The Abuse Redress Rules 2026

Made: 14th July 2026

Laid before Parliament: 30th July 2026

Coming into force in accordance with rule 1(2)

The Rule Committee, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 4 (4), 7 (1) and (2), 8 (1), (2) and (4), 9 (1), (3), (8) and (9), 10 (2), (8) and (9), 12 (3) and (6) to (9), 15 (1), 16 (1), 17 (1), 18 (3) and (5), 20 (1), 21 (6), 22 (1), 26 (4) and (5), 27 (3) and 29 (1) to (4) and (7) of the Abuse Redress Measure 2025[^f00001], makes the following Rules.

Part 1 — INTRODUCTION

Citation, commencement and interpretation

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• (1) These Rules may be cited as the Abuse Redress Rules 2026.

• (2) These Rules come into force immediately after the commencement of section 3 of the Abuse Redress Measure 2025.

• (3) The Abuse Redress Measure 2025 is referred to in these Rules as “the Measure”.

Part 2 — ENTITLEMENT TO REDRESS

Categories of abuse

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• (1) This rule makes provision for the purposes of section 4 (4) (b) of the Measure.

• (2) The “sexual abuse” by one person (A) of another (B) includes—

• (a) the use by A of coercion or physical force to cause B to engage in sexual activity without B’s consent;

• (b) the penetration by A of B’s vagina, anus or mouth with a part of A’s body or anything else without B’s consent;

• (c) the sexual touching by A of B without B’s consent;

• (d) the use by A of coercion or physical force to expose B to pornography or to sexual activity taking place in person;

• (e) the exposure by A to B of A’s genitals;

• (f) conduct by A towards B of a kind which comes within section 67 or 67A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003[^f00002] (voyeurism, upskirting).

• (3) The “physical abuse” by one person (A) of another (B) includes the deliberate infliction by A of physical pain or injury on B, whether by hitting, smacking, kicking, slapping or stabbing or by some other means.

• (4) The “psychological or emotional abuse” by one person (A) of another (B) includes conduct—

• (a) which is characterised by a deliberate and systematic pattern of controlling or manipulative behaviour by A towards B, and

• (b) which involves an attempt by A to frighten, control or isolate B by, for example—

• (i) spreading rumours about B which a reasonable person would think could cause serious damage to B’s reputation, or

• (ii) subjecting B to treatment that is inconsistent with A’s treatment of others and has the effect of undermining B’s self-identity.

• (5) The “spiritual abuse” by one person (A) of another (B) is a form of psychological or emotional abuse which is carried out by A in a religious context and which has the effect of—

• (a) harming B’s spiritual well-being, or

• (b) legitimising or facilitating the abuse of B that comes within another category in section 4 (2) of the Measure.

• (6) The “neglect and maltreatment” by one person (A) of another (B) is conduct—

• (a) which is characterised by a failure by A to meet B’s physical or psychological needs to an extent likely to result in the serious impairment of B’s health or development, and

• (b) which takes place when B is present in a children’s home or residential school managed by the Church of England.

• (7) The “financial abuse” by one person (A) of another (B) is limited to conduct by A towards B which—

• (a) causes B to suffer direct financial loss, and

• (b) provides a direct financial benefit to A or another person.

Application for redress: procedure

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• (1) An application for redress under section 3 of the Measure—

• (a) may be made in writing, or

• (b) may be made orally by means of such facility for making the application by telephone as the redress body arranges to provide.

• (2) An application made in writing—

• (a) must be verified by a statement of truth made by the applicant, and

• (b) must be submitted—

• (i) by means of the online facility provided by the redress body, or

• (ii) if that facility is not available or the applicant is unable to use it, by such other means as the redress body may permit.

• (3) An application made orally—

• (a) must be verified by a statement of truth made by the applicant, with the statement to be submitted in accordance with paragraph (2)(b), and

• (b) must be recorded in writing by the person who provides the facility referred to in paragraph (1)(b).

• (4) The application must be accompanied by—

• (a) evidence of the applicant’s identity (including, if the applicant’s name has changed since the abuse took place, evidence of the change of name sufficient to satisfy the redress body), and

• (b) evidence of the applicant’s postal address.

• (5) The application may be accompanied by any other material, in any form, which the applicant considers relevant to the application.

• (6) The application is to be regarded as being made on the day on which it is received by the redress body.

• (7) An application made orally—

• (a) is to be treated for the purposes of paragraph (4) as being accompanied by the evidence required by that paragraph as soon as that evidence is provided to the redress body in the manner specified in paragraph (2)(b), and

• (b) is to be treated for the purposes of paragraph (6) as received by the redress body on the day on which the statement of truth required by paragraph (3)(a) and the evidence required by paragraph (4) are provided to the redress body.

• (8) Where the application is made for a person who lacks capacity to make it by a person who has authority to do so for that person under the Mental Capacity Act 2005[^f00003], the application must be accompanied by evidence of the authority.

Application for redress: final date

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The date specified under section 9 (3) of the Measure as the final date for which an application for redress under section 3 of the Measure may be made is the first day of the final nine months of the period determined under section 9 (2) of the Measure.

Application for redress: exceptions to entitlement

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• (1) An application for redress under section 3 of the Measure may not (subject to paragraph (3)) be made if proceedings on a claim for a sum of money arising from a relevant matter brought by the applicant for redress are pending before a court or tribunal.

• (2) A “relevant matter” is a matter on which an application for redress under section 3 of the Measure could be based but for paragraph (1).

• (3) Paragraph (1) does not prevent an application for redress under section 3 of the Measure if the claim in question is—

• (a) stayed pending determination of the application, or

• (b) withdrawn or discontinued.

• (4) An application for redress under section 3 of the Measure may not be made if an application for redress under that section relating to the same abuse has previously been made by the applicant and—

• (a) the application was granted and the determination was notified to the applicant (including in a case where an award of redress lapsed under rule 11(2)), or

• (b) the application was not granted but the determination not to grant it was reversed on an appeal under section 15 of the Measure.

Application on behalf of child

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• (1) In making an appointment of a person as an appropriate adult for a child under section 7(1) of the Measure on an application for redress under section 3 or on an appeal under section 15, the redress body is entitled to rely solely on a certificate given in writing by that person—

• (a) which states that the person—

• (i) can fairly and competently make and proceed with the application or bring the appeal,

• (ii) has no interests adverse to those of the child, and

• (iii) has no interests adverse to those of the redress body, and

• (b) which is verified by a statement of truth made by the person.

• (2) But an appointment under paragraph (1) does not take effect unless and until the appeal authority, having had the certificate under paragraph (1) referred to it by the redress body, is satisfied—

• (a) that the person to whom it relates meets the conditions in paragraph (1)(a), and

• (b) that the statement of truth is valid.

• (3) A person appointed as an appropriate adult must, when making an application for redress under section 3 of the Measure or an appeal under section 15, certify in writing that the person meets the conditions in paragraph (1)(a); and the certificate must be verified by a statement of truth made by the appointed person.

• (4) For the purposes of section 7(2)(b) of the Measure, a decision by the redress body that it is not feasible to appoint an appropriate adult may be made only if a period of at least six months has elapsed since the redress body began the process of identifying a person whom it would be feasible to appoint.

• (5) A certificate under paragraph (3) is to be treated for the purposes of the application or appeal to which the certificate relates as conclusive evidence of the matters stated in it.

• (6) A certificate under paragraph (1) or (3) must be in such form as the Archbishops’ Council or the redress body may specify or in a substantially similar form.

Entitlement to continue application where applicant dies

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