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Partnerships with key community organisations have been crucial for ensuring more people struggling with issues in their life get free legal assistance, according to Hume Riverina Community Legal Service (HRCLS) principal lawyer Sarah Rodgers.
More than 30 people from community service providers attended the HRCLS ‘Report to the Community’ on Thursday, 9 November, to hear the impact HRCLS had in 2016-17. Ms Rodgers said she was proud of the role the service played in helping people access legal assistance.
“Our team’s commitment to link the community with the law has resulted in meeting our strategic aims and beating targets, with an increase in key areas of the service,” Ms Rodgers said.
Ms Rodgers said the strengthening of partnerships was having an impact, and allowed HRCLS lawyers to give more advice to people than in the previous year.
“Our partners such as Wodonga Flexible Learning Centre, NESAY, Gateway Health and Centre Against Violence are having a real impact through the collaborative programs we have established,” Ms Rodgers said. “People trust these services and our referrals are increasing as clients open up about their problems, which include legal issues. With our presence at each of these sites, we can quickly identify how to potentially fix these legal issues.”
Ms Rodgers said the legal service was investigating more projects to further extend its reach into the HRCLS catchment to ensure people needing legal advice on everyday problems. Outreach services are currently delivered from Benalla and Wangaratta to Henty and Holbrook, and west to Deniliquin, Finely and Corowa.
“We are in a unique environment on the Border and we regularly face cross border legal problems,” she said. “People dealing with legal problems often have interrelated Victorian and NSW legal problems and it can be extremely complex to get these issues resolved. These cross border issues problems continue to create confusion and frustration among the community and we will keep advocating for them to be addressed.”
NSW cross border commissioner James McTavish was guest speaker at the ‘Report to the Community’ and told the audience about the role of his office in addressing cross border issues.
Mr McTavish said local knowledge was vital for his work advocating to the NSW Government for resolutions to cross border problems, and he encouraged people to contact his office.
Mr McTavish said the NSW Government had addressed laws that would impact people living on the NSW-Victoria with legislation passed to allow the registration of interstate Intervention Violence Orders. Work is also being done in the child protection area to ensure border living is recognised.
Hume Riverina Community Legal Service 2016-17 highlights
The above statistics are not a full representation of the data for the 2016-17 year. HRCLS will publish more data when more is available.
The HRCLS Annual Report 2016-17 can be found online here.
NSW Cross Border Commissioner James McTavish
with the HRCLS team at the Report to the Community 2016-17
Due to exciting new service developments, an opportunity has arisen for appropriately qualified people to apply for the above part-time position based in Wodonga on a fixed term contact for 30 hrs p.w. Salary Range $78,330 to $82,300 per annum pro-rata.
The Hume Riverina Community Legal Service (HRCLS), auspiced by UMFC, provides free and confidential legal advice and information to individuals who reside or work in North East Victoria and the Riverina of NSW, and is the only Community Legal Centre in the region.
Under the direction of the Principal Lawyer/Manager, the primary role of the Lawyer (Family Law/Family Violence NSW ) is to deliver services through Commonwealth funding received from Legal Aid NSW targeting those affected by family violence, with family law and family violence related legal problems. The Lawyer will establish partnerships with family violence service providers in NSW and attend NSW outreach locations, to provide legal advice, information, referrals and ongoing casework to priority clients (including attendance at the Albury Local Court and Federal Circuit Court as required). The Lawyer will also participate in a range of other HRCLS services including community legal education and law reform policy work
For this role, it is essential that you are eligible to hold an unrestricted practising certificate in Victoria as an employee of a law practice.
Further information about the HRCLS can be found at www.hrcls.org.au.
If you are passionate about UMFC’s mission
‘Strengthening families to build vibrant communities’
And strongly identify with our values of
‘Participation, Respect, Excellence, Justice and Honesty’
Then please apply now…
Your application must include:
- A covering letter with your full name, address and contact details along with the title of the position being applied for
- A copy of your current curriculum vitae including qualifications, professional affiliations and employment history and the names and contact details of at least three recent professional referees
- Response to the relevant questions completed during the on line application process.
Enquiries: Sarah Rodgers on 02 6055 8090 or srodgers@umfc.com.au
ADDITIONALLY, PLEASE NOTE:
If successful you will be required to undergo and pass a National Police Check (completed and paid for by UMFC), which must be cleared prior to commencement in the role.
If a Working with Children Check (WWCC) is required it will be stated in the relevant Position Description.
- If the role is in Victoria: you will need to hold a current Employee Victorian WWCC and supply your card as evidence for status checking by UMFC. You will also need to update your employer details on the relevant card.
- If the role is in NSW: you will need to hold a current Employee NSW WWCC. You will need to supply the WWCC number and your date of birth so that your check can be verified by UMFC.
For further info, Or to apply for a WWCC please visit:
New South Wales: www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au
Victoria: www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au
Applications Close: 06 Sep 2017
Due to exciting new service developments, an opportunity has arisen for appropriately qualified people to apply for the above part-time position based in Wodonga on a fixed term contact – 22.5 hrs p.w. Salary Range $78,330 to $82,300 p.a. pro-rata.
The Hume Riverina Community Legal Service (HRCLS), auspiced by UMFC, provides free and confidential legal advice and information to individuals who reside or work in North East Victoria and the Riverina of NSW, and is the only Community Legal Centre in the region.
Under the direction of the Principal Lawyer/Manager, the NSW Care & Protection Lawyer will provide early intervention assistance to clients with NSW care and protection matters including legal advice, casework and information to clients over the telephone and through face-to-face appointments at the Wodonga office and at outreach locations in NSW. The Lawyer will also establish relationships with key service providers engaging with clients who may be experiencing child protection issues, and build the profile of the program throughout the HRCLS NSW catchment area. From time to time, the Lawyer may also participate in the range of other HRCLS services including litigation support and community legal education.
For this role, it is essential that you are eligible to hold an unrestricted practising certificate in Victoria as an employee of a law practice.
Further information about the HRCLS can be found at www.hrcls.org.au.
If you are passionate about UMFC’s mission
‘Strengthening families to build vibrant communities’
And strongly identify with our values of
‘Participation, Respect, Excellence, Justice and Honesty’
Then please apply now…
Your application must include:
- A covering letter with your full name, address and contact details along with the title of the position being applied for
- A copy of your current curriculum vitae including qualifications, professional affiliations and employment history and the names and contact details of at least three recent professional referees
- Response to the relevant questions completed during the on line application process.
Enquiries to: Sarah Rodgers on 02 6055 8090 or to srodgers@umfc.com.au
ADDITIONALLY, PLEASE NOTE:
If successful you will be required to undergo and pass a National Police Check (completed and paid for by UMFC), which must be cleared prior to commencement in the role.
If a Working with Children Check (WWCC) is required it will be stated in the relevant Position Description.
- If the role is in Victoria: you will need to hold a current Employee Victorian WWCC and supply your card as evidence for status checking by UMFC. You will also need to update your employer details on the relevant card.
- If the role is in NSW: you will need to hold a current Employee NSW WWCC. You will need to supply the WWCC number and your date of birth so that your check can be verified by UMFC.
For further info/or to apply for a WWCC please visit:
New South Wales: www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au
Victoria: www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au
Applications Close: 06 Sep 2017
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