The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL) was set up in 1999 by leading solicitors in the field of civil compensation claims, for the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of children and adults.
The Association consists of solicitors, barristers, legal executives, trainee solicitors, barrister pupils, experts, and paralegals.
Tracey Emmott's note: Subsequent to publishing the blog below on 26th September 2022, the Jesus Army Fellowship Trust launched its compensation scheme for survivors.
An exclusive public school on the Isle of Wight may not be immediately associated with dark tales of abuse. However, in 2021, Bembridge School became the focus of ‘Operation Seaside’, an investigation by Hampshire Police, following a surge of allegations by former pupils.
Recent update: Due to the sad news of Her Majesty's death, and the scheduled date of the Bedford Legal Walk coinciding with her state funeral, a decision was taken to cancel the Bedford Legal Walk. Emmott Snell Solicitors would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who kindly made a sponsorship donation. We are currently looking into ways of doing the fundraising by some other means and will update all our supporters shortly.
It has been 4 years since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Armes V Nottinghamshire County Council, enabling victims of abuse by foster carers to seek financial redress from the local authority which placed them in foster care.
Sexual abuse can happen anywhere and in many settings, including sports. Most of us at some point in our lives have enjoyed sport at some level. This may include attending physical education classes at school or local clubs/organisations.
By way of a postscript to a blog published in 14th October 2014 (republished below) this firm finally represented 5 of David Lowe’s victims in civil compensation claims, which were ultimately successful against the Westminster Cathedral Choir School, a London Catholic preparatory school for gifted choristers.
Survivors of abuse often seek justice in a variety of ways. Justice can take the form of financial compensation. While no route to obtaining compensation is perfect, in some cases, applying to a bespoke compensation scheme can have its advantages.
Figures released in early 2021 showed that in England and Wales in the 12 month period to September 2021, only around 820 (1.3%) of the record 63,136 reported rape offence logged by the police resulted in a suspect being charged. Victims of abuse can suffer lasting trauma, and too often their experience of the criminal justice system adds to their suffering.
For decades a significant number of boys have joined the Boys’ Brigade hoping for the opportunity to experience camping holidays and residential activities and learn new skills and make friends. For most of them their experience and memories are happy ones. Sadly, there are some for whom their memories of the Boys Brigade are marred by experiences they would rather forget.
