Whether or not to pursue a civil claim. That’s the topic of The FA Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group’s (FASSSAG) latest guidance booklet for survivors of child sexual abuse in football.
It is the second in a series of FASSSAG guidance booklets – the first covered considerations to weigh up before deciding whether or not to waive anonymity.
“The booklet is not intended to steer anyone towards a particular course of action,” says a FASSSAG member who has not waived their anonymity. “It’s really to outline what’s involved in making a civil claim, the journey it will take you on – and some of the challenges you will face.”
Producing these guidance booklets, based on lived experience, is part of a wider aspiration for FASSSAG, formed in 2018. The Group comprises former footballers alongside independent safeguarding professionals and specialist organisations. It has an important role in challenging and informing The FA’s thinking in relation to the needs and experiences of survivors. You can read more about FASSSAG’s day-to-day work here.
“The booklet is a tangible example of how we can play our part in ensuring survivors make informed decisions of some of the inevitable questions they will face,” says Jimmy Aggrey of the Jimmy Aggrey Foundation. “As one survivor says in the booklet, they wish this booklet had existed before they commenced their claim, so they would have known what to expect from the legal process and the impact it would have on them and their family.”
The booklet covers topics on the type of civil claim you could make, how to find qualified legal support, as well as a lived-experience look at what pursuing a claim entails. It also lists organisations inside and outside football which offer support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
“The message throughout the booklet is a simple one to every survivor: we want you to come to a decision that’s right for you and those closest to you, as every case is unique,” says Ian Ackley, Survivor Support Advocate at the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
You can download a copy of the booklet below:
