ACC’s Sensitive Claims Service explained

When someone experiences sexual abuse or assault they may develop different types of mental distress (referred to by ACC as “mental injuries”). If possible, it’s important to seek professional support and treatment for this mental distress as soon as possible after the harm has occurred. This is because early help will result in better recovery and long-term wellbeing.

Through the Sensitive Claims Service, ACC provides support for anyone in Aotearoa New Zealand, including visitors to the country, who has experienced sexual abuse or assault. If it turns out that you're not eligible for help, your first sessions will still be free and we can help you to find other help. You don’t have to have reported anything to the police. ACC may also be able to help if you're an Aotearoa New Zealand resident and have experienced this harm while travelling overseas. There is also help available for the whānau/family of those who have experienced sexual abuse or assault.

It doesn't matter if the event happened recently or a long time ago. This support is fully funded. You can start whenever you're ready and stop at any time. You are always in control.

It’s your choice which therapy provider you connect with to start the process. But there is always support available if you want it..

To start the process, it’s important to find a therapy provider who can support you on your healing journey. Through Safe to talk’s Pathway to Sensitive Claims, a trained team can help you find a therapy provider. This help can be provided by phone, text or email at times that suit you, and is completely free. You can find out more at How we can help with Sensitive Claims.

If you’d rather search for a therapy provider on your own, you can do that too. It may be helpful to seek the support of whānau or friends if you choose to start in this way. Simply visit ACC’s Find Support website to begin your search or to look for a different provider. A therapy provider may be a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychologist or, in some cases, a psychiatrist. Some people start their journey by speaking with their GP (doctor). Your GP can lodge an ACC claim for you and will direct you to us or ACC’s Find Support website to find a therapy provider.

Selecting your preferred therapy provider is the first step in the process. If you choose to do this yourself on the ACC Find Support website, you will need to select your region of the country to see the organisations that have therapy providers who can support you. If you choose, you can filter providers by Gender, Spoken Language and Cultural Expertise. You can also filter your therapy provider options by those with specific expertise, such as Children, Young People, LGBTQIA+ and people with an Intellectual Disability.

Contact details for organisations who have therapy providers matching your needs will be shown. When you get in touch with an organisation they will let you know if their therapy providers can support you. Your first sessions with this therapy provider do not require a Sensitive Claim to be made with ACC. After the first two sessions - if you would like to seek further support from ACC and make a Sensitive Claim - your therapy provider will lodge a claim with ACC on your behalf.

Remember - we can help get you started

You can choose to have Safe to talk assist you to find an available therapy provider. You can find out more on the How Safe to talk can help with Sensitive Claims page.

Once you’ve connected with a therapy provider, you can immediately access up to 14 hours of therapy and up to 30 hours of other support services, including support for your whānau/family. This is at no cost to you, and you won’t have to wait for ACC to approve your claim to get this support.

The first two sessions of support are called Getting Started and focus on building a relationship with your chosen therapy provider to see if they’re the right fit for you. At this stage your therapy provider will help you understand the process and you’ll decide if you consent to the next step. Your therapy provider will prepare and lodge your Sensitive Claim with ACC on your behalf, but only if you choose for this to happen.

The next four sessions are called Early Supports, where you and your therapy provider discuss the type of treatment and support you need. Your therapy provider will develop an Early Supports Plan identifying the best treatment path for you and who will provide the support. They will discuss the plan with you before sending it to ACC.

If your therapy provider believes a short-term intervention of up to eight hours of therapy will meet your treatment needs and goals they may recommend the Short Term Support to Wellbeing pathway. If your therapy provider believes you would benefit from further support, they will work with you to determine the best way to support your recovery.

Any further treatment and support can only be provided after your ACC claim has been approved.

Depending on your needs, ACC may approve your claim for more support after receiving a Cover and Wellbeing Plan from your therapy provider. Your therapy provider will ask you some questions and you will complete a questionnaire. However, you won’t need to undergo an in-depth assessment and can start receiving further treatment after ACC approves your claim.

If ACC approves your claim, you’ll be able to access talk therapy, as well as support from other specialists, such as social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists and dieticians. If necessary, you’ll also have access to other support services, such as group-based therapy. You can also request social rehabilitation services, such as rongoā Māori and other ACC services.

In some cases your therapy provider may recommend that you undergo a Specialist Cover Assessment. This is needed if you require financial support from ACC like weekly compensation, Loss of Potential Earnings (LOPE) or Permanent Injury Compensation (PIC).

After you have completed your treatment, ACC will continue to support you by funding up to 20 hours of support to be used over the next three years. This type of support is called Maintaining Wellbeing, and it’s to help you navigate challenging times, without needing to go through the entire process again.

You can find more detailed information about treatment and support on ACC’s Support if you’ve experienced sexual abuse or assault page.

There's ACC-funded support available for anyone supporting you. This includes friends, whānau members, parents, spouses, partners, siblings and flatmates. They'll only be involved if you want them to be. They can get support sessions to help:

• Educate them about the effects of sexual abuse or assault
• Mentally process what's happened
• Identify coping strategies
• Understand the impact on younger clients and work through ways to address any changes to their behaviour.

Your therapy provider will work with you to identify what support your family and whānau may need.

Your first ACC-funded therapy sessions will happen without any direct contact from ACC. ACC’s approach is to contact you as seldom as possible to allow you to focus on your therapy support.

After your initial support sessions, if you need more support, your therapy provider will lodge a Sensitive Claim on your behalf with ACC. At this stage, a dedicated Recovery Partner from ACC will get in touch with you. They'll work with you to make sure you continue to get the help you need. You’re in control of how and when your ACC Recovery Partner gets in contact with you.