Ecclesiastical committed to improving claims handling following Independent Inquiry

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The insurer has responded to the Independent Inquiry of Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) that slammed Ecclesiastical for not providing complete evidence

Ecclesiastical said that it was committed to its claims handling processes improving the continual improvement of its Guiding Principles for the wellbeing of victims and survivors in response to the findings of an Independent Inquiry released earlier this week.

This commitment includes working with the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and psychological rehabilitation specialists Moving Minds to ensure claimants can receive the support and counselling they need.

Ecclesiastical told Insurance Times: “We have sought to be a supportive and cooperative participant in the IICSA process throughout, and strive for the highest standards of claims management in the industry.”

It follows a report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) which criticised the insurer for mishandling claims and not providing complete evidence in the investigation .

Empathy and sensitivity

The insurer thanked the Inquiry for its work and said that it would “study the report closely to see how it can inform further improvements”.

In a statement, Ecclesiastical said that it welcomes the IICSA’s report on the Anglican Church investigation and the insights it gives into the best possible ways to better safeguard children and how to improve the treatment of victims and survivors when disclosing abuse.

It continued: “The experience of bringing an insurance claim can be traumatic for victims and survivors within the adversarial civil justice system in which we operate and we always aim to handle claims with empathy and sensitivity, as embodied in our survivor-centred Guiding Principles, which the report endorses as ‘constructive’.”