Psychiatric evidence in institutional abuse claims

Independent psychiatric assessment of adults who were abused in care, at school, in a church or faith setting, in a sports or youth club, or in custody, for claimant, defendant and single joint expert instructions. Free initial screening call and fixed fees with no hidden charges.

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  • APIL Tier 1 Recommended Expert
  • Claimant, defendant and SJE
  • Structured for CPR Part 35
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Abuse by the people meant to protect them

Institutional abuse claims are brought by adults who were abused while in the care of an organisation: a children’s home, a foster placement, a boarding school, a church, a sports or youth club, or a young offender institution. Dr Pradhan assesses the psychiatric consequences and gives an opinion on diagnosis, causation, apportionment, prognosis and treatment.

These claims are often historic, involve more than one abuser and come with a history of care placements, disrupted schooling and later adversity. The report separates the effects of the abuse relied on from the wider history, and treats delayed disclosure and delayed-onset symptoms as part of the clinical picture.

Dr Pradhan is an APIL Tier 1 recommended expert and is dual-accredited, so she is instructed both by solicitors for claimants and by those acting for institutions.

What the report covers

Reports in institutional abuse claims commonly address:

  • PTSD, complex PTSD, depression and anxiety
  • The effect of abuse in care, school or other institutions
  • Abuse by more than one person, and apportionment between them
  • The effect of being in care, separate from the abuse
  • Sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the same setting
  • Disrupted education and its effect on employment
  • Relationships, trust and parenting
  • Self-harm, substance misuse and contact with the criminal justice system
  • Delayed disclosure and delayed-onset symptoms
  • The claimant’s probable life without the abuse
  • Treatment needs, prognosis and future vulnerability
  • Supplementary questions, joint statements and second opinions

Send a short outline of the institution, the period and the abuse alleged, and any relevant dates, and Dr Pradhan will confirm the scope of opinion and a fixed fee.

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Where institutional abuse happens

The setting shapes the history and the records available. The report takes account of each.

Care and foster placements

Children’s homes and foster care, often with several placements, gaps in schooling and abuse by more than one person.

Schools

Boarding and day schools, where the abuse may have been linked to discipline, sport or pastoral care.

Faith settings

Churches and other religious organisations, where trust and belief may shape disclosure and recovery.

Clubs and custody

Sports and youth organisations, and young offender institutions, where a position of authority was abused.

Submit an enquiry Call 0121 752 6065
I recommend Dr Pradhan as a psychiatrist experienced in preparing reports into child sex abuse cases. The work she did for me showed her deep understanding of this trauma and its effects on survivors of sexual assaults.
David Greenwood, Switalskis Solicitors

Vicarious liability, redress and the psychiatric evidence

Organisations can be liable for abuse by those working for them, or in a relationship akin to employment, where the abuse is closely connected with that relationship. The courts have applied this to religious orders, local authorities with children in foster care and other organisations. Liability is for the court; the psychiatric evidence addresses the harm and its cause.

Scotland has a statutory redress scheme for abuse in care, which stays open until at least 7 December 2026. Accepting a redress payment means giving up civil claims against the organisations that contribute to the scheme, so the psychiatric evidence can help solicitors weigh the two routes. Northern Ireland’s Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board closed to new applications on 2 April 2025. England and Wales have no state redress scheme.

Submit an enquiry Call 0121 752 6065
Armes v Nottinghamshire CC [2017] UKSC 60

The Supreme Court held a local authority vicariously liable for abuse by foster carers with whom it had placed a child in its care.

Related pages

Historical abuseClaims for abuse that happened many years agoFind out more
Childhood sexual abusePsychiatric evidence in claims by adult survivorsFind out more
Childhood traumaThe long-term psychiatric effects of childhood adversityFind out more
Psychiatric causationChronology, competing explanations and apportionmentFind out more

Institutional abuse claim questions

If your question is not answered here, call and Dr Pradhan will advise on scope and timescale.

Call 0121 752 6065
The claimant was abused in more than one placement. Can the report apportion the harm?

The report explains how much of the claimant’s difficulties can reasonably be attributed to each period or abuser, where the evidence allows, and says where the injury cannot sensibly be divided.

Can the report separate the abuse from the effects of being in care?

Yes, where the evidence allows, and in care cases it is often the central question. The report considers the abuse, the reasons the claimant came into care and the care experience itself, and explains the contribution of each.

Should the client apply to the Scottish redress scheme or bring a civil claim?

That is a legal decision for the solicitor and the client. The psychiatric report helps by setting out the harm, its cause and its prognosis, which bear on the value of a civil claim.

Does the report address limitation?

In England and Wales there has been no time limit since 29 June 2026 for injury attributable to sexual abuse suffered under 18, and in Scotland there is none for abuse suffered as a child on or after 26 September 1964. Where the ordinary limits and the court’s discretion still apply, such as for physical or emotional abuse in England and Wales or any abuse claim in Northern Ireland, the report can explain the psychiatric reasons the claimant did not come forward earlier.

How quickly can a report be delivered?

Usually 1–2 weeks from assessment, and urgent reports can often be provided in 2–5 working days where the papers and appointment can be arranged promptly.

Instruct Dr Pradhan on an institutional abuse claim

Send a short outline of the claim and the issues, the funding route and any limitation or hearing dates.

Please do not include medical records or a detailed personal history in this form. Dr Pradhan will confirm how to send the papers once the instruction is agreed.

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