New video series promotes free legal advice scheme for child victims of sexual offences

Emma Rose Duffy has experience volunteering with the NSPCC Young Witness Service and obtained a master’s degree in Children’s Rights, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2019. Working with the Children’s Law Centre, she promoted the rights of young people in the legal system, with a particular focus on mental health, prior to taking up the CSOLA role.

A new series of awareness-raising videos has been launched by the Department of Justice to highlight a free legal advisory service for children and young people affected by serious sexual offences.

The Children’s Sexual Offences Legal Adviser (CSOLA) scheme – delivered by Victim Support NI – offers free, independent legal advice to anyone aged 17 or under who has experienced sexual crime, as well as to their parents and carers.

The support is available up until the commencement of any criminal trial.

Justice Minister Naomi Long, who earlier this year extended the existing Sexual Offences Legal Adviser (SOLA) scheme to include children, said the initiative was already proving valuable to families.

“Our goal is to make legal advice accessible for children and their families and whilst the scheme has only been in place for a matter of months, the feedback from service users has been very encouraging,” she said.

“One key benefit of the CSOLA scheme is that free advice on the criminal justice system is available prior to any offence being reported, which will help victims make informed decisions and may make it easier to contact police.”

The Minister confirmed that further legislative improvements for victims of serious sexual offences are planned under the forthcoming Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill.

“The Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill, which I hope to bring to the Assembly in 2026, will focus on a small number of high impact measures for victims and witnesses of crime,” she said.

“Provisions include enabling legal representatives for complainants in serious sexual offence cases to provide in-court representation during specified pre-trial hearings which would be facilitated by extending the role of the SOLAs.

“Research indicates that many victims either do not report or withdraw from proceedings due to fear that private records, such as medical and counselling, will be disclosed in court; or they delay therapy until after any proceedings have concluded.”

She added that the Bill will also address the handling of sensitive records:

“The Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill will also include reforms to the third-party disclosure application process to help protect Article 8 rights, balance the interests of all parties, safeguard privacy, and reduce re-traumatisation.”

Victim Support NI welcomed the expansion of the scheme, highlighting the impact it is already having across Northern Ireland.

Jolena Flett, Head of Advocacy and New Projects, said:

“We welcome this new service as we have seen how effective the support for adults is through the current SOLA service.

“Since launching the CSOLA service we have supported 275 children and young people, and their guardians, across Northern Ireland through a difficult process.

“Embedding the services within Victim Support NI means we are not only able to help with the legal aspects but also provide trauma informed wrap-around support for all their needs. We also welcome the Department’s ongoing commitment to providing this innovative and much needed service.”

The video series aims to help more families understand the support available and feel empowered to seek legal advice at an early stage.

The videos will be available on the Department of Justice NI’s website, X, Instagram and youtube platforms.