Criminal injury compensation awards made by the CICA are notoriously difficult to value.

The CICA stands for the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority which is the government run body that administers the award scheme for innocent victims of crime. The scheme uses a tariff based system to value a compensation award and this involves looking at each individual injury (where more than one has been sustained) before applying a deduction depending on the severity of the pain and suffering caused.

One claim may involve 3 different layers of injury award and this makes calculating the sum a very difficult task for the injured victims and their representatives. A website that has been around for some time www.criminal-injuries.co.uk/ has now created a unique calculator tool which provides a very good estimate of a likely compensation award. You can try out the calculator tool  and test its accuracy for your / your clients case.

The Royal College of Peadiatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have updated the guidance material provided for clinicians who deal with children in general practice.

Known as the Purple Book, this document was last updated in 2008 and was in need of revision in light of the much changed landscape and awareness concerning child abuse and sexual exploitation. A number of new sections were added to the guidance material focusing on injuries associated with abuse and behavioral characteristics. The news was welcomed by the NSPCC.