Codes of practice for civil CSA claims
IICSA · Accountability and Reparations Investigation Report · Issued 19 September 2019 · Addressed to: Association of British Insurers
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, G
The Local Government Association and the Association of British Insurers should each produce codes of practice for responding to civil claims of child sexual abuse. The codes should include recognition of the long-term emotional and psychiatric or psychological effects of child sexual abuse on victims and survivors, and acknowledgement that these effects may make it difficult for victims and survivors to disclose that they have been sexually abused and to initiate civil claims for that abuse. The codes should also include guidance that: 1. claimants should be treated sensitively throughout the litigation process; 2. the defence of limitation should only be used in exceptional circumstances; 3. single experts jointly instructed by both parties should be considered for the assessment of the claimants' psychiatric, psychological or physical injuries; and 4. wherever possible, claimants should be offered apologies, acknowledgement, redress and support.
IICSA, Accountability and Reparations Investigation Report · 19 Sep 2019 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that the ABI had published its Code of Practice as recommended (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
Association of British Insurers: In August 2021, the Association of British Insurers published a Code of Practice on Responding to Civil Claims of Child Sexual Abuse. It seeks to improve certain aspects of the civil claims process that are within insurers' control for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Local Government Association: On 16 August 2021, the Local Government Association stated that it had worked with several member councils and national organisations to develop a draft code of practice. On 25 April 2022, the Local Government Association stated that the draft code of practice would be going to its Executive Advisory Board for final approval and would then be published on its website.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.