The government has abolished the ‘same roof’ compensation rule, as recommended by the Inquiry in its Interim Report in April 2018.
The long-standing rule prevented victims and survivors of child sexual abuse from receiving compensation if the perpetrator was a family member who they were living with at the time of the incident.
Now victims and survivors of non-recent child sexual abuse who were previously denied compensation under the rule, or who were put off applying, will be able to reapply.
The rule was amended in 1979 to allow future victims to access compensation, but this was not made retrospective until the Ministry of Justice’s announcement today (June 13).
Victims and survivors now have two years to apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which has a dedicated team providing extra support throughout the process.
Professor Alexis Jay, Chair of the Inquiry, said:
“This is an important step forward in removing a barrier which unjustly prevented some victims and survivors of child sexual abuse from making a claim for compensation.
“It also shows the impact being made by this Inquiry and its work. We will continue to make recommendations to help improve the lives of victims and survivors as well as better protecting children in the future.”