Scout Sexual Abuse Solicitors

Taking part in extracurricular activities like the Scouts, Brownies or Guides can be a pivotal moment in growing up and parents want to encourage children to gain their own independence as well as learn some life skills. 

Parents trust that these places have the toughest application processes in place and only the best people are looking after their children, but sometimes people can take advantage of these situations and use their power to manipulate and abuse children in a scouts or brownies group. 

As abuse solicitors, we continue to work with cases where individuals have been abused while they were taking part in the Scouts, Brownies or Guides. 

Types of child abuse in the Scouts or Brownies 

There are different ways that individuals can be subjected to child abuse in the Scouts or Brownies, they are: 

Physical abuse – where they are hurt physically, it could be abuse that’s carried out whilst doing certain activities and the abuser ensures that a child is hurt in the process. 

Emotional abuse – this type of abuse can be harder to spot, and it means that the children are hurt psychologically, such as being left out of tasks, not invited on certain occasions, etc. 

Sexual abuse – this can be the children being touched in ways they don’t want or being forced to watch sexual activities, it could also be that they’re forced to do things to other children in the group. 

It’s likely that child abuse in the Scouts or Brownies is performed by a person of trust, such as a leader, assistants or adult helpers. It can also be possible that the abuse is carried out by another child within the group. 

If you suspect that your child is being abused, or they have told you so, then it’s advisable you report it to the police as soon as you can. They will be able to provide support for the survivor and take the right steps to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. 

Who will be held responsible for the abuse? 

If you were subjected to abuse whilst you attended the Scouts or Brownies, you may be entitled to claim against the individual who abused you or against the Scout Association or GirlGuiding (who run the Brownies and other age range groups of this kind), or both. This is all determined on a case by case basis. We are here to advise you on the best option for your individual case to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation. 

Making a compensation claim against the Scouts or Brownies

To make an abuse claim against the Scout Association or GirlGuiding, they must be responsible for the person who abused you, or if they made mistakes that resulted in the abuse being allowed to happen. 

Is my abuse claim restricted by time? 

There are restrictions that state that you should have made a claim by your 21st birthday, however, it is still possible to make a claim after that. The courts thankfully recognise that not all survivors are able to discuss what happened to them until later on in their life. If you were abused whilst at the Scouts or Brownies and your 21st birthday has been and gone, then do still please get in touch with us today and we can determine whether or not you can move forward with your compensation claim. 

How we can help 

TDP Solicitors are here to help you in any way that we can, whilst we cannot change was has happened we are here to ensure that you receive the justifiable amount of compensation that allows you to rebuild your life and move on from what has happened.

Throughout this process we are here to give support as well as legal advice at this difficult time, doing so in the utmost confidence.