FACT exists to support those who have been falsely accused of abuse or assault, sexual or otherwise. We are not here to apologize for those who have abused children or adults in the past, or to excuse their behaviour.

• FACT abhors abuse of children, vulnerable adults or anyone else. All forms of abuse are wrong; we have always condemned abusers and we have a zero tolerance approach to abuse of any kind. We do, however, believe that the scale of it has been exaggerated.
• FACT encourages the immediate reporting of abuse. We believe that anyone who has been abused has responsibility both to themselves and to wider society to report it immediately. There is also a greater chance of culprits being brought to justice the sooner it is reported.
• We accept that professionals who work with children or adults have a greater duty of care to keep them safe and a greater responsibility not to abuse their position of trust.
• We recognize that the police, investigative agencies, and listing bodies have a difficult job to do and that all complaints of abuse must be thoroughly investigated. 
• However, being thoroughly investigated means including the possibility that the accusations are untrue and that any exculpating evidence (that which indicates innocence) should be equally investigated and disclosed if found.

• FACT will not allow anyone into its membership unless they sign a declaration that any allegations of abuse that have been made against them are false and warrant they have not downloaded child pornography.
• We accept that we have to take on trust those who maintain their innocence – are indeed innocent. With many hundreds contacting us each year, it is impossible to know with 100% certainty that people who approach us for help are not lying, just as it is equally impossible for victims charities to know that the people they support are not.
• In many respects our position is more rigorous than it is with professionals working in the field. Social workers are required to provide a service without making a distinction between the deserving and undeserving, and irrespective of the contribution their client makes to society. Lawyers are also obligated to represent their clients irrespective of whether they (the clients) are telling the truth or not.
• Professionally and ideologically there is no reason why FACT should feel uncomfortable about its position. The principle of innocent until proven guilty, is embedded in British justice and the decisions of Courts cannot claim a monopoly on the truth – otherwise there would be no need for an Appeal Court, or a Criminal Cases Review Commission.
• Sadly, there have been well-known miscarriages of justice, including Andrew Malkinson and Brian Buckle, who have spent time in prison for crimes they did not commit. It is those innocent people for whom FACT exists.
• There is little or nothing to be gained by genuine abusers becoming members and for this and various other reasons, it is likely to be extremely few, if any. The genuineness of the innocent comes through in the harrowing stories they relate and, so often, there is a common thread which indicated serious issues in the criminal justice system.
• Most people we support have not been accused of sex offences or physical assaults but rather of abuse in the general sense i.e. alleged emotional abuse, alleged poor practice, failure to act etc. More than half of those who contact us who have been accused have not, either in the past or at the time of referral, been the subject of a police investigation. As far as the criminal law is concerned, they are innocent of any alleged abuse. We use the term ‘falsely accused’ in the broadest sense to include mistaken, exaggerated, induced, or fabricated complaints.

• FACT strongly believes in the indivisibility of justice – for those who are abused as children (and their families) and for those who are falsely accused of abuse.
• FACT believes that safeguarding children and the vulnerable, and taking seriously the possibility that false allegations of abuse have been made, are not mutually exclusive concepts. Both are important and both impact on each other.
• FACT strongly believes that  innocent people have an inalienable right to maintain their innocence.
   This should be respected even if that belief is questioned by others.
• Our job is not to act as judge and jury but to help the large numbers of people, who each year are falsely accused and, despite being factually innocent, many are found guilty in our Courts.

We know that false allegations

• ruin lives, reputations and the emotional and psychological health and well-being of the accused
• blight families and ruin children’s lives
• demoralize staff and limit recruitment
• waste valuable police time
• undermine the integrity of police and the investigative process
• bring the justice system into disrepute and waste millions of pounds each year
• undermine the development of essential trust between adults and children
• fail to protect children or vulnerable adults
• make it much more likely that the guilty remain free

How common are wrongful allegations of child sexual abuse?

The suffering of the wrongfully accused

Why wrongful (false) allegations happen

Why it is too easy for innocent people to be wrongly accused of sexual abuse by Dr Ros Burnett

Support for the falsely accused