Faster family domestic violence legal advice through Anglicare and Albany Community Legal Centre partnership

Two Albany organisations have partnered up to provide improved wraparound services to support more families impacted by family and domestic violence. Albany Community Legal Centre and Anglicare’s Albany-based service have teamed up to reduce the amount of time it can take to access legal advice. Wait times to seek legal advice on FDV-related cases have been reduced from several weeks to within 24 hours in some cases. ACLC principal lawyer Tameka Brown said the partnership meant face-to-face legal services could be provided with a faster turnaround, which led to improved safety and a resolution to other issues as they arise. “Having these trusted relationships with a local community lawyer helps victims prevent legal problems getting worse, and helps navigate any related legal issues,” she said. “Ongoing investment from Governments at all levels is needed to address the needs of victims, through legal, crisis accommodation and FDV advocacy. “This need is particularly critical for services in the regions given the spike in demand.” WA Police Statistics show that FDV offences have risen by 34.8 per cent across the State in the past year. About 40 per cent of the clients of community legal centres are at risk of or experiencing FDV. A key finding of the FDV Crisis Summit in Perth last week was the need for increased funding for specialist advocacy, legal assistance and counselling services during the crisis response when it is needed. Albany Anglicare WA manager Jo Fictoor said the partnership had already seen 54 women referred for legal support through the Great Southern Family Safety Project over a six-month period. On average over all of Albany Anglicare WA’s FDV services, including the refuge, over 100 women are referred every six months for legal assistance. She said the project allowed lawyers to be co-located at Anglicare’s Albany office, its Katanning office and at the Albany Women’s Centre. “GSFSP prioritised clients based on urgency around safety concerns and supported them to apply for Family Violence Restraining Orders,” she said. “The support significantly relieved the pressure on frontline FDV staff, who are often trying to manage multiple presentations of crisis. “Where possible, frontline staff will often begin the paperwork with a client, then submit a draft for GSFSP to go over and adjust with the client.” CLCWA chief executive Chelsea McKinney said centres provided legal advice about FDV to thousands of people in WA each year. “We know that in a given year, people who have experienced FDV have on average 20 legal problems, compared to only two legal problems for the rest of the population,” she said. “We support calls from the FDV sector for greater resources to address prevention, early intervention, crisis response and recovery. “More is needed at every level, including legal help for people experiencing FDV. We need investment that meets the scale of the crisis.”