In Australia, the National Redress Scheme came into existence and was created by the Federal Government back in 2018. Apart from offering Compensation for Sexual Assault Victims, this Scheme is said to run for 10 years.
Besides that, the Scheme was established after it was suggested by the Royal Commission and entered as a part of the ‘Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’. National Redress Scheme acknowledges all the history of sexual abuse of children in Australian Institutions.
The Scheme will also hold all these institutions responsible for their actions. It will also provide all the sexual abuse survivors compensation paired with a personal response that will come directly from the institution.
The Scheme also includes psychological support and counselling services for the survivors of sexual abuse. The survivors will also receive monetary compensation, which comes in the form of National Redress Scheme Payments.
When the National Redress Scheme receives a person’s application, an individual from their unit will contact him/her and confirm that they have received their application.
The person might also ask him/her for some extra information or will clarify some details during the assessment process if it’s needed.
If one wishes to update their contact information or add some details to their application, they just have to call up the National Redress Scheme. One can also ask for their application to be withdrawn or changed whenever they want.
But all the withdrawing and changing in the application should be done right before the assessment process and determination gets made.
Applications for the National Redress Scheme Payments get assessed by the Independent Decision Makers. They are experienced and qualified individuals with knowledge in areas like legal systems, social welfare and case management.
They will go through all the applications for redress right before they can make a decision, and on certain occasions, they also conduct reviews. This decision-maker must pass a selection process, which includes the following:
After that, they receive the final approval from the Minister of the Redress Scheme’s Governance Board.
To become a Decision Maker, one must provide a disclosure of a perceived, potential or actual conflict of interest before or after getting appointed as the decision maker.
It’s also crucial for all the survivors to stay well aware that these Independent Decision Makers will not assess applications from the territory or the state they have resided in.
They also don’t take care of any applications which are related to institutions they have a past or current professional or personal connection with. They will work hard to make sure that they get to keep all the applications present in the application secure and safe.
All the circumstances of abuse are different and unique, and the time taken to assess every application will also be different. When a relevant institution has become a part of the Scheme, the majority of the applications will get assessed within 3 months to 12 months.
It’s vital to understand that all applications cannot get possessed till a relevant institution joins the National Redress Scheme. For such cases, one should discuss their options with a reliable Sexual Child Abuse lawyer who is an expert in dealing with child abuse-related cases.
It’s primarily because the assessment can take time to complete. Due to such reasons, one should opt for some type of support. The support can come from someone whom him/her already knows or opting for one of the Redress Support Services.
Once all the things have been considered in a person’s application, the independent decision-makers will decide the likelihood of the abuse taking place. If they agree that the abuse took, they decide on the amount needed from the institution.
They will do so before they provide him/her the option to access all the funds through the Redress Scheme. Remember one thing, the Independent Decision Makers who handle the cases will not need much proof when compared to courts.
When the final decision gets made, an individual from the National Redress Scheme will call him/her and also send a letter that will contain the results of their application.
If the application of this Scheme gets approved, the letter will contain an offer. There will be four options available after one receives an offer for the redress:
Individuals will get 6 months to decide and consider their response. The expiry date of the offer is mentioned on the 1st page of the letter, and a reminder will be sent to him/her when only 30 days remain.
One must opt for some legal advice when they have not made any decisions yet. When a person declines or accepts the offer, they will not get the chance to request a revoke or review of the offer.
This means that one has the right can take legal such as a criminal case, or apply for complete monetary compensation.
If he/she accepts the offer, a person from the National Redress Scheme will call them to confirm all their bank account details. They will also provide the contact information of the responsible institution to receive a personal response from them.
After accepting the financial redress payment, he/she has to sign the statutory release document.
This is a legal contract that mentions that one cannot take any civil action in the future against the responsible institution, its associated institutions and its officials for abuse. But that doesn’t mean one will not have the right to conduct legal proceedings against the abuser.
For such reasons, it’s highly suggested that all the survivors should take comprehensive and confidential legal advice from a professional lawyer.
The National Redress Scheme has made it easier for all the victims of child abuse to receive compensation for the abuse they have experienced.
The Scheme will offer various types of services and will also make sure that the survivors receive the compensation they deserve.
The top personal injury lawyers can easily handle all types of child abuse-related cases. They can offer him/her some advice and knowledge about such a scheme and will also guide them through the application process.
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