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Common questions

Short answers to the questions people ask most, each with a link to the fuller guide. Read at your own pace. You don’t have to decide anything.

Before you read. These answers talk about abuse, crime and the law in general terms, without describing any abuse in detail. You can stop at any time. If reading them brings things up for you, you can talk to someone.

The answers about claims, schemes, the police and court come from GOV.UK, the NHS, the prosecution services, the Scottish and Northern Ireland governments’ websites and the law itself (legislation.gov.uk). We last checked them on 6 October 2026. Each helpline shows the date we last checked it. This is general information, not legal or medical advice.

About this site

Does it cost anything to use this site?

No. Everything here for survivors is free to read, and you don’t need to sign up.

Do you keep anything about me?

We built this site to know as little about you as possible. We count visits to our pages so we know which pages are useful. The counter is anonymous and doesn’t use cookies, so it can’t tell who you are. We don’t use advertising or tracking tools.

Read more on our Privacy page.

Can I tell you what happened to me?

Please don’t. We aren’t trained to support you, and we don’t want you to tell your story to someone who can’t help with it. To keep you safe, we don’t keep messages about what happened to anyone.

Our Support Directory lists helplines and organisations you can contact yourself. Read why we ask this.

Can you tell me what to do in my situation?

No. We give information, not legal or medical advice, and we can’t take on your case.

A solicitor can tell you whether you may have a claim and what it would involve. Read about getting advice about a civil claim, and the questions to ask a solicitor. If you’d like to talk things through, our Support Directory lists organisations you can contact yourself.

How do I know the information here is right?

Every fact on this site is checked at its source, and we show you when we last checked it. Read how we check facts.

If a detail on our site doesn’t match what you found, please email us at info@abusesupportnetwork.org.uk. We’ll check it again at its source and correct it.

What does “Verified” mean on a listing?

Every firm in our Legal Directory is checked by hand by our staff before it is listed, so its listing says “Verified firm”. It is not a quality rating, and it doesn’t tell you who to choose.

How do I keep my visit to this site private?

Our guide to staying safe online explains how to delete your browsing history and how to use private browsing.

The safest way to look for information is on a device the person harming you can’t access, such as a computer at a library, a friend’s house or work.

Read staying safe online.

Getting support

I’m in danger right now. What should I do?

Call 999 for emergencies. If you can’t speak, you can still get help: how to make a silent 999 call.

I just want to talk to someone. Where do I start?

It’s okay not to know what you need yet. One place to start:

Samaritans

116 123

free from any phone, any time

Call SamaritansWebsite: Samaritans

Checked 7 Oct 2026

Our Support Directory lists helplines and organisations you can contact yourself, wherever you live in the UK.

I’m worried about someone else. Is this site for me too?

Yes. This site is also for the people who stand beside someone who has been abused. Read if someone you know has been abused.

Compensation and claims

These answers are general information, not legal advice. The rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so each answer says where it applies.

It happened a long time ago. Is it too late to claim?

It depends on the kind of claim and where you live.

A civil claim in England and Wales: a claim for a personal injury normally has to be started within 3 years of the injury, or within 3 years of your ‘date of knowledge’ if that is later. That is broadly when you first knew the injury was significant, that it was caused by what happened, and who was responsible. If you were under 18 when you were harmed, the 3 years normally start on your 18th birthday. A court can allow a claim to go ahead after the time limit if it considers it fair to do so, looking at all the circumstances, including how long the delay was and the reasons for it.

If you were sexually abused as a child: since 29 June 2026, in England and Wales there is no time limit for a personal injury claim about sexual abuse that happened when you were under 18. This applies however long ago the abuse happened, but not to claims that were settled or decided by a court before that date. A court must still dismiss a claim if the defendant shows that a fair hearing is no longer possible.

If you experienced other kinds of abuse as a child, a solicitor can explain how the time limits apply to you.

Scotland: since 4 October 2017, there is no time limit for a personal injury claim about abuse that happened when you were under 18. ‘Abuse’ includes sexual, physical and emotional abuse, and neglect. A court can still stop a claim if a fair hearing is not possible.

Northern Ireland: a claim for a personal injury normally has to be started within 3 years of the injury, or within 3 years of your date of knowledge if that is later. If you were under 18 when you were harmed, the 3 years normally start on your 18th birthday. There is no special rule for claims about abuse in childhood, but a court can allow a claim to go ahead after the time limit if it considers it fair. A solicitor can explain how the time limits apply to you.

Criminal injuries compensation (CICA), for crimes in England, Wales or Scotland: most people must apply as soon as reasonably practicable, and within 2 years of the crime. You may be able to apply later if you are claiming because of childhood sexual or physical abuse, or if you could not claim earlier, for example because your mental or physical health stopped you.

Criminal injuries compensation in Northern Ireland is a separate scheme, run by Compensation Services. You normally apply within 2 years of the incident, but a later application may be accepted if it wasn’t reasonable to expect you to apply sooner. Our CICA guide explains the Northern Ireland scheme.

Read more about time limits for civil claims and for criminal injuries compensation.

Do I have to report to the police first?

It depends on what you want to do.

To get help and support: you don’t have to report a sexual assault to the police if you don’t want to. You can still get medical care and support.

To apply for criminal injuries compensation (CICA): the crime must be reported to the police before you apply, and as soon as reasonably practicable. If you delayed reporting it, CICA will ask you why and will consider the full circumstances.

Read more: you don’t have to report to get help, and who can apply to CICA.

What does it cost?

Applying to CICA: it does not cost anything to apply. You do not have to use a legal adviser; if you choose to use one, you cannot claim the cost back. In Northern Ireland, Compensation Services is also free, and it can’t pay for a solicitor if you choose to use one.

A civil claim: in England and Wales, legal aid can cover civil claims about abuse that happened when you were a child or a vulnerable adult. Whether you get it also depends on your circumstances, including your finances. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal aid rules. A solicitor can also explain other ways a claim could be paid for.

Scotland’s Redress Scheme: the scheme pays the fees for a solicitor to help you.

Read more about applying to CICA and paying for a civil claim.

Does the person who harmed me have to be caught or convicted?

For criminal injuries compensation (CICA): the person who harmed you does not have to be identified or convicted. You do not need to wait for a police investigation or a court case to finish before you apply. You are expected to co-operate, as far as reasonably practicable, in bringing them to justice.

In Northern Ireland, too, the offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with, the crime.

Read who can apply to CICA.

How long does it take?

A CICA decision: you will usually get a decision within 12 months, but it can take longer.

Read how long a CICA claim takes.

Is there a redress scheme for me?

A redress scheme is set up by an organisation or a government to acknowledge abuse that happened in its care or under its responsibility. Each scheme has its own rules about who can apply and what it can offer.

Our guide to redress schemes lists the schemes we have checked, who each one is for, and whether it’s open. When we checked on 6 October 2026, Scotland’s Redress Scheme, for people abused as children in care in Scotland before 1 December 2004, was open.

A national scheme for England and Wales: there isn’t one. In April 2025, the UK government said it was not currently taking any further steps on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s proposal for a national redress scheme for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse connected to institutions.

Police and court

It happened a long time ago. Can I still report it to the police?

Yes. In England and Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service says there is no time limit on how long after the offence you can report a crime. Police Scotland says there is no time limit for reporting a rape or sexual crime. In Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service says anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse can come forward and report it to the police, no matter when it happened.

Read about reporting to the police.

Will my name be made public?

England and Wales, and Northern Ireland: if you are the victim of an alleged sexual offence, the law says that nothing likely to identify you as the victim can be published during your lifetime.

Scotland: there is not yet an automatic legal right to anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases, although in practice the media follow a long-standing convention of not naming them. A new law gives an automatic lifelong right to anonymity, but that part is not in force yet.

Read about your anonymity.

Will I have to face them in court?

If a criminal case goes to court: if you’re a victim of a sexual offence, or of another serious crime such as domestic abuse, you may be able to give evidence with ‘special measures’, such as a screen so the defendant can’t see you, a video link from somewhere else, or recording your evidence before the trial. The rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Read about what happens if a case goes to court.

What if the police or prosecutors decide not to go ahead?

In England and Wales, if the police or the Crown Prosecution Service decide not to prosecute, or to stop a case, you can ask for that decision to be reviewed under the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme. Some conditions apply. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own ways to ask for a review, with their own time limits.

Read about asking for a review.

Medical experts

Why might I be asked to see a medical expert, and who do they work for?

In a claim, a medical expert may be asked to look at how abuse has affected someone’s health, and what support or treatment they might need, and to write a report about it.

An expert’s job is to help the court, not to take a side. In civil claims in England and Wales, the Civil Procedure Rules say: “It is the duty of experts to help the court on matters within their expertise. This duty overrides any obligation to the person from whom experts have received instructions or by whom they are paid.” (Part 35, rule 35.3)

If you have a solicitor, please speak to them before contacting an expert yourself. They can tell you whether your claim needs a medical report, and how one would be arranged.

Read about the people you might meet if you make a claim, and our page on seeing a medical expert.

More questions, by topic

More questions and answers, one topic at a time.

Where this information comes from

Checked on 6 October 2026. Rules and services can change, so check the official pages too. This page gives information, not legal or medical advice.

Need to talk now? Samaritans is free from any phone, any time.

Call Samaritans on 116 123