Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

– Compassionate legal guidance –

Child sexual abuse is when someone involves a person under the age of 18 in sexual activities that they do not understand, or that are against community standards.  Child sexual abuse may include (but is not limited to):

• Sexual touching of any part of the body, either clothed or unclothed
• Preparing or encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity
• Sex of any kind with a child
• Persuading or forcing a child to engage in sexual activity
• Sexual acts done by an adult of any gender, to a child of any gender

For example where child sexual abuse happened:

• On the premises of an institution, such as a school, a church, a club, an orphanage or children’s home
• Where activities of an institution take place, such as a camp or a sporting facility
• By an official of an institution, such as a teacher, a religious figure like a priest or nun, a coach or camp leader

If successful, a survivor of abuse is usually entitled to payment for:

• pain and suffering;
• past and future medical and other expenses;
• past and future loss of income;
• care and domestic assistance, provided on a voluntary and paid basis;
• loss of capacity to provide domestic services to a dependent.

Apology please

In addition to compensation, a survivor of abuse is usually entitled to receive, if they want, an apology from a senior official of the organisation which failed them.

Rob coined this phrase 40 years ago!  Pity he did not trademark it back then. So naturally we offer most services on a No Win No Fee basis.

What this means is if we do not win compensation for our client, we will not raise an invoice for our work and time.  We also do not take a commission or cut on your compensation, which is against the law in NSW!   We simply charge an hourly rate for our work and if you win we invoice you accordingly.

Rob is happy to explain any questions you may have.  Transparency on his no win no fee phrase is key to our success.

Everybody needs support at some stage in their life.  Whether that be professional, family or friends.   There is a range of free counselling options available to survivors of abuse.  These range from your General Practitioner who can provide a referral to a counsellor under a Mental Health Care Plan, using the Approved Counselling Scheme run by NSW Victims Services or accessing one of the services funded by the Commonwealth Government for the Royal Commission.

Not without careful legal advice.   It is very important that survivors of child sexual abuse understand that the National Redress Scheme (NRS) will ask them to sign away their civil rights for compensation in exchange for a redress payment under the NRS. You will be asked to sign a document called a “Deed of Release”.

Survivors should speak to us before they accept a payment under the NRS and enter a Deed of Release because some survivors might be entitled to more money than the NRS is able to offer.

The decision to accept a payment under the NRS may have significant consequences.

In 2018 a Victorian court awarded a survivor $717,000 for committed in the early 1970s by his school teacher.

Under the NRS, this particular survivor would only have received a maximum payment of $50,000.

Contact Rob or Suzi Bryden for advice on these issues and take control.