from other people
• Making communication sexual and inappropriate

The groomer often acts as though the communication is innocent before it progresses to inappropriate. The fact that the communication seems innocent at first may make it harder for the victim and other adults to see what’s really going on. 

If you’ve been the victim of grooming that has resulted in sexual abuse, either online or in person, then you may be able to claim compensation. Get in touch with our team today for more information on how much you could receive.  

Parents Obligations To Protect Children

A child’s parents have an obligation to protect their child and have a responsibility to keep them safe. If any parent, teacher, social worker or authority figure feels that something isn’t right in the child’s life, this should be discussed. They shouldn’t wait until they are sure or have proof of sexual abuse by a parent, as this allows the sexual assault to continue and possibly escalate. 

If you have an inclination that a child is in danger of sexual exploitation, you should act as soon as possible. You can contact social services or the police to express your concerns. 

If your child has been sexually abused by their father, you may be able to seek compensation on their behalf. You may also be able to claim yourself for cases of historic sexual abuse by your father. You can contact our team of advisers to discuss your situation. 

Sexual Abuse Claim Time Limits

The general time limit to starting a claim is three years. However, when making claims through the CICA, you need to begin a claim within 2 years of the incident occurring. You can sometimes claim after this date if you can show that exceptional circumstances prevented you from doing so within the time limit. 

If you were under 18 at the time the incident occurred, a parent or guardian could claim on your behalf. Provided they don’t claim for you by the time you turn 18, but the incident was reported to the police, you have until your 20th birthday to claim.

If no claim has been made and the incident was not reported to the police, then you have 2 years from the abuse being reported to claim. You should report the incident to the police as soon as you possibly can, and you may need to provide evidence of any extenuating circumstances that stopped you from doing so.

If you’d like more advice about the time limit for claiming compensation, you can discuss this with our friendly team of advisors. They can assess whether you’re eligible to make a claim and, if your claim has a good chance of success, may be able to connect you with a solicitor from our panel. 

I Suffered Parental Sexual Abuse, What Should I Do?

If you’ve suffered sexual abuse at the hands of your father, you should seek medical attention as a priority. This will ensure that you get the treatment you need and can serve as evidence throughout your case. Even if you haven’t sustained any apparent physical injuries, you could have contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or be at risk of pregnancy. You may also need counselling to address the emotional damage caused. 

You should also collect as much further evidence as you can. This will understandably be a difficult and sensitive time for you, so you can ask another adult or a personal injury lawyer to help you gather this evidence.

This evidence could consist of photos of any injuries you’ve sustained and any witness details (for example, a teacher who witnessed the abuse taking place or suspected something was happening). This can all help prove that the sexual abuse by your father took place. 

The final thing you can do is contact a personal injury solicitor to begin a personal injury claim. While there is no legal obligation to do so, you may find that the support and assistance of a solicitor can help the claims process run much more smoothly. 

Get in touch with our team today for more information on how much you could claim. If our advisors feel you have a good chance of success, they could connect you with a solicitor from our panel. They can offer representation on a No Win No Fee basis; read on to see exactly what this entails. 

Claim For Sexual Abuse By Your Father On A No Win No Fee Basis 

A No Win No Fee agreement is a contract between you and your personal injury lawyer setting out the conditions that need to be met in order for you to pay them. It means you won’t be asked to pay them anything before your claim starts or while it’s ongoing. 

If your case fails, you don’t have to pay anything to your solicitor. If your case succeeds, your lawyer will deduct a small, legally capped percentage from your compensation. You will agree upon this amount with them beforehand and will always be guaranteed the majority of the compensation awarded. 

To discuss more No Win No Fee agreements in greater depth, you can contact our friendly team of advisers by:

• Calling them on 020 3870 4868. Our team of advisers are available 24/7 to chat with you about your situation.
• Filling in our online form. An adviser will respond at whatever time is best for you.
• Chatting with an adviser via our online chat pop-up box for an instant reply.

Other Information

Can I Claim Through the CICA With a Criminal Record?- if you’re wondering whether you can claim through the CICA with unspent criminal convictions, this guide could help.

Claiming for Sexual Abuse by an Ex-Partner– This guide will look at the process of claiming compensation after being sexually abused by an ex-partner.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Calculator– Read this page for information on how much you could be owed for your criminal injuries.

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children– The NSPCC is a charity that works to prevent child abuse, including the sexual abuse of children.

Spotting Signs of Child Sexual Abuse – This NHS guide includes the signs of child sexual abuse and how you can spot it. 

Helps After Rape and Sexual Assault – This NHS article looks at what sexual assault is, what you can do if you’re a victim, and also includes referral services for sexual assault help.

FAQs About Parental Sexual Abuse Compensation Claims

Do victims of abuse get compensation?

If someone is a victim of sexual abuse or rape, they can make a personal injury claim to receive compensation. If the perpetrator is unable to pay personal injury claim compensation, the injured person can file a criminal injury claim instead.

Can you get compensation for being groomed?

Yes. Just because you have been manipulated into thinking an abusive relationship is normal doesn’t make the physical and psychological impact any less damaging. 

How long will a criminal injury claim take?

How long a criminal injury claim takes will vary on a number of circumstances. However, in their 2019/20 Annual report, the CICA revealed that they made a decision on 52% of new applications within 6 months.

What is a Litigation Friend?

A litigation friend is someone who acts on behalf of someone who is unable to claim for themselves. They can act on behalf of mentally incapacitated people or children under 18 years old. When claiming through the CICA, litigation friends do not apply; you need to be the parent or guardian of the child in order to claim through the CICA on their behalf. 

Could I claim on behalf of a child?

If your child has been sexually abused by their father, you could make a criminal injury claim on their behalf. For personal injury claims, anyone over the age of 18 with the child’s best interests at heart can be appointed a litigation friend. 

What happens to child abuse claim payouts?

The compensation will be placed into a secure account while the child is still underage. The child can access the compensation payout when they’re 18. On the other hand, if the claimant is an adult, they can receive the compensation claim payout right away.

Thank you for reading our guide about making a claim for sexual abuse by your father.                

Writer HL

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