Church of England Redress Scheme Update

At Jordans Solicitors we have published articles before about the proposed Church of England Redress Scheme.

The scheme is intended to compensate the survivors of church related abuse which includes sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse, neglect and financial abuse. There is no requirement that the abuse must have been reported to the police.  

An apology from the institution where the abuse took place will also be provided. Full details of the claim are still awaited but it could result in individual awards of between £5,000 and £660,000 in rare and exceptional circumstances. If a survivor of abuse has previously been paid compensation by the church their award may be adjusted under the scheme.  

Details of the proposed financial award framework was published in April 2024. The Church Commissioner’s Board had allocated £150 million funding for the scheme and solicitors had been approved to administer the scheme on behalf of the church. 

However, it was then announced in January 2025 that the scheme was not to be laid before the General Synod in February 2025 as had been intended. The delay was due to the Makin report which was published in November 2024. The report dealt with the Church of England’s handling of the allegations of abuse which had been made against John Smyth. The report recommended a trauma informed approach to the survivors of abuse and the scheme was delayed so that final checks could be carried by the church out to ensure that the scheme’s eligibility criteria were robust enough in light of the findings of the Makin report.    

It was understood at that stage that the scheme would not be laid before the General Synod until July 2025. The Church of England have finally now confirmed in the last few days that the General Synod will consider the legislation that is required for the scheme on 14 July 2025. 

The scheme is expected to be open for a period of 5 years subject to any further extension. 

It is now nearly 5 years since IICSA recommended that the church agreed to provide redress and whilst some delays were inevitable it has taken too long to get to this point. The survivors of church abuse have waited long enough for this to happen.        

Jordans solicitors are acting on behalf of vulnerable children and young adults whom it is alleged were sexually abused in a number of different types of religious institutions. 

Compensation is a small step towards taking control of your life and getting the justice you deserve. We understand how difficult it can be for you to talk about the abuse you suffered during your childhood. That’s why our specially trained child abuse solicitors work closely alongside psychologists and barristers to support you both emotionally and legally.

Justice for child abuse survivors should be accessible no matter how long ago it happened. That’s why we fought for a landmark change in the law, which allows an abuse claim to be brought before a court regardless of when it took place. If you want to discuss the options that are open to you, please contact our specialist Abuse Team.