Lambeth Council has announced a Redress Scheme which will cover Shirley Oaks Children’s Home and Primary School. Many children were abused at Shirley Oaks over decades and the Council has accepted liability for the abuse.
The Scheme was outlined at a meeting of Full Council on 19 July 2017. Although it was due to go live on 1 October 2017, it does not as yet appear to be up and running.
The Scheme is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK and I can confirm that this does appear to be the case.
A similar scheme was set up in the Republic of Ireland called the RIRB (Residential Institutions Redress Board) which closed some years ago and was similar to that proposed by Lambeth. There was also a willingness for the Board to accept the applicant’s account so the adversarial nature of making a civil claim was absent.
Making a claim can be very stressful and take many years so anything that can avoid this is to be welcomed.
Of interest is the proposal that anyone who was at Shirley Oaks Children’s Home and subjected to a harsh environment will be entitled to receive a payment of up to £10,000. This means that the Scheme will include those who were not abused.
The Scheme also proposes that those who are eligible will receive a written apology. This is extremely important to clients who often wish to receive an acknowledgement of what happened and need to feel that they are believed and that lessons will be learned.
Speaking to a solicitor regarding abuse can be very difficult. However, the department at Farleys have many years’ experience of dealing with child abuse claims. If you, or someone you know, was at Shirley Oaks Children’s Home or Primary School we will speak to you in the strictest of confidence on 0330 134 6430 or you can email us through our online contact form.
