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Current Working Groups

Working Group on Access to Justice for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities

Convenor: Jane Pritchard (LawAccess)

Terms of Reference:

The overall aim of the working group is to improve legal services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities by focusing on engagement between the legal and migrant services sectors.

It is hoped that this will be achieved through:

  • identifying at least one local metropolitan area, and facilitating a process of cross- agency interaction, through information sharing and identification of partnership opportunities
  • encouraging best practice in reaching CALD communities

Working Group established July 2008

Working Group on the Legal Needs of Older People

Convenor: Monique Hitter (Legal Aid NSW)

Terms of Reference

  1. To develop a response to the recommendations made in the report of the Inquiry into Older People and the Law (September 2007)
  2. To share information on new and existing services
  3. To support the Older Persons Legal and Education Program in appropriate ways

Working Group established April 2008

Working Group on Access to Civil Law for Aboriginal People

Convenor: Scott Hawkins (Legal Aid NSW)

Terms of Reference

The purpose of the Working Group is to increase the availability of and access to civil law services for Aboriginal people in NSW. To do this, the Working Group will:

  1. Develop and implement strategies to address the unmet needs of Aboriginal people in NSW in relation to access to civil law services.
  2. Evaluate the use and effectiveness of the Guide to Legal Services for Aboriginal People in NSW and the ACT.
  3. Implement strategies to improve access to pro bono services for Aboriginal people in NSW.

Working Group established January 2006

Working Group on Conflict of Interest

Convenor: Annmarie Lumsden (Legal Aid NSW)

Terms of Reference

The Working Party was established to enquire into and explore issues in relation to conflict of interest for Public Legal Assistance Services which impact on the delivery of legal services to people across NSW.

The Working Party has adopted a client focused, robust and practical policy approach to managing conflict of interest. The objective is to ensure that legal services are available to the maximum number of clients without compromising services to individual clients.

Working Group established January 2006

Legal Information and Referral Forum (Reporting Function)

Convenor: Sue Scott (Law and Justice Foundation of NSW)

Terms of Reference

Aim
To improve the quality of information and referral for people with legal problems in New South Wales by:

  • drawing together and disseminating existing knowledge and experience
  • identifying common concerns and potential areas of cooperation

Scope
The Legal Information and Referral Forum brings together key service providers who provide legal assistance services to clients with legal problems. The Forum focuses on investigating current developments and practice as well as identifying common concerns and ways of addressing these. The Forum does not aim to achieve consensus on all aspects of referral or to control referral practice. Participants in the Forum recognise that different agencies carry out referral in different ways depending upon their role, clients, method of service delivery and resources.

Issues
The Forum covers a range of issues identified by participants in relation to effective legal referral. Specific issues which may be addressed include:

  • referral competencies
  • referral practice and training
  • research into client pathways
  • improving knowledge of relevant services including databases
  • working together more effectively
  • pro bono referral
  • legal information.

Legal Services Training Reference Group (Reporting Function)

Convenor: Polly Porteous (Combined Community Legal Centres Group of NSW)

Terms of Reference

The Training Reference Group aims to improve the effectiveness of planning and coordination of training for lawyers and for non- lawyers in the not- for- profit legal services sector of NSW.

The Group provides a forum for exchange of information amongst workers who are responsible for, or interested in, providing or facilitating training in the sector. The key issues identified are:

  • availablity of training programs of the organisations or agnecies involved
  • strategies for maximising take- up of courses, cross sector training, and reduction of costs and
  • coordination to avoid the potential for duplication of courses

The Group also aims to identify gaps in training for lawyers and non-lawyers.

 
 
 
 http://www.nlaf.org.au/groups/current.html