Expert Evidence
for CICA Claims
Our chambers prepares CPR Part 35-compliant psychiatric and psychological reports for criminal injuries compensation authority claims. We accept instructions from solicitors, insurers, and local authority legal teams handling CICA matters under the 2012 Scheme, including historic abuse, complex PTSD, and vulnerable claimants.
Psychiatric reports
for CICA claims
Our chambers provides expert witness evidence for criminal injuries compensation authority claims under the 2012 Scheme. Members of our chambers are consultant psychiatrists and chartered psychologists who prepare CPR Part 35-compliant reports addressing causation, condition, and prognosis in criminal injury compensation claims.
We accept instructions for both adult and child claimants, including cases involving historic abuse, complex PTSD, and vulnerable individuals. Our reports are tailored to the criminal injuries compensation authority’s evidential requirements, ensuring compliance with the Scheme’s eligibility criteria and the Civil Procedure Rules.
The chambers coordinates assessments nationwide, with trauma-informed protocols for claimants who may require adjustments due to safeguarding concerns, language barriers, or capacity issues.
When to instruct
our CICA experts
Our chambers accepts instructions for criminal injuries compensation authority claims where psychiatric evidence is required to establish eligibility, causation, or quantum under the 2012 Scheme. The following presentations are within our scope.
Historic abuse claims
Non-recent abuse cases where the criminal injuries compensation authority requires expert evidence on delayed disclosure, limitation, and psychiatric sequelae under the 2012 Scheme’s eligibility criteria.
Complex PTSD presentations
Claimants with ICD-11 complex PTSD arising from prolonged or repeated criminal injuries, where standard PTSD frameworks are insufficient for the criminal injuries compensation claim.
Child claimants
CICA claims involving minors, including those with safeguarding concerns or local authority involvement, where assessment requires trauma-informed and capacity-sensitive protocols.
Vulnerable adults
Claimants with capacity issues, learning disabilities, or ongoing safeguarding risks, where adjustments such as appropriate adults or interpreters are clinically indicated.
Multi-perpetrator injuries
Cases involving multiple criminal injuries where apportionment of psychiatric harm is required for the criminal injuries compensation authority’s assessment of quantum.
Dissociative disorders
Claimants with dissociative identity disorder or other dissociative presentations where the criminal injury has exacerbated pre-existing trauma-related symptoms.
Fitness to engage
Assessments of a claimant’s capacity to participate in the CICA process, including their ability to provide consistent evidence or engage with legal representatives.
Pre-existing conditions
Cases where the criminal injury interacts with pre-existing psychiatric vulnerabilities, requiring expert evidence on material contribution under the 2012 Scheme.
Our chambers does not accept instructions for criminal injuries compensation authority claims where the primary issue is physical injury without psychiatric sequelae, or where the claim falls outside the 2012 Scheme’s eligibility criteria.
Designed for CICA
claims workflows
Our chambers aligns with the procedural requirements of the criminal injuries compensation authority, ensuring reports are delivered in formats compatible with the 2012 Scheme and CPR Part 35.
Scheme-compliant reports
Reports structured to address the criminal injuries compensation authority’s eligibility criteria, including causation, condition, and prognosis under the 2012 Scheme.
CPR Part 35 compliance
All reports prepared in accordance with Civil Procedure Rule Part 35, including impartiality, duty to the court, and responsiveness to Part 35 questions.
Trauma-informed assessments
Assessment protocols designed for vulnerable claimants, including adjustments for safeguarding concerns, interpreters, and capacity-sensitive interviewing.
Nationwide coverage
Chambers-based consultants available across the UK, with remote assessment options for claimants unable to travel.
Proportionality triage
Desktop reviews offered where full examination is not clinically indicated, ensuring proportionality under CPR Part 35.7.
Milestone discipline
Scope, timeline, and fee agreed at instruction. Proactive updates provided throughout, with deadlines aligned to the criminal injuries compensation claim timetable.
Questions from
CICA claim handlers
Do your reports comply with the 2012 Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme?
Yes. Our reports are structured to address the eligibility criteria of the 2012 Scheme, including causation, condition, and prognosis. Members of our chambers are familiar with the Scheme’s requirements and ensure reports are tailored to support criminal injuries compensation authority claims.
Can you assess historic abuse cases for CICA claims?
Yes. Our chambers accepts instructions for historic abuse cases, including those involving delayed disclosure. Reports address the psychiatric sequelae of non-recent abuse and the impact of limitation on the claimant’s presentation.
Do you provide desktop reviews for CICA psychiatric reports?
Yes. Desktop reviews are available where full examination is not clinically indicated. These are conducted under CPR Part 35.7 to ensure proportionality and are typically delivered within 14–21 days.
Can you assess child claimants for criminal injuries compensation claims?
Yes. Our chambers includes consultants experienced in assessing child claimants, including those with safeguarding concerns or local authority involvement. Assessments are conducted under trauma-informed protocols with appropriate adjustments.
Do your experts attend joint expert meetings for CICA claims?
Yes. Our consultants are available to attend joint expert meetings and respond to Part 35 questions under CPR 35.14. We coordinate with instructing solicitors to ensure responses are timely and compliant with procedural deadlines.
What is your standard turnaround for a CICA psychiatric report?
6–10 weeks. Standard turnaround is 6–10 weeks from receipt of full records to report delivery, subject to claimant availability and case complexity. Urgent requests are accommodated where clinically and procedurally feasible.