Your claim, explained
How can a parent start a child injury enquiry?
Provide the child’s age, circumstances of injury, treatment and your relationship. A parent can ask for advice, but authority, conflicts and representation must be checked. Court proceedings and settlement involve safeguards that differ from an ordinary adult claim.
Preserve the child’s experience without shaping the account
Details that help an individual assessment
Keep the child’s own account, where appropriate, distinct from adult observations. Avoid repeated leading questions or rehearsing a version of events. Records from school, childcare and treatment may help explain both what happened and changes afterwards, while sensitive information about other children should be handled carefully.
An injury can affect education, independence and family routines before its longer-term consequences are understood. Record additional help and missed activities with dates, including recovery and improvement. A proposed settlement should address the evidence and necessary safeguards, not simply provide the quickest available payment.
Before you contact us
Make an enquiry with the child's needs and privacy in mind
Tell us the child's age, what happened and your relationship to them. Explain any school absence, treatment or change in daily activities, but avoid unnecessary personal detail in the first message. The firm must clarify the adult's role and any potential conflict before progressing instructions.
Useful information to have to hand
- Keep incident reports from the school, club, venue or other organisation involved.
- Retain treatment letters and records of practical help or additional expenses.
- Tell us about any insurer contact, settlement proposal or previous legal advice.
A point worth checking early
Do not publish a child's medical records or images online to seek evidence. Ask about an appropriate way to share relevant material privately if the enquiry proceeds.
Request an individual assessment →Claims involving children follow different rules. A child cannot bring proceedings alone, the limitation clock generally does not start until their eighteenth birthday, and any settlement must be approved by the court to make sure it is in the child's best interests.
We guide parents through each of those steps, from instructing appropriate paediatric experts to the approval hearing and the arrangements for holding the damages. We will explain how the claim can be funded before any work begins.
When can you pursue compensation?
- A child under eighteen was injured because of another party's negligence.
- A parent or guardian acts as litigation friend to bring the claim on their behalf.
- The claim can generally be brought at any time before the child's twenty-first birthday, although early investigation is far better for the evidence.
- Different considerations apply where the injury occurred at birth or involves lasting disability.
Circumstances to discuss with a solicitor
- Road traffic collisions involving child pedestrians, cyclists and passengers
- School and nursery accidents caused by inadequate supervision
- Playground and leisure centre equipment failures
- Injuries in shops, restaurants and other public premises
- Dog bites and animal-related injuries
- Scalds, burns and injuries from unsafe products
What Compensation Could I Claim?
- Damages for the injury, including scarring, which is assessed differently for children
- Cost of future treatment such as scar revision or orthodontic work
- Educational support where schooling has been disrupted
- Care and assistance provided by parents during recovery
- Loss of future earning capacity in cases of lasting disability
Recoverable compensation depends on the injury evidence, supported losses and applicable claim route.
Evidence That Helps
- School or nursery accident records and supervision arrangements
- Photographs of the hazard and of injuries as they heal
- Paediatric medical evidence, and specialist reports where growth may affect the outcome
- A parent's statement describing the effect on the child's daily life
- Records of expenses and time taken off work to provide care
How Long Could the Claim Take?
Children's claims are frequently paused until the medical picture is stable, because growth can affect scarring and orthopaedic outcomes. An approval hearing is then required, which adds a short further period before funds are secured.
Costs and funding for child injury claims
What to clarify before you instruct
Ask how legal costs and any proposed deduction from a child’s compensation will be explained and considered as part of the applicable approval arrangements.
Compare funding options and potential cost risksChild Injury Claims FAQs
Who receives the compensation?
Damages are normally held in the court funds office or in a trust until the child turns eighteen, with applications possible for specific needs in the meantime.
What is an approval hearing?
A short hearing where a judge checks that the proposed settlement is fair and in the child's best interests before it becomes binding.
Can I claim for my own losses as a parent?
Certain parental expenses, such as travel to hospital and care provided, may be recoverable within the child's claim.
Should we wait until the child is older?
It is usually better to investigate early while evidence is fresh, even if valuation waits until the medical position is clearer.
What information should a parent provide first?
Give the child's age, event, injuries and treatment, plus your relationship and any deadline. Detailed records can follow through an agreed private process.
Should I question my child repeatedly about the accident?
Avoid leading or rehearsed accounts. Preserve what was said and when, distinguishing the child's words from an adult interpretation.
Are school absence records relevant?
They may show impact and timing. Keep relevant records alongside treatment information without assuming every absence resulted from the injury.
What if the child was injured at nursery?
Identify the provider, activity, supervision and incident report. The child's age and developmental abilities may matter to the assessment.
Can parents have a conflict of interest?
Potentially, depending on the circumstances. Disclose involvement in the incident so suitable representation arrangements can be considered.
Should I keep photographs of recovery?
Dated photographs may help where relevant and proportionate. Store them privately and avoid publicly sharing sensitive images of a child.
Can a school complaint replace a compensation claim?
No. Reporting or complaints and civil compensation have different purposes. Do not assume one process protects all legal deadlines.
What if the child needs additional learning support?
Record recommendations and changes in support. Specialist evidence may be needed to assess the connection with injury and likely future needs.
Are a parent's travel expenses relevant?
Keep receipts, dates and reasons. Their legal treatment needs assessment rather than assuming every family expense is recoverable.
Can a child change their account as they get older?
Record accounts accurately with dates and context. Do not suppress differences; an adviser can consider their significance and the wider evidence.
Should I accept payment offered directly by an insurer?
Get advice about the proposal and required safeguards. A child's settlement is not handled in the same way as an ordinary adult agreement.
What happens when the child turns eighteen?
Representation and control of the claim may change. Tell the adviser the birthday and current stage so appropriate arrangements can be planned.
Can another relative help with correspondence?
Practical assistance can be agreed, but authority and confidentiality remain important. Identify who is permitted to receive information or give instructions.
What if the child has a pre-existing condition?
Disclose relevant history and support needs. The assessment must distinguish additional injury consequences from difficulties that already existed.
Should an injury during sport be assessed differently?
Explain the activity, ordinary risks, supervision and alleged avoidable hazard. An injury during play does not automatically establish negligence.
How do I record extra family care without exaggeration?
List additional tasks and time over a representative period, including changes as recovery progresses. Separate ordinary parenting from injury-related assistance.
Speak to our team
Explain the injury and any approaching deadline. We will confirm whether we can assess your enquiry.
Other personal injury claims
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