KRW Law Secures Over £20 Million in Compensation for Victims of Historic Institutional Abuse

We proud to confirm the successful completion of 1228 applications under the HIA Redress Scheme, securing over £20,000,000 in compensation for victims and survivors of historic institutional abuse. The 1228 completed applications has been confirmed by the Redress Board as being the highest number of applications submitted by a single firm of solicitors.

In addition to financial redress, victims obtained determinations included formal acknowledgements that vindicated the allegations of abuse and recognised the deep and lasting harm suffered by victims.

Paul Pierce, Partner and Head of Historical Institutional Abuse department at KRW Law, commented:

“This milestone reflects not only the work of our legal team but, more importantly, the courage and resilience of the survivors who came forward. The determinations issued under the scheme have gone beyond compensation – they have acknowledged the truth of what happened and the pain that was caused. That recognition is vital for healing.

Gary Duffy, Associate Solicitor at KRW Law commented further;

We now call on the Northern Ireland Executive to take immediate and decisive steps to recoup the costs of the Redress Scheme from the church and religious institutions responsible for the abuse. To date, many of these institutions have failed to contribute financially to the scheme, despite their central role in the systemic harm inflicted on generations of children.

It is unacceptable that the public purse continues to bear the burden of redress while powerful institutions evade accountability. 

Justice demands that those responsible must now pay their share.”

The Redress Scheme was established following recommendations from the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry. It was designed to provide financial compensation to individuals who suffered abuse while residing in institutions such as children’s homes, borstals, and orphanages in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995.

The scheme officially opened for applications on 31 March 2020 and ran for a period of five years. It closed to new applications on 2 April 2025