At Oakwood Solicitors, we advocate for survivors of violent crime who are contesting the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) due to its considerable delays and inadequate communication, exacerbating the trauma faced by victims instead of providing them with the necessary support.
What is the CICA?
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) was established to provide vital financial support to innocent victims of violent and sexual crimes. However, recent procedural changes have severely compromised its function, turning what should be a safety net into a source of further distress for survivors.
Concerns reached a boiling point in October 2024 when Oakwood Solicitors’ Criminal Injuries Department met with senior CICA management to address severe delays.
Despite submitting over 350 formal complaints regarding assessment timelines over the past two years, years of direct engagement and private advocacy by Oakwood Solicitors have yielded no tangible operational improvements.
How a survivor discovered representation
One applicant, Using the alias “Kate” to protect her identity, described a stark contrast between pursuing a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) claim alone and later receiving support from Oakwood Solicitors.
Kate came across Oakwood Solicitors when she was in hospital and had issues with her first existing independent CICA online application.
After doing a Google search to find a solicitor, she came across Oakwood Solicitors and met her dedicated advisor Gabrielle Henry to assist with her second criminal injury case, following an attack in a park by a stranger.
Following her inquiry, Kate faced several issues with the CICA independently. After observing the negative impact of the CICA’s systemic changes on her legally represented case, she chose to join our collective effort for reform.
Navigating the Process Alone
After submitting her original application independently, Kate said communication from the CICA was minimal, with long periods of silence interrupted only by requests for information and repeated warnings that her claim could be closed if deadlines were missed.
When delays at her GP surgery prevented medical records from being provided on time, she felt there was little follow-up from the CICA and no clear point of contact, leaving her unsure who was responsible for progressing her case.
“Sometimes you feel like you’re chasing a ghost,” she said, describing the stress of receiving closure notices while being unable to obtain updates herself.
“If you tried to ring the phone line to receive an update, it would say…If you’re calling for an update, we are receiving too many calls and to wait for your case handler to get in contact, then the call would terminate automatically.”
Transforming the Process with Legal Representation
By comparison, Kate said “working with a solicitor transformed the experience”. Rather than navigating the process alone, she had regular contact, updates on the progress of her claim, and someone actively chasing information on her behalf.
She described having “my own personal solicitor… running around, doing the work in the background,” adding that the reassurance of knowing someone was managing the case reduced much of the uncertainty.
“Navigating the CICA on my own left me completely in the dark, and the anxiety of strict deadlines and constant threats to close my case became unbearable. Everything changed when I brought in Oakwood Solicitors. Having Gabrielle in my corner gave me a lifeline and a shimmer of hope.”
“She turned an exhausting process into something manageable, despite facing the same issues of delays and silent communication. She gave me regular updates and made me feel truly supported. If it wasn’t for Gabrielle’s dedication, I would have given up on fighting for justice altogether.”
Independent Claimants vs. Represented Survivors
Reflecting on both experiences, Kate emphasises that legal representation provides survivors with far more than administrative help, it delivers continuity, clear communication, and vital advocacy throughout a traumatic process.
Without legal support, independent applicants are often overwhelmed by systemic delays, redundant information requests, and the constant fear that their claims will be unfairly closed. Consequently, unrepresented survivors frequently receive minimal offers or outright rejections compared to those with professional assistance.
Though marketed as a survivor-focused path to justice, the platform repeatedly fails applicants through severe delays and re-traumatisation. Broken reporting systems and poor communication leave individuals in the dark, undermining their fundamental right to be informed about their own claims.
Regardless of whether a claimant is represented, CICA’s institutional practices inflict widespread harm through:
- Systematic communication lockdowns
- Excessive delays and redundant reviews
- High rejection rates based on misleading metrics
- Severe emotional, physical, and financial strain
Ultimately, data proves that legal representation is the single most effective safeguard against the agency’s pattern of undervaluing claims:
- 2020–21: Unrepresented applicants averaged £8,692, compared to £13,545 for represented claimants.
- 2022–23: On appeal, represented cases saw average payouts jump sixfold, from £7,848 to £47,339.
- 2024–25: 30–40% of initial decisions are overturned upon review or appeal, highlighting a deeply flawed initial decision-making process.
Behind the scenes of A Survivors impact
For survivors like Kate, navigating the CICA process has compounded her trauma rather than aiding her recovery.
Seven years after her assault, Kate remains trapped in financial distress and severe housing disrepair, unable to afford basic necessities or access the medical treatment needed for her scars and nerve damage.
Instead of providing a crucial safety net, the system forced her to spend two years calling her doctor’s surgery every single morning just to obtain the medical forms required by the CICA.
“It really gives you too much anxiety and trauma added to your already traumatised self,” Kate explained. “I’m stuck in one position, and I don’t have any support… I feel like you’ve left me here suffering with no answers.”
Survivors statement:
Kate added that her experience highlighted a desperate need for change within the system:
“Before making a claim, I believed the CICA was an organisation that genuinely supported people through trauma. Instead, over the last five or six years, I’ve felt completely abandoned. To receive rejection letters and threats to close my case after years of silence makes CICA’s support feel like a myth, it felt like I was being treated as the criminal.”
Kate explained that the current process fails to deliver true accountability: “In my case, not only did I not get justice for what happened to me, but I haven’t had any support. This incident has completely damaged my life.”
Adding that without systemic change, vulnerable applicants are left stranded, noting that “if you’re not providing what you’re promising, then there has to be change because it is not fair. There are individuals out there that won’t have that support; they won’t have these updates, and they’ll be fighting these cases on their own; they’ll be getting different outcomes. The system urgently needs reform to stop re-traumatising victims.”
The importance of sharing your story
It is vital to force meaningful reform at the CICA, as those navigating the system are often left to fight overwhelming battles without the basic support they were promised.
For survivors of violent crime, a lack of transparency and coordination leaves individuals isolated, overwhelmed, and completely unable to move forward with their lives.
By voicing these lived experiences, survivors highlight the human cost of administrative failure, making it clear that reforming the CICA is essential to ensure victims receive the tools, communication, and genuine justice required to rebuild their lives after trauma.
No matter if you seek justice independently or through a solicitor, every survivor has the right to justice; the CICA are promising yet fails to deliver. Stand with us today in sharing your story.
Why Survivor Voices Are Essential for CICA Reform
For anyone who has experienced trauma and is hesitant to speak up, coming forward is the single most vital step toward driving real change within the CICA.
“The system cannot fix its discrepancies or hire and properly train staff with the right expertise if survivors remain silent about the reality of their experiences.”
While the CICA’s website portrays the application process as straightforward and quick, the actual journey often feels daunting, isolated, and endlessly delayed, leaving many people to give up without dedicated legal support.
True reform requires the CICA to shift from merely processing data to actively advocating for applicants through clear, supportive procedures.
“By speaking out, survivors build a united front, ensuring those in power hear the unfiltered truth of what applicants endure so future claimants are not left in the dark.”
Further information:
Oakwood Solicitors Calls for Urgent Reform of the CICA Scheme.
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
Stand with us today in sharing your story. Join our movement for fair justice, sign our petition today! Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation.
Sign our petition: Urgent Review and Reform of the CICA Scheme, to join our movement towards justice.
Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Rob Crompton joined Oakwood Solicitors in July 2007 as a Road Traffic Accident Paralegal Fee Earner. Rob has progressed through the organisation and holds the current position of Head of Personal Inj…
Why has my CICA claim been rejected?
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is the government organisation that runs this type of criminal injury claim.
All decisions made by the CICA in regards to claims…
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Your Step-by-Step Breakdown to a CICA Claim
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) operates a scheme designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crimes, including physical and sexual assaults.
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