Individual Redress Payment Scheme

1. Individual Redress Payment Outcomes

If you meet the criteria for the Individual Redress Payment Scheme, you may be entitled to:

• An award of compensation for the harm or injury suffered, aligned with Common Law Compensation Awards;
• A written apology acknowledging what has happened to you, providing acceptance of responsibility and an assurance that lessons of the past have been learnt and shared with relevant authorities;
• An invitation to meet with a Trustee of the Trust to share your story, if you so wish;
• Provision towards the cost of solicitor fees.

Please note: The invitation to meet with a Trustee is not compulsory, nor will it have any impact on any offer made. It is entirely up to the discretion of the person applying.

3. How to Apply

Application Form

Information required to apply

1. Identification

If you have engaged with a solicitor you will not need to provide any ID documentation with your application, as identity will be confirmed by the solicitor.

If you are not engaging a solicitor you will be asked to provide certified proof of identity. A full list of accepted ID and how to certify ID can be found on our FAQ page

If you have had a legal change of name either by marriage, divorce or by deed poll since their time in the Jesus Fellowship, then you will need to provide evidence of the name change (e.g. a marriage certificate).

If you wish to send your application via post, please do not send original copies of ID as we cannot return any documents sent.

2. Details of the applicant’s involvement within the Jesus Fellowship

You need to be able to establish that you are/were a Member AND/OR a Dependant of a Member family in the Church and/or Community, in order to be eligible for the Individual Redress Payment Scheme.

To be able to confirm an applicant’s status within the Jesus Fellowship we ask for information regarding Community living and/or their association with the Jesus Fellowship Church.

You will be asked to provide information, if available or known, relating to your time in the Jesus Fellowship Church and/or Community such as:

• Address history
• Community household name/s
• Date/s of involvement
• Membership status
  

3. Referee

You will be given the option to provide details of a Referee. This is someone who will be able to confirm membership status in the Church/Community. This is optional, and they will only be contacted by the Scheme Solicitors to help confirm eligibility.

4. Witness Statement

You will need to provide a Witness Statement with your application.

If you have engaged a solicitor then they will be able to work with you to complete the witness statement.

If the choice has been made not to engage a solicitor, you must use the Witness Statement template available here. Using this will ensure that all the information has been included to process the application. The witness statement can then be added as an attachment to the online form, or posted with a paper application.

We understand that this might be a painful process. For information on independent organisations that will be able to support you, please visit our Support page.

5. Supporting Documents (if applicable)

You may have further documents that you wish to provide in support of their claim. This is optional and there will be space for these to be uploaded to the online application. If the application form is being posted, please include any supporting documents.

If more information is required during the application process, the Scheme solicitors will contact the applicant or the applicants solicitors for more details.

6. Processing your personal data

You will need to sign a declaration to confirm that you have read the Jesus Fellowship Redress Scheme Privacy Notice and to confirm you understand how your information is shared and kept, before submitting their application.

For all information on how personal data is collected, stored and used, please see here.

Checklist

You can download the Individual Redress Payment Scheme Application Checklist to ensure you have all the relevant documents and information collected before applying.

Third party support with application

When applying for the Individual Redress Payment Scheme, you can be supported by either;

• a Solicitor: all eligible applicants will be entitled to provisions of costs towards any solicitors’ fees. For more information about using a solicitor please continue to the next section below on this page.
  
• a Litigation Friend: an individual who offers support to an eligible applicant who lacks capacity, and who can fairly and competently conduct an application on behalf of that eligible applicant, and who has completed a certificate of suitability (N235 form) to be filed with the court.
  
• an Attorney: a person who has a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) as registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
  
• a Nominated Representative: a family member, friend or individual who can assist the eligible applicant with their application form. The applicant must provide a completed Nominated Representative Form, identifying the individual who will be acting as their Nominated Representative. You can find the form here.

If you are being supported by a Litigation Friend, an Attorney (LPA) or Nominated Representative, then proof of consent will need to be provided with the application form along with certified ID. More information on third party support can be found on our FAQ page.

4. Using a Solicitor

We strongly advise that all applicants engage a solicitor to support them through the Individual Redress Payment Scheme process.

A solicitor will:

• Help complete an application form; and
• Give independent legal advice; and 
• Explain all the options if an offer of payment is made.

If you are offered a payment and want to accept it, you will be asked to sign a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement is a legal document. It has important consequences on your rights to raise or continue civil court action related to your abuse. You must sign and return the settlement agreement to receive payment. A solicitor will be able to advise you on the terms of the settlement agreement.

Eligible applicants whose Individual Redress Payment applications are agreed, will be entitled to payments of reasonable legal costs as covered in the scheme. These costs are capped at £2,500 plus VAT and sent directly to the eligible applicant’s solicitor following settlement and payment of the Individual Redress Payment.

Applicants should check with their chosen solicitor that they will work for the fees available.

How to engage a solicitor?

We are not in a position to recommend a particular solicitor but help can be found through the Law Society website Law Society website.

5. Next Steps

You can apply using the buttons at the bottom of this page.

Once your application has been submitted, you will be sent an acknowledgment from the Scheme Solicitors, to confirm your application has been received. If more information is required to confirm eligibility to the Individual Redress Payment Scheme, you will be contacted within 45 days of your application being received.

Through each step of the process you will be contacted with updates regarding the status of your application. When applying, you will be asked to confirm whether you would like to be contacted by post or by email.

Please note: If you have a solicitor supporting you through your application, all communication will go through them. Your solicitor will be informed of receipt of application and be contacted for any further information.  

• When your application is being processed:
  
  • Initially, your application will be checked against your certified ID and a check of records will be carried out to confirm that you were connected to the Jesus Fellowship Church and/or Trust.
    
  • The Scheme Solicitors will look at your claim and Witness Statement provided and come back to you or your solicitor, if further information is required.
    
  • Once the Scheme Solicitors have reviewed the Witness Statement and considered the application, they will then send advice to the Trustees with recommendations.
    
  • You will then receive a decision either directly or via your solicitor if you have one, which may include an offer of compensation by way of settlement offer. You will also be given the option to meet with a Trustee to share your story.
    
  • You will then be required to respond to the scheme solicitors. If you have engaged a solicitor, they will be able to advise you on the offer received for your consideration.
    
  • Once an offer has been accepted, any funds that may be owed to you will be paid. Any solicitor fees paid for by the Scheme will be sent directly to your chosen solicitor.

Whilst the scheme solicitors will endeavor to respond to applications in a timely manner you may expect the process to take weeks or months, depending on the volume of applications received at any given time. You will be updated throughout the application process.