Recommendation 81: Revised damages guidelines for CSA cases
From Accountability and Reparations Investigation Report, published 19 September 2019.
Recommendation
The Judicial College should revise its Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases to include a freestanding section on the damages that may be appropriate in cases of child sexual abuse. This new section of the guidelines should advise the court to take into account the nature and severity of the abuse itself, any short-term and long-term physical, emotional and psychiatric or psychological injuries, and the general effect of the abuse on the claimant's capacity to function throughout their life. The latter may include the ability to sustain personal and sexual relationships, to benefit from education and to undertake paid employment.
In brief (written by this site)
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse reported in October 2022 that the Judicial College informed it that a revised edition of its Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases was published on 11 April 2022 (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022). The Inquiry noted in October 2022 that, according to the college, the new edition includes a section on sexual abuse incorporating factors such as the nature and duration of the abuse, physical and psychological effects, and the effect on personal and sexual relationships (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Judicial College has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (20 October 2022)
On 7 February 2020, the Judicial College noted that in its guidelines a section focusing upon awards for victims of child sexual abuse would be of considerable assistance to all involved in such cases. The Judicial College hopes to create a freestanding category for victims of child sexual abuse in the next edition of the guidelines. The next edition is due to be published in the autumn of 2021. The Judicial College informed the Inquiry that the revised edition of its Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases was published on 11 April 2022. The Judicial College stated that the new edition includes a section on sexual abuse, which incorporates the factors to be taken into account in valuing general damages for sexual abuse. These include the nature and duration of the abuse, the physical and/or psychological effects caused and the effect on the injured person’s ability to sustain personal and sexual relationships.
From: Recommendations - Accountability and Reparations investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Accountability and Reparations investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 20 October 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding