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Claim compensation for abuse in a children's care home

Compassionate legal assistance from qualified solicitors

Whilst most children's homes provide a safe and secure setting for vulnerable children who are `looked-after' by social services, occasionally children have been let down by this system.

If you have suffered physical or sexual abuse whilst in care, speak to us about a potential claim for compensation.

Robsonshaw can help you bring an action against the local Social Services authority responsible for the children's home. The local authority may be liable for the wrongdoings of their members of staff, and in some cases visitors to the home or other residents. We will support you through the entire claims process.

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At robsonshaw, we have won millions of pounds in compensation for survivors of sexual abuse. We offer no win, no fee arrangements, and can also fund expenses such as court fees

Phone

Call us on

01392 345333

Our experience in claims against children's homes

Some children's homes are run by organisations such as Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) and sadly some of these centres have been targeted by abusers who could prey on young and vulnerable children. This has given rise to many legal claims.

At robsonshaw, we have years of experience in bringing claims for physical or sexual abuse against organisations such as Action for Children and local authorities up and down the country, including:

  • Flintshire County Council for historic physical and sexual abuse suffered at Bryn Estyn children's homes in North Wales
  • Royal Borough of Greenwich for wrongdoings committed at their homes and notably Gavestone Road and Peterstone Children’s Home in Abby Wood
  • Cardiff County Council for failures suffered at children's homes in South Wales
  • Cheshire Council for children who suffered abuse at St Joseph's care home in Nantwich.
  • We have also acted for a group of women who suffered over-medication, mistreatment and sexual abuse at Kendall House in Kent which was a children’s home approved by Kent County Council but was the legal responsibility of the Diocese of Rochester and Canterbury. 

Robsonshaw has acted for numerous survivors of historic sexual and physical abuse for individuals affected by the Shirley Oaks scandal.  The London Borough of Lambeth was the first Council in England to launch a Redress Scheme to compensate those who suffered physical and sexual abuse and neglect in its borough's former children's homes. 

Whilst this scheme has now closed, robsonshaw was one of the lead firms  to secure six-figure pay-outs for residents of Shirley Oaks homes.

"Failure to remove" claims

Sadly these claims are now more difficult to pursue following a 2019 decision of the Supreme Court in Poole Borough Council -v- CN & GN. Where a child suffers sexual and physical abuse at the hands of a member of staff employed by, or the responsibility of, the local authority, , it may still be possible to bring a successful CICA claim.

Get in touch for a confidential chat

To speak to us about your potential claim following mistreatment, sexual and physical abuse or neglect at a children's home, please contact us at enquiries@robsonshaw.uk or telephone us on 01392 345333.

We offer a confidential consultation and will happily talk through your options on a no-obligation basis. We offer no win, no fee-type funding arrangements for all claims against children's homes.

Why Choose Robsonshaw

24/7 Legal Service

Direct Access To Solicitors

Your case is personally handled by a specialist solicitor who only deals with sexual abuse claims.

Why Us

Empathetic Legal Process

We guide you through each step providing expert legal support from start to finish.

No win, no fee

No Financial Worries

We offer No Win No Fee Agreements, funding for your disbursements, competitive success fees and no unnecessary insurance.

Claim FAQ's

Charges are different depending on the funding arrangement, usually a Conditional Fee Agreement for Civil claims, or a Contingency Fee agreement for CICA claims. In either funding arrangement it will not cost you anything if you lose. If we take on your claim and you win your civil claim, we recover your costs and disbursements from your opponent. If we agree to charge you a success fee, this is calculated as a percentage of your legal fees when your claim concludes and is not based on your winnings (although it cannot be more than 25% of your compensation).  If we are representing you in a CICA claim, if you win, our charges are 25% of your compensation including VAT.  

Sometimes it is very difficult to know if you have a valid claim.  This is because there can be different routes to obtain compensation.  We offer a free, confidential and no obligation telephone consultation so please give us a call and we can let you know your options and whether you have a claim that can be pursued. 

Yes, most of the claims we pursue are historic. However, in very old cases much depends whether the perpetrator has been reported to the police and when.  There are also evidential difficulties if you leave it too long to bring a claim as witnesses can be difficult to trace and documents destroyed or lost.  Limitation is less of an issue following case law which has changed the way the Courts approach limitation in historic sexual abuse claims, although cases are very fact specific and we can quickly advise you if we think we can help you pursue a non-recent claim for sexual abuse. Please contact us for a free, no obligation chat for specialist help.

Civil claims can take anything from a year to much longer, depending on the defendants stance and if proceedings need to be commenced. CICA claims can take anything from 12 months to three years to conclude, occasionally longer if an Appeal is necessary.

How can we help?

Please fill in the contact form opposite and we will ring you as soon as possible. (Usually the same day). Alternatively, please email us or simply give us a call. We will do our best to advise you on your options and the best way forward. The discussion will be free and you will be under no obligation to instruct us.

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