The criteria for making an application to the Scheme are as follows:
a. The Applicant was sexually abused and or the subject of sexual grooming
b. Such sexual abuse/grooming occurred prior to the Applicant’s 18th birthday
c. The Abuse was perpetrated by a member of the clergy who at the time of the Abuse held clerical office within the Diocese or by a representative of the Diocese who at the time of the abuse was acting under the authority of the Diocese and someone for whom the Diocese would be vicariously liable.
d. The Abuse occurred during the period 1 January 1950-31 December 2010.
In the event of an Applicant who would otherwise have fulfilled the criteria noted above, and who had disclosed abuse to the Diocese dying without having made an application to the Scheme then his or her Estate can submit an application prior to 29 September 2023. If an Applicant dies without his or her application being concluded it may be continued by his or her Estate.
Once an Applicant has given notice of an intention to participate in the Scheme
a. He or she will
o not issue proceedings during the time of their participation in the Scheme;
OR
o if proceedings have already been issued will agree to a stay of those proceedings.
AND
b. An automatic limitation moratorium will be effective until such time as the Applicant is no longer part of the Scheme, which will arise if they have accepted an offer or left the Scheme.
Documents
To participate in the Scheme an Applicant will complete and submit the Scheme Claim Form and provide such relevant accompanying documentation as is available.
Click here for a copy of the Scheme Claim Form
Click here for the statement relating to the extension of the deadline for applications.
Extension of application deadline
To enable all those who were abused to apply to the Scheme the Diocese has extended the Scheme by 6 months enabling others to make applications up to 29th March 2024.
Click here to read a statement about the extension.
Contact
Questions or queries relating the scheme can be sent to [email protected]