Wednesday 2 December 2009

Results from outcomes interviews:

London Law Centres Youth Homelessness Projects:


- 90% said their housing situation had ‘improved a lot’ as a result of the advice


- 90% said their knowledge of where to get help had improved a lot as a result of their advice


- 50% said their income and money management had improved a lot as a result of the advice


Young People’s quotes from outcomes interviews:

I liked the service because …..

‘ the woman made me feel comfortable’

‘she was really helpful – she really understood what I was talking about’

‘ quick response’

Saturday 28 November 2009

THLC mentioned in press release - Michael Spencer wins Wig & Pen Prize

Winners of the 2009 Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Awards
Date Published: 13-11-2009

WINNERS OF THE JUNIOR LAWYERS DIVISION 2009 PRO BONO AWARDS

The outstanding achievements of young lawyers throughout England and Wales were celebrated at the Junior Lawyers Division [JLD] Pro Bono Awards last night.

Lord Phillips of Sudbury presented the awards at a ceremony at the Law Society in London. The annual awards celebrate the outstanding pro bono work undertaken by LPC students, trainee and newly admitted solicitors and qualified solicitors with up to 5 years experience. They recognise individual pro bono activities.

This year the event took the form of a panel debate with the JLD asking the question: should pro bono be compulsory for all lawyers?
Panellists included Lord Phillips of Sudbury and David Howarth, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, took part in the topical debate and Heidi Sandy, Chair of the JLD. Jason Hadden, of Kaplan Law School, chaired the debate.

The debate highlighted the excellent work done by pro bono lawyers across the country and the real difference pro bono legal advice makes to the lives of ordinary people. Heidi Sandi argued that lawyers who do pro bono work do not view it as a fast-track route to good PR, but hold a genuine belief that using professional skills to support individuals and communities is the best way to put something back into the community.

The debate was followed by the presentation of the JLD Pro Bono Awards 2009.

WINNERS:

- JLD pro bono lawyer of the year - Bobby Kensah

Bobby is a trainee solicitor at Norton Rose and has been the driving force and initiator behind many volunteer community and pro bono projects over a number of years. He has contributed countless hours to a variety of pro bono initiatives this year including advising and supporting vulnerable individuals in police custody as an Appropriate Adult Legal Adviser, as well as volunteer adviser, coordinator and organiser of the Norton Rose Tooting Legal Advice Centre. He is currently setting up a website to provide information on pro bono initiatives that trainee solicitors can get involved in, as well as pro bono networking events.

- Highly Commended - Birchlyn Conte

During her time as a student on the Legal Practice Course Birchlyn participated in a number of voluntary legal advice and assistance schemes. These included the College of Law’s Legal Advice Centre and employment advice team, the National Centre for Domestic Violence and the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau. Not only has she undertaken an impressive number of pro bono cases over the year, many of which are normally managed only by qualified lawyers, but she has delivered work of outstanding quality and shown enthusiasm and dedication to clients.

- International Human Rights Award in memory of Nick Webber (a special award) - Ben Spencer

Whilst studying the Legal Practice Course Ben was a volunteer with the College of Law Legal Advice Centre Triage Team. The Director of Pro Bono Services said, “Ben is a quiet hero, just the sort of dedicated lawyer the profession needs”. He also assisted at the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau (RCJAB). On one occasion he agreed to a special assignment for the Miscarriages Of Justice Support Service. Unbeknown to him, it required additional commitment and some long hours. According to RCJAB’s Chief Executive, “Ben was a great help in very difficult circumstances”. As an intern at the Law Society, Ben was instrumental in implementing a new project involving more than three hundred law students, practitioners and activists – the International Action Team. Ben supervised research into human rights violations around the world and the drafting of intervention letters requesting compliance with international law. He worked on fifty-one international intervention cases during the course of the year.

- Wig & Pen Prize - Michael Spencer

Michael Spencer is an associate in the dispute resolution practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He qualified in August 2008. As a trainee, Michael spent three months on secondment at Liberty, where he assisted on several human rights cases (including the McKinnon extradition case and the Sarika Singh discrimination case) and gave free legal advice to the public on human rights issues. As part of a team at Freshfields, Michael also assisted in drafting a US Supreme court amicus brief, which was mentioned favourably by the Justices in an historic ruling on the unconstitutionality of the death penalty for non-murder offences (Kennedy v Louisiana). Michael also took part in two Freshfields schemes for giving free legal advice, at the Tower Hamlets Law Centre (on housing issues) and the RCJ Citizens Advice Bureau (on civil procedure).

Kevin Poulter, Chair of the JLD Pro Bono Awards Committee, said; "Junior lawyers are consistently involved in undertaking Pro Bono work at home and abroad. The commitment and enthusiasm of junior lawyers in securing access to equality and justice and setting an example for future lawyers and the profession is to be commended"

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. Entries were judged by;

Vera Baird QC, MP for Redcar and Solicitor GeneralDominic Grieve QC, MP for Beaconsfield and Shadow Secretary of State for JusticeDavid Howarth, MP for Cambridge and Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for JusticeLinda Lee, Vice President of the Law Society and Lord Phillips of Sudbury
2. Digital photographs of winners receiving their Pro Bono Awards will be available from Yvonne Treacy (0207 320 5794) after the event.
3. Nick Webber was a newly qualified solicitor in the Litigation Department at Ashurst when he tragically lost his life in a car accident in Malawi five years ago. He was working for a human rights organization at the time and had been a passionate advocate for human rights. He had also been heavily involved with the Ashurst Community Involvement Programme. Ashursts decided to honour Nick’s memory and demonstrate their commitment to pro bono by sponsoring the large firm award. This award symbolises everything that Nick believed in but most especially, that one person can make a difference; one person can make their mark on the world and make someone else’s life better in the process, whatever the cost to them personally.
4. The Wig & Pen Prize is awarded by the City of London Law Society and the City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society to a solicitor up to five years qualified in their constituencies who undertakes pro bono work.
5. National Pro Bono Week is a nationwide campaign to celebrate the extensive range and impact of free services (pro bono) provided by lawyers, often in collaboration with other professionals.
6. Further information on the winners can be obtained from the Law Society Press Office on 0207 320 5902

legal aid lawyers paid less than sewage workers

As new report finds legal aid lawyers paid less than sewage workers, Law Society says NO to more fee cuts

Date Published: 19-11-2009
As new report finds legal aid lawyers paid less than sewage workers, Law Society says NO to more fee cuts.

Solicitors who provide legal aid services are among the worst paid in the public sector according to a recent survey.

The average salary of a legal aid solicitor is £25,000, less than a prison officer or sewage plant worker. It is also well below police officer, nurse and secondary school teacher according to figures compiled by the Guardian newspaper.

In light of the recent Ministry of Justice Consultation that plans to slash fees for legal aid, the Law Society says ‘enough is enough’.

The Law Society has expressed grave concern over the ‘Legal Aid Funding Reforms’ consultation paper, slamming its absence of economic rationale or analysis behind the proposals. The Law Society believes this is yet another onslaught on a fragile legal aid system, already subject to countless cuts, and another nail in the coffin of access to justice.

Law Society Chief Executive Desmond Hudson says:

"There is no scope left for cutting fees. These figures show that solicitors undertaking legal aid earn well below the average for professional salaries, and considering solicitors can amass significant student debts and work very long hours, the pay is very far from fat cat territory."

Solicitors undertaking legal aid work show commitment to providing access to justice for those that need it most, and many more offer up a great deal of their time working for free with pro bono work for those who are ineligible for legal aid."

Thread-bare

The Law Society believes any cuts to this thread-bare system will see firms no longer able to undertake this work, civil provision in mixed practices being hit, and the most vulnerable clients unable to obtain the assistance they need.

Notably, the salary of senior civil servants is nearing £70,000- almost three times higher than a legal aid solicitor while the median public sector pay is almost £3,000 higher at £27,686.

Read the Law Society's response to the Ministry of Justice Consultation here.

Ends
Notes to editors
Journalists can contact the Law Society of England & Wales Press Office on +44 (0) 20 7320 5764.
www.lawsociety.org.uk/mediacentre

The Guardian's statistical breakdown can be found here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tD4F8x73jNXTW3Q-uhrRm9g

A full public sector pay scale report from the ONS can be viewed here:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1944

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Barking CLAC Tender is out today!

Community Legal Advice Centre

Barking and Dagenham Community Legal Advice Centre
As part of their strategy for the Community Legal Service, the Legal Services Commission is setting up Community Legal Advice Services in partnership with local authorities. The chief aim is that the Community Legal Advice Centre will deliver an integrated legal advice service.

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham believes that the need for integrated advice services on Social Welfare Law has never been greater than now, with many people locally needing help with multiple problems.

The Community Legal Advice Centre will provide integrated, accessible, end-to-end legal advice services including a generalist and specialist legal advice and representation service for clients across Barking and Dagenham.

The Community Legal Advice Centre will improve access to legal advice services for local residents by offering clients a range of advice services in the social welfare categories and family at all levels; from basic information and advice through to representation at court.

Tendering for a new Community Legal Advice Centre in Barking and Dagenham
The Council and the Legal Service Commission invite tenders for the provision of a Community Legal Advice Centre (or CLA Centre) in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

The tender process opens on 27 October 2009 and closes at 12 Noon on Friday 8 January 2010. Potential bidders will have the opportunity to submit questions relating to the tender process until 12 Noon on 20 November 2009.

All questions should be emailed to clspolicy@legalservices.gov.uk. All questions received, along with our subsequent answers, will be published on this page on the 27 November 2009.

Further to this, a public meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 November 2009 from 14.00 to 15.30 at Barking Learning Centre, 2 Town Square, Barking, Essex, IG11 7NB to provide potential bidders or interested parties with an additional opportunity to raise questions on the tender and evaluation process.

The following documents constitute the Tender Pack that an organisation who wishes to tender for the contract would need in order to put together a bid.

Invitation to Tender (ITT)
This document contains all the relevant information necessary to put together a bid, including, the specification of services, background information, detailed performance standards and instructions on how to complete the Tender Form and how that would be scored.

Tender Form
This form contains all of the criteria that a potential bidder would need to meet in order to submit a tender for evaluation.

Barking and Dagenham CLA Centre Needs Analysis
This needs analysis was completed in 2008 and was used to inform the development of the specification of services for the Barking and Dagenham CLA Centre.

We intend to make a copy of the draft CLA Centre Contract available to potential bidders week beginning the 16 November 2009.

Invitation to Tender (ITT) PDF 366K
Barking and Dagenham CLA Centre Tender Form PDF 185K
To view PDF files requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software

Monday 26 October 2009

Fair Access to Legal Services - Children and Young People

Dear all,
Today sees the launch of both the JustRights campaign for fair access to legal services for children and young people and a new report on young people’s access to advice. Further details are contained in the press release below. I look forward to seeing many of you at the launch event this afternoon.
Best wishes,
James Kerrick

PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release, Monday 26 October 2009


Children and young people denied their rights as over one million fail to get legal advice every year

Over one million children and young people annually are not getting the legal advice they need, warns a campaign launched today by four leading advice charities.

As a result, children and young people are being denied their rights to liberty, security, shelter and education, warns the JustRights campaign, which brings together Children’s Rights Alliance for England, Howard League for Penal Reform, Law Centres Federation and Youth Access.

The campaign estimates that the cost to the taxpayer of failing to get legal advice to children and young people is at least £1 billion annually, as under-25 year-olds end up homeless, destitute, wrongly imprisoned, or worse.

JustRights is campaigning for fair access to legal services for children and young people. It is calling on the government to:
Recognise the unique legal advice crisis facing children and young people in the UK.
Develop a cross-departmental strategy to ensure ready access to high quality independent legal advice and representation for all children and young people whenever they need it.
Invest in age-appropriate legal advice services.

To mark the launch of the campaign, Youth Access is issuing a report, which sets out comprehensive evidence of the scandalous failure to meet the advice needs of young people on social welfare issues. The report, Young People’s Access to Advice – The Evidence, finds that:
Contrary to popular belief, most young people neither know their rights nor understand ‘the system’.
Each year, at least one million young people with complex social welfare problems such as debt, homelessness, education and employment get no advice at all.
Hundreds of thousands of young people try, but fail to obtain advice because there is no service able to help them.
Only one in seven of those young people who manage to get advice do so from a recognised legal advice professional.

Katy Swaine, Legal Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, said:
“This is a prime example of age discrimination in the UK. We know that it is children and young people in the most vulnerable situations, including those in custody and those living in the care system, for whom it is often hardest to access independent expert advice.”

Julie Bishop, Director of the Law Centres Federation, said:
“Every day, Law Centres see young people whose lives are hanging in the balance. Often, they are facing homelessness, or are being denied an education. The legal advice we give them has a huge impact, helping them to get their lives back on track. All young people should get that chance.”

Barbara Rayment, Director of Youth Access, said:
“Children and young people are in a uniquely dangerous situation – they are the least likely age group to get good legal advice, and yet they often need it the most. Today, children and young people in the UK are living on the streets and experiencing serious financial problems because there is no one to defend their rights.”

ENDS

For more information and to interview young people facing these problems, please contact:
Clare Rudebeck, Communications Officer, Law Centres Federation
Mobile: 07775 931 265
Email: clare@lawcentres.org.uk

Notes to editors:

About the key statistics:
The estimate of over one million children and young people annually not getting the legal advice they need is based on analysis of data from the 2006-08 Civil and Social Justice Survey (CSJS), has been checked by the Legal Services Research Centre and only relates to 16-24 year-olds’ civil justice problems, so under-estimates the true scale of the legal advice crisis facing children and young people. The estimate that this costs the taxpayer £1 billion is based on Ministry of Justice data on the cost of civil justice problems. Contact james@youthaccess.org.uk for further details.

About JustRights
JustRights, the campaign for fair access to legal services for children and young people, will be launched at an event on 26 October being hosted in central London by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Speakers will include Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty. Guests will include young people whose lives have been transformed by the receipt of good legal advice. Find out more at www.justrights.org.uk

About the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE)
CRAE is a coalition of over 270 voluntary and statutory organisations committed to the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. CRAE protects the human rights of children by lobbying those holding power, by bringing or supporting test cases, by using national, regional and international human rights mechanisms, by supporting children’s self advocacy and by giving advice to children. Find out more at: www.crae.org.uk

About The Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League for Penal Reform provides a unique legal service for children and young people in custody. We recognise children and young adults are a distinct group who are less likely to seek advice and often unaware that the law can work for them. Our casework evidences the need to have specialist advisors who have a holistic approach to the legal needs of children and young people. For further information go to: www.howardleague.org

About Law Centres Federation
The Law Centres Federation is the membership organisation for a national network of Law Centres which provide free civil legal advice and representation to the most disadvantaged members of British society. Law Centres have pioneered young people’s civil legal advice services, supporting approximately 7,000 young people over the last three years in London alone. For further information, go to: www.lawcentres.org.uk

About Youth Access
Youth Access is the national membership association for a network of over 200 youth information, advice, counselling and support services across the UK dealing with over one million enquiries a year on issues as diverse as sexual health, mental health, relationships, homelessness, benefits and debt. For further information, go to: www.youthaccess.org.uk. Youth Access has published a number of reports recently on young people’s advice needs, all of which are available to download for free from http://www.youthaccess.org.uk/publications

Young People - Presentation at AdviceUK Conference 2009

Click here <-----Link to Just right presentation from AdviceUk conference on our coalition - October 2009

Click here <-----Link to "The Advice Gap for Young People"

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Grants public consultation

London Councils has started the process of developing priorities for the prospective 2011-15 grants programme.

The early stages involve consultation on scoping options for potential services. The consultation period runs from early November 2009 through to the end of January 2010.

London Councils has arranged a series of public meetings to engage with as wide a range of stakeholders as possible on these priorities.
Read more or book online
Contact: Ian Redding, head of grants

Safeguarding London's children

Places are available to exchange ideas and information at the Safeguarding London's Children Conference, with representatives from local and central government, social care, education, health, police and the third sector attending.

The conference, held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on Wednesday 9 December, is organised by the London Safeguarding Children Board.

It will provide a forum for professionals, members and volunteers from all agencies to discuss how to improve multi-agency child protection practice.
Find out more about the conference
Register for the conference
Contact: Ian Dean, principal policy and projects officer

Andy Ludlow awards 2009

Broadway Housing and Support has been awarded the top prize of £20,000 at the 2009 Andy Ludlow Homelessness awards.

The organisation's successful migrant intervention project has helped transform the lives of hundreds of vulnerable eastern European migrants, in close partnership with Polish charity the Barka Foundation.

The Andy Ludlow awards, supported by the London boroughs, CLG, London Housing Foundation, Shelter, Inside Housing and London Councils' grants committee, have a total prize money of £43,000.

This year's awards were presented by housing minister John Healey MP.
Find out about this year's winner
Watch short films online about the shortlisted projects
Contact: Ian Brown, promotions officer

London Councils Summit

London summit
Places are going fast at London Councils' summit, 'Towards May 2010: The Future of Local Politics', at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on Saturday 7 November. Space is limited so book online as soon as possible to attend.
Find out more and book online
Contact: Emma Stewart, promotions manager

Time to Change

Time to Change is a nationwide campaign aimed at removing the stigma associated with mental health disability.

As part of that campaign, Mind is leading a project called Time to Challenge, and is seeking to use the legal process to challenge stigma and discrimination.

Mind wants to help people with mental health problems to challenge employers and service providers if they feel that they have experienced discrimination.

We are also happy to help resolve difficulties relating to the retention of personal data concerning their mental health condition by hospitals or the police.

We will always seek to assist individuals to identify whether they have a potential claim and to offer advice and assistance.

We cannot always become directly involved or agree to represent individuals in bringing a case, however, we can do so if a case would meet our "casework criteria", which means:

1. It must raise a point of public importance not yet addressed with any clarity in the law.
2. It should be capable of being used to challenge existing legislation or case law.
3. It should be within legal time limits for bringing that type of claim.

We have assisted people in a number who are having difficulty establishing that their disability falls within the DDA, and we have also worked on cases trying to identify reasonable adjustments which an employer or education provider should make for someone with a mental health disability.

We are also keen to identify and challenge direct discrimination and behaviour that may amount to harassment - where an individual feels that he or she is working in a hostile or unfriendly working environment and feel targeted because of a mental health disability.

We are also particularly interested in assisting with cases where employers should have known that a person was experiencing mental health issues, but no assistance was offered.

All enquiries should be made in the first instance to Pauline Dall.
Pauline Dall
Lawyer
Mind Legal Unit
p.dall@mind.org.uk
020 8215 2284

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Dates for next years diary

Public Holidays in England and Wales in 2010

New Year's Day
January 1

Good Friday
April 2

Easter Monday
April 5

Early May Bank Holiday
May 3

Spring Bank Holiday
May 31

Summer Bank Holiday
August 30

Christmas Day Holiday
December 27

Boxing Day Holiday
December 28

Spotlight on Day Centres

Just a reminder that the Spotlight on Day Centres event next week.

This event will be held at Homeless Link’s Rushworth Street offices on the 28th October between 9.45am – 1pm.

A free lunch will be provided after the event. Please see attached flyer for details of speakers.

Please contact Jane Bancroft (020 7960 3016) by 23rd October to book a free place. A £25 non attendance will be charged to people who book a place but do NOT show up on the day.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

Best wishes,


Jane Bancroft
London Development Officer

Homeless Link
10-13 Rushworth Street
London
SE1 0RB

Tel: 020 7960 3016 www.homeless.org.uk

Changing services: changing lives
Are you ready to change your service? This one-day conference will explore all of the changes that can be made within your service to more effectively support someone who is homeless.
14 January Birmingham
www.homeless.org.uk/events

Homeless Link is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales at the above address.
Charity Registration no: 1089173
Company Registration no: 4313826

Friday 16 October 2009

New facts on unemployment and debt in London


In the wake of the financial and economic crisis, London's free debt advice services have seen the demand for their help soar to unprecedented levels since 2008 as more and more people face unemployment and difficulties in accessing credit or dealing with their existing debt and creditors.

Based on the London Debt Summit last summer and the report 'Up to our neck in it', the London Debt Strategy Group was established by Toynbee Hall and London's Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes to consider strategic and practical solutions to the problems facing Londoners in debt.

The data which the Debt Strategy Group can draw on are the product of a unique collaboration by London's biggest providers of free debt advice, including Capitalise, Community Links, the Citizens Advice Bureaux, and the Legal Services Commission.

This provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive analysis available. Key facts to note:


* Legal Services Commission has seen a 20% increase in new debt cases that they have funded in London over the last year
* The advice sector as a whole has seen an increase of 22% in new debt advice cases in London from April 08 to April 09
* Interestingly Capitalise is now seeing significantly fewer financially excluded clients (as measured against the Government definition) than 12 months ago.

This continues the trend of a changing caseload for Capitalise made up of increasing numbers of low waged homeowners accessing services and a consequential reduction in the number of non-working social tenants accessing services - the crowding out phenomenon highlighted at the Debt Summit in June.

One of the key questions now is to try and find out what has happened to this traditional client base. Capitalise would be pleased to hear from anyone with additional data or experience to share: 020 7392 2953 or email: capitalise@toynbeehall.org.uk.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

MoJ Update - Review into Delivery of Legal Aid

Review into Delivery of Legal Aid

The MoJ has announced today a review into the delivery of legal aid.

The review is to ensure that the £2.1 billion currently spent on legal aid every year is delivering best value for money, providing a healthy and sustainable future for social welfare law and effectively integrating the criminal defence service with the criminal justice system.

The government has invited Sir Ian Magee to conduct the review. He has been asked to assess the delivery and governance arrangements of the legal aid system and make recommendations to:

1. explore the separation of the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) and Community Legal Service (CLS) and options for doing so effectively and efficiently should that be the recommended way forward

2. provide for effective and transparent financial management of both funds and their administration

3. provide for effective ministerial accountability and policy direction in respect of both the CDS and CLS, whilst continuing to ensure that every application to the CLS and CDS funds are decided fairly, within the criteria, at arm's length from government

4. Identify appropriate delivery models for both the CDS and CLS and their relationship with the ministry.

Sir Ian Magee has said that he will be consulting with the judiciary, the legal profession and relevant public bodies who play a part in the delivery of legal aid.

Individuals and organisations interested in providing input into the Magee Review can do so via email to mageereview@justice.gsi.gov.uk

Sir Ian Magee will report back to the government in January 2010. For further information, please visit the MoJ's website or click here.

Monday 12 October 2009

AdviceUk Conference 2009 Feedback

Unleashing the power of adviceOn Thursday 1 October 2009, over 150 delegates from across the advice sector gathered at the Studio in Birmingham for Unleashing the Power of Advice, AdviceUK’s second annual conference.

AdviceUK was delighted by the turnout –every region of the UK, every advice area and every size of member was represented. You can see it all as it happened on the Photos page.

Having feasted on bacon butties, muffins and coffee the delegates were welcomed by Steve Johnson, AdviceUK’s Chief Executive, who in turn introduced the speakers for the morning – Mike Bell of MBARC and Mick McAteer of the Financial Inclusion Centre – who both gave talks on the challenges facing the sector and ideas for making the most of the current circumstances and not rolling over.

We were delighted to be joined by two very different but equally interesting politicians.

Henry Bellingham, Shadow Spokesman for Justice for the Conservative Party spoke excellently about some of the funding issues faced by the sector and some of the ideas for meeting them.

Clare Short, Independent Labour MP, in whose constituency the conference was held, gave a passionate and inspiring talk about the valuable work done by the advice sector and met all questions head on.The day also included a number of practical and exciting workshops.

The Working Together For Advice teams gave valuable updates on the quality standard, collaborative working and equality and diversity in the advice sector.

Youth Access and AgeUK led sessions on the specific advice needs of younger and older people, while Sue Brown of Tower Hamlets Law Centre and Stephanie Dickinson of Island Advice Centre led people in discussions on mergers and consortia.

Many advice centres have internal challenges and Wesley Harcourt led a session on management committees. Turn2Us talked about helping clients with money by using online tools. David Hawkes, AdviceUK’s money advice co-ordinator ran a packed session on issues in money advice.

The conference also continued AdviceUK’s campaign on systems thinking with a full session on what the crucial work being done in this area, and a fascinating exhibition supported by Nottingham Council. Nottingham has entered a strong project to introduce systems thinking to advice services and many delegates, among them Henry Bellingham, took a strong interest the techniques being trialled. More news coming soon!

AdviceUK once again held its Annual General Meeting at the end of the conference, which was well attended.However, this was a special day for AdviceUK too. In September we celebrated our 30th anniversary of supporting the vital work being carried out by you. No birthday is complete without a cake and Clare Short made the inaugural cut for us.

Finally, no event such as this is possible without the support of various exhibitors and sponsors. Once again we ran a competition, this year to win an iPod. This was sponsored by Paymex, to whom we are very grateful. The lucky winner was Katie Roberts of the University of Derby Students’ Union. Congratulations Katie.Our principal sponsor was CCLA so many thanks to them for their generous support.We would also like to thank Allied International Credit who sponsored the attendance of 5 smaller members who would otherwise not have been able to attend.

However, we are, of course, grateful to all our exhibitors and sponsors and we encourage you to find out more about them by visiting their web sites. You can find out more on the Sponsors and exhibitors page.

The AdviceUK conference will return next year. If you have any ideas, please do not hesitate to contact us – and if you attended this year’s event, please do remember to fill in the online evaluation form. We'll be sending you details very shortly.
Jonathan Moles
Business Development Manager

See links for documents, presentations and other infomation:

http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/about-us/annualconference/conferencepresentations

http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/about-us/annualconference/conferencephotos

http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/about-us/annualconference

Wednesday 7 October 2009

LCF Leaflets

September 2009 Education Legal Advice Service

Law Centres are working together to deliver a free specialist legal advice service on education matters across London.

Read the leaflet here: London_Education_Advice_Leaflet.pdf

September 2009 Employment Tribunal Representation

London Law Centres are working in partnership to provide Employment

Tribunal (ET) representation and representation at the Employment

Appeals Tribunals (EAT) for those people that cannot afford to pay for legal advice and representation.

Read the leaflet here: Employment_Tribunal_Project_Leaflet.pdf

Thursday 24 September 2009

EMPLOYMENT – DISCRIMINATION

EMPLOYMENT – DISCRIMINATION
A charity’s decision not to appoint a person to a post due to their ethnic origin amounted to discrimination, regardless of the motive for the decision.

Miss Ahmed had been employed as a campaigner on Sudan and applied for the role of permanent Sudan researcher. She was of Sudanese origin and would have been identified as coming from the north of the country. The employer had previously operated a complete prohibition on staff working on their “own” countries. This had been abolished but conflicts of interest remained a concern and the employer was in the process of formulating a policy on the issue at the time of the dispute.

The employee was rejected for the researcher post due to the risk of potential conflicts of interest, risks to health and safety and security issues. The concerns were linked to her ethnic origin and the risk that others would perceive her to be associated with particular ethnic groups linked with the Sudanese government.

The EAT (Employment Appeal Tribunal) held that in discrimination cases, the key question is what were the grounds for the treatment complained of by the individual. If the reasons for the treatment are based on a protected characteristic, such as race or gender, the treatment will amount to direct discrimination, regardless of the employer’s motive or intention. The EAT did have some sympathy for organisations working abroad in situations of conflict and the difficulties they face. However, EAT were clear that in this case the decision to refuse to appoint the employee to the role was based on race and therefore unlawful, despite the particular difficulties of work in Sudan and Eastern Chad.

The employer also argued that their actions were covered by the exemption under section 41 of the Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA). Section 41 provides that the RRA will not render illegal any act done in order to comply with another statute. The employer argued that they were acting to comply with their statutory health and safety duties. However, the EAT concluded that section 41(1A) does not allow employers to rely on the statutory exemption where the discrimination is prohibited under EU law.

This case is a clear reminder to employers that decisions must be considered carefully for any discriminatory implications, as direct discrimination cannot be justified. Any benign motive or intention will not amount to a defence in a discrimination case.

Amnesty International v Ahmed UKEAT/0447/08/ZT
For further information, please contact:DEBORAH NATHAN on 0208 394 6437, Deborah.Nathan@russell-cooke.co.uk

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Amali Project in Tower Hamlets

Amali Project in Tower Hamlets works with:

* Families who have experienced domestic violence where the perpetrator is no longer in the family and
* Families who have experienced domestic violence where separation may not have occurred and reconciliation is being considered.
Objectives
* Educating children and young people for relationships by exploring non-violent relationships.
* Increase access for women and children to other community services .
* Work with women and children to develop their confidence, build self-esteem and improve mental well-being.
* To work with families to improve their lives by making informed changes to ensure their safety.
* Reduce violence and abuse within families by enabling and facilitating safe choices.

Services
* Risk assessments and safety planning
* Individual support and counselling
* Group work for children and their carers
* Play therapy for children
* Parenting programmes

All referrals must be made on a DV1 Form obtainable from the project.

Self referrals will be accepted as well as those from agency representatives.

Families must reside in the Borough of Tower Hamlets

Amali Project
DASL
Ground Floor North
100 Christian Street
Whitechapel
London E1 1RS
Tel:020 7702 1990
Fax:020 7702 2227
http://www.dasl.org.uk/

Drug & Alcohol Service for London DASL - Children and Young People's Domestic Violence and Substance Misuse Service

DASL provides a range of alcohol services in Tower Hamlets, including:


* Community and residential alcohol detoxification
* Alcohol counselling
* Domestic Violence service
* Bengali Outreach Project
* Group Programme
* Counselling
* Rehabilitation


We also offer a drop-in service on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 3pm and 5pm at our Christian Street site.



You do not need an appointment to attend, and a DASL worker will give you information and advice about how we can help you to change your drinking.



If you live or work in Tower Hamlets, you can contact us at the address below for more information or to make an appointment.



Address:

Ground Floor

100 Christian Street

Whitechapel

London E1 1RS

Tel: 020 7702 0002

Fax: 020 7702 2277

Email: dutydeskcs@dasl.org.uk
Website: http://www.dasl.org.uk/

Party conferences

London Councils is hosting roundtable discussions at each of the three main party conferences this month, bringing together key politicians and decision-makers to consider what the next government will need to do to tackle some of the major challenges facing the capital.

Read more about the autumn conferences

Read more about London Councils' lobbying work

Contact: Oliver Hatch, public affairs manager

New grants website

London Councils has launched a new website featuring real-life case studies from a range of organisations funded by London Councils' £28 million voluntary sector grants scheme. London Councils also maintains a directory of the work being funded, with contact details, events listings and the latest news from our funded groups.

Visit the grants website

Visit the online directory of funded groups

Contact: Clare Kiely, policy and grants manager

Tuesday 22 September 2009

East London Housing manager drops legal challenge

11:19am Monday 21st September 2009

THE company which manages council housing has given up its attempt to force leaseholders to hand over thousands of pounds for building repairs.
Ascham Homes has failed in its fourth bid to overturn a ruling which denied the company permission to avoid consulting people who had bought houses under the Right To Buy scheme.

Many residents who share blocks with council tenants faced financial ruin after receiving massive bills with little warning for repair work they say was unnecessary.

They took their case to the Leasehold Variation Tribunal, which ruled in their favour, but Ascham Homes used tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money in a bid to overturn the decision.

The company has now confirmed it will not seek a judicial review against the latest ruling by the president of the Lands Tribunal, but a £5million council contingency fund will now have to be used to continue Decent Homes programme improvements.

Charted accountant Michael McGough who was billed £32,000 for unwanted work on his property in West Avenue Road, Walthamstow, has led the leaseholders' battle.

He said: “This has come as a great relief to all the leaseholders who have been worried about whether they have to pay or not.”

The leaseholders can only now legally be charged up to £250 for the work.
Mr McGough added: “Taxpayers have lost out because of mismanagement.”

It is not yet clear whether leaseholders who have already paid the bills will be refunded.

Ascham Homes is yet to comment on the decision.
Story from:
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/4640050.Housing_manager_drops_legal_challenge/?ref=mr

Monday 21 September 2009

Make sure children aren’t shut out from the Equality Bill

Make sure children aren’t shut out from the Equality Bill: Email your MP and complete the Young Equals survey

Young Equals is a group of charities and children and young people who are campaigning to stop age discrimination.

Tell your MP that under-18s should not be excluded from age discrimination protection in the Equality Bill. Your email will help raise awareness of age discrimination against children and young people and could make a real difference as these issues are debated in Parliament. Email your MP here.

Take part in the Young Equals survey: Have you been treated unfairly because of your age?Young Equals is gathering evidence of harmful age discrimination against under-18s and wants to hear about your experiences. If you are 18+ and would like to contribute you can answer in relation to your experiences as a child, or in relation to other people's experiences as a child (e.g. your own children). We will use this information to help change the law and get legal protection from age discrimination for children. All answers will remain confidential. Take part here.

For more information on Young Equals go to: http://www.crae.org.uk/protecting/age-discrimination.html

A Guide to Equality and Diversity in the Third Sector

Olmec was established in 2003 as a community investment foundation by Presentation, a social investment agency that provides affordable housing and community regeneration. They work with community organisations and individuals in disadvantaged neighbourhoods to design and deliver innovative projects that act as catalysts for change.
Olmec's comprehensive guide takes a practical look at how organisations can plan and monitor equality and diversity programmes at work.

The guide illustrates best practice by example and includes:
* how to conduct an equality audit
* formulating an action plan
* monitoring success
* information on the six equality strands
* useful contacts and resources

You can download your free copy of the guide here: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102707930164&s=4381&e=001Ji7tC-lVrLiSWqzryV0DEEtnmUGJmaWuDkpMybxvEexTgVHztIn6Uee-rlN2PYF9Ikybbzz4X-uX6B9ojNa7pUo-B_8yshkYb20Dg0wsF9ZIdGfVkSeAEA_Th1_Fl9hfel-v7rvylGYtZgHahdOgt3sb4iYaGWSP_o92woGsESgUxmnzM2EcxwmseK_3TbOIXQxyHw3DwtBloiZVB-Bn2WlTFwaNfxx3khCKJ8rUW_E= (166 pages)

The CLS Support bulletin Staying In The Black

The CLS Support bulletin Staying In The Black, published June 2009, (email bulletin no.30 http://www.asauk.org.uk/go/members/MiscPage_62.html) outlined the final buffer position under the Unified Contract, and how the LSC is likely to manage your account from April 2010.

Friday 18 September 2009

Young people need better qualified advice workers

NEWS RELEASE
17th September 2009 – for immediate release

Youth Access report argues the time is right to professionalise the youth advice workforce

Every year, over 2 million young people experience serious social welfare problems, such as debt and homelessness. Only a minority manage to obtain advice and fewer still get advice that actually helps them resolve their most complex problems – with disastrous consequences for individuals and wider society.

Yet, many youth workers, Personal Advisers and other youth professionals receive inadequate training to equip them to provide competent information, advice and guidance (IAG) on social welfare issues.

A new report published today by Youth Access – the youth advice and counselling network – argues that, if young people are to get the advice they deserve, the workforce needs to be professionalised. Many existing qualifications are either not relevant to working with young people or are focussed on careers IAG.

Given the impact of rising youth unemployment, there is an urgent need to develop a new youth advice qualification that will equip workers to provide good quality social welfare advice and expand access to high quality training.

The report makes clear that action must be directed not only at dedicated youth advice workers, but at the wider youth workforce, which will need to get better at spotting social welfare problems, providing initial information or advice and making appropriate referrals to more specialist workers.

Barbara Rayment, Director of Youth Access, says:

“Youth Access has been at the forefront of developing standards for the youth advice sector. Many of the tools necessary for developing the workforce further are now in place – including new national occupational standards for youth advice workers.

“The existing youth advice workforce possesses an enormous amount of expertise and often achieves life-changing results for its clients. However, its expertise goes largely unrecognised.

“Government support is now required to develop a youth advice qualification, which will help retain the workforce and provide greater career choices and progression routes.”

Research has shown that the majority of youth advice workers enter advice work “almost by chance”, many after gaining qualifications in youth work. However, whilst they report exceptionally high job satisfaction levels, few youth advice workers have access to coherent local training or a clear career route.

Olive Millar, Manager of Two-E, a youth advice centre managed by Enfield Council says:

“I qualified and initially worked as a youth worker. Later, I pretty much ‘fell into’ advice, without any proper training.

“Fortunately, I managed to obtain training on the job in key areas of advice, such as housing and benefits, which has given me the competence to advise young people.

“Most of my staff are the same – they arrive as qualified youth workers, but need to then access more specialist training so they can give our clients the advice they so desperately need.

“It’s a great job being a youth advice worker, but it’s a shame our skills aren’t formally recognised.”


Download the report: The Youth Advice Workforce: Now And In The Future


Notes for Editors

1. Youth Access is the national membership association for a network of over 200 youth information, advice, counselling and support services across the UK dealing with over one million enquiries a year on issues as diverse as sexual health, mental health, relationships, homelessness, benefits and debt. For further information, go to: www.youthaccess.org.uk.

2. For more information, hard copies of the report, case studies and access to interviewees, please contact:

James Kenrick, Advice Services Development Manager, Youth Access
020 8772 9900 ext. 25 / 07535 344881; james@youthaccess.org.uk

3. Other relevant reports published by Youth Access include:

· The Advice Needs of Young People – The Evidence (2009)
· The Impact of the Recession on Young People – and on their needs for advice and counselling services (2009)
· Rights Within Reach: Developing Effective Legal Advice Outreach Services for Young People (2009)
· Locked Out: Young people’s housing and homelessness needs and the impact of good advice (2007)
· Young People’s Social Welfare Needs and the Impact of Good Advice (2007)
· Rights to Access: meeting young people’s needs for advice (2002)

All of Youth Access’ reports are available to download for free from http://www.youthaccess.org.uk/publications

Monday 14 September 2009

Leaflet on Youth Homelessness Services

http://www.lawcentres.org.uk/uploads/Youth_Homelessness.pdf

New CW1: partner must sign the declaration too

The LSC is preparing to issue amended forms, which will come in to force in November this year. One key change is to the Controlled Work 1 form.

It is, that there is now a box where the client's partner should sign a declaration, along with the client.

e are worried that there could be lots of problems with this new form that haven't been addressed yet

Love is: signing your first legal help form together

The issue was brought to our attention by ilegal team member, Gaylec. Find out more, including the other forms that will be amended, by clicking here

Useful things on ilegal

1. Employment: NMS and insolvent employers here
2. Housing: NMS recurrent s.21 notices? Answer here
3. Invitation to tender for West Sussex CLA service now out and available here
4. ASA response to the SRA consultation on Regulating Alternative Business Structures here
5. Discussion on splitting Housing matters here
6. LSC contracts and the NfP sector - are you stuck between a rock and a hard place? Discussion here

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Legal aid reforms - 20 August 2009

The Ministry of Justice today set out proposals to rebalance the legal aid budget to ensure that the £2 billion currently spent every year goes as far as possible in favour of civil help for those who need it most.

The proposals will help to sustain the legal aid budget over the next spending review period, ensure that we focus criminal legal aid spending effectively and protect the civil fund as far as possible from any rise in criminal spend in the short to medium term.

The proposals intend to make better use of the criminal legal aid budget, reform and rationalise payment structures and sustain legal aid for the next 60 years have today been outlined in a consultation paper issued to stakeholders across the legal sector.

The funding reforms outlined in the consultation paper include:
Rationalising the rate of pay for barristers in Crown Court cases. On average, barristers acting for the prosecution receive 23% less pay than if they were acting for the defence, which could be creating an incentive for barristers to favour defence work over prosecution work.

Stabilising the cost of legal aid representation at police stations. Costs have been driven up by an oversubscription of duty schemes in some areas of the country, mostly in areas with too many firms competing for business.

In order to contain these costs and discourage inefficiency, we are proposing a reduction in police station fees in the most expensive and oversubscribed areas.

Ending the current duplication of fees which remunerates litigators for preparation for committal hearing but which also remunerates the same litigators for consideration of the Committals Bundle in preparation for trial in the Crown Court. The change will see all working on Committals combined into one fixed fee which will be paid out of the Litigator Graduate Fee Scheme.

Ending the anomaly by which practitioners in criminal cases receive a fee for file reviews which does not apply in civil cases. This would see an end to payments for criminal file reviews.

In addition, the Legal Services Commission will be asked to consider changes to payments made to experts in both criminal and civil cases. Currently, the legal aid budget pays different amounts for the same work by different experts and across categories of law. The change would see payments standardised to ensure better value for money.

The Legal Services Commission has also been asked to find an additional 5% saving from its administrative budget this year, and 10% next year.

Legal Aid Minister, Willy Bach said:

‘The UK has one of the best funded legal aid systems in the world and it is a vital service for many people, particularly during the current economic downturn. More and more homeowners, employees and those facing financial hardship are vulnerable to civil law problems at this time. We need to do all we can to ensure that legal aid is prioritised effectively so that more people are able to access it to and resolve their legal problems.
‘Legal aid practitioners provide a fantastic service and should be paid accordingly; and that means rebalancing some fee structures so that there is greater fairness across the board. Today’s consultation paper sets out proposals to make better use of the legal aid budget and ensure access for as many people as possible.’

The consultation on the proposed legal aid funding reforms will run from 20 August 2009 to 12 November 2009.

Notes to editors

For media enquiries please contact Ministry of Justice press office on 020 3334 3536.

The proposed legal aid funding reforms are outlined in a formal consultation, Legal aid: funding reforms.

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Tower Hamlets LSC Procurement PLan

http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/docs/civil_contracting/TowerHamlets14Aug09FINAL.pdf

Legal: How Tesco law will revolutionise

The Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007, which has attracted the label 'Tesco law' to reflect the dramatic manner in which ownership and investment will be liberalised by 2012.

The Act allows for the formation of alternative business structures to provide legal services, rather than the current partnership model, where ownership is shared among senior lawyers. It means Tesco could start selling wills and personal injury lawsuits alongside the fruit and veg.

Despite the fact Tesco has yet to make its intentions clear, the label has stuck. Supermarkets, banks and insurers are expected to begin selling legal services - bringing consumer marketing insight to the process.

The Act will also, for the first time, enable external investors to own shares in law firms. The UK legal services market is worth a staggering £20bn and offers mouthwatering margins.
Already, private equity players have begun scouting opportunities in the legal sector. Stock market flotations cannot be too far off, either. The implications for financial and investor relations specialists are obvious.

The biggest challenge is for the high street and regional firms that will start to face competition from supermarkets and banks.

'The challenge we are seeing is new entrants,' says Julie Gingell, director of marketing and business development at regional law firm SA Law.

The Legal Services Act (LSA) also enables non-lawyers to become partners.

Tuesday 18 August 2009

LCF statement on the closure of Cambridge and Huntingdon Law Centres

Advice for Life, a charity which ran Cambridge Law Centre and Huntingdon Law Centre, has gone into liquidation. As a result, both Law Centres have closed.

The Law Centres Federation (LCF), which represents the 56 Law Centres in England and Wales, is very concerned about the impact that the loss of these Law Centres will have on local people, particularly at a time of economic recession.

For this reason, LCF and a neighbouring Law Centre have offered their assistance to the liquidator to ensure that vulnerable local people continue to get the legal help they need.

LSC announces final plans for civil contract bids

Solicitors, not-for-profit (NFP) agencies and other legal aid providers will be allowed to form consortia to bid for civil contracts, according to the Legal Services Commission’s (LSC’s) plans for civil legal aid announced in June. However, standalone contracts in housing will not be allowed and this will hit some specialist firms and NFP agencies. Housing firms will have the option of providing family work as well or joining with other providers that undertake debt and welfare benefits work (see 'Civil concerns').

The LSC has split the country into 134 procurement areas covering family and social welfare law, and designated as Integrated Services A and Integrated Services B areas. ‘A’ areas tend to be relatively well-served urban areas in which the LSC will expect contracting organisations to have integrated services. In a move that will cause problems for some firms, those undertaking family work in ‘A’ areas will have to provide both public law children and other family law services to qualify for a contract. There will be variable levels of case starts set to allow for those areas where there is not a great demand for services or in those categories of law in which there are low volumes of cases. Details of the procurement areas, along with a question and answer forum to deal with potential bidders’ enquiries, have been published on the LSC’s website.


Successful bidders will be expected to take up at least 85 per cent of the matter starts allocated to them; the LSC hopes that this will discourage organisations from overbidding. LAG understands that the LSC will announce the criteria which will be used to select between bidders if there are more of them than contracts for work in any of the procurement areas.


At a press conference to announce the plans, Carolyn Regan, the LSC’s chief executive, said: ‘We want to maintain standards and quality without pushing everyone down the merger route.’ However, Nicola Mackintosh, a partner at Mackintosh Duncan, said: ‘The concerns of the LSC about clients experiencing referral fatigue are much better addressed through supporting suppliers to develop more effective referral systems and addressing the serious dearth of suppliers to whom potential clients can be referred, rather than devising an extremely complex and costly system of commissioning through consortia bids.’


It is unclear whether or not the LSC will seek to pilot best value tendering (BVT) for civil legal aid work. Derek Hill, director of policy at the LSC, said: ‘It is something we would like to do, but we have no definite plans.’ He confirmed that the decision rests with the Ministry of Justice. The LSC has left itself the option of announcing two or three pilot areas next month. Suppliers in these areas would get only a short-term contract before the process of allocating Legal Help work became open to BVT.


Civil bid rounds for 2010 contracts: a consultation response and the other documents referred to in this news piece are available at: https://consult.legalservices.gov.uk/inovem/consult.ti/2010Contracts/listdocuments.

Thursday 16 July 2009

NEWS RELEASE

15th July 2009 – for immediate release

Unemployed young adults left to cope with problems alone
Youth advice and counselling services facing overwhelming demand whilst resources are cut

As youth unemployment soars towards the 1 million mark, services providing advice and counselling for young people are likely to become overwhelmed.

New research published today by Youth Access indicates that, even before the downturn, over 2 million 16-24 year olds, many of them NEETs, experienced serious rights-related social welfare problems every year – yet fewer than half managed to obtain advice.

The recession is now pushing many more young people into unemployment and its inevitable consequences – debt, mental ill-health, problems with benefits and homelessness. Without support from professional advice and counselling services to resolve such problems, many young people will experience long-term social exclusion.

Youth Access’ research follows news that DCSF Ministers have decided they wish to further consider the long-awaited strategy for young people’s Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) services and its implementation over the summer.

Barbara Rayment, Director of Youth Access, says:


“Just as the recession is threatening to produce another lost generation of young people, an alarming gap is opening up in provision for young adults with serious social welfare problems. The Government has already recognised the impact of the recession on the adult population by increasing access to debt and social welfare advice. However, the evidence shows investment in adult services has little impact on young people.

“There is a real need for a national strategy on information and advice that takes account of young people’s social welfare needs into early adulthood, if we are to alleviate some of the difficulties this group experiences in accessing services. We hope Ministers will take account of these issues as they further consider the DCSF’s IAG strategy and look to join up policy across relevant departments.”

Youth Access believes that it is imperative for commissioners of Integrated Youth Support Services and advice services to link up with each other at local level to ensure adequate provision of advice and counselling services targeted at young people.

The Reports

Youth Access is publishing two new reports, which are intended to support policy makers, commissioners and providers in planning youth advice and counselling services according to robust evidence of need. The two reports are:

The Advice Needs of Young People – The Evidence

The Impact of the Recession on Young People – and on their needs for advice and counselling services

The reports show that:

· NEETs account for a disproportionate number of all young adults with social welfare problems and for approaching half of those seeking advice.

· Although they are considerably less likely to access services, getting advice appears to have a greater beneficial impact on young people than it does on older adults.

· Increasing the availability of services targeted at young people (including young adults, importantly) will be vital if the worst effects of the recession – including the spectre of another ‘lost generation’ – are to be avoided.

· Although the Government has recognised that young people are the age group hit worst by the recession, its attempts to boost pressurised advice and counselling services have so far been aimed at generic adult services, which are rarely accessed by disadvantaged young people. Far from receiving additional funding, many youth advice and counselling services are actually facing cuts.


Download the reports


Notes for Editors

1. Youth Access is the national membership association for a network of over 200 youth information, advice, counselling and support services across the UK dealing with over one million enquiries a year on issues as diverse as sexual health, mental health, relationships, homelessness, benefits and debt. For further information, go to: www.youthaccess.org.uk

2. For more information, hard copies of the reports, case studies and access to interviewees, please call:

James Kenrick, Advice Services Development Manager, Youth Access
020 8772 9900 ext. 25 / 07535 344881; james@youthaccess.org.uk
or
Steve Lee, Policy Officer, Youth Access
020 8772 9900 ext. 28 / 07966 739308; steve@youthaccess.org.uk

3. Other relevant reports published by Youth Access include:

· Rights Within Reach: Developing Effective Legal Advice Outreach Services for Young People (2009)
· Commissioning Counselling Services for Young People: a Guide for Commissioners (2007)
· Counselling Workforce Key Findings Briefing (2008)
· Getting Your Advice Service Ready for Commissioning (2008)
· Locked Out: Young people’s housing and homelessness needs and the impact of good advice (2007)
· Young People’s Social Welfare Needs and the Impact of Good Advice (2007)
· Rights to Access: meeting young people’s needs for advice (2002)
· Breaking down the Barriers (2002) - a series of papers on meeting young people’s mental health and counselling needs

The law has changed

From 12 October 2009, new measures are being introduced to help prevent unsuitable people undertaking paid or volunteer work with children or vulnerable adults.

It’s called the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been set up to help implement the Scheme and make decisions over who should be barred from working with vulnerable people. Those decisions are legally binding too. Failing to comply could result in both the employer and the employee or volunteer being prosecuted, or even going to prison.

From July 2010 all new employees, those moving jobs and volunteers who want to work with children or vulnerable adults can register with the ISA. From November 2010, they must be ISA-registered. From then on it will be illegal to employ new people who are not ISA-registered.

see this link:

http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/toolkit/

Rights Within Reach - Young People

June 2009 Rights Within Reach: Developing Effective Legal Advice Outreach Services for Young People


This joint report from the Law Centres Federation and Youth Access puts forward a blueprint for legal advice services for young people. It finds that new technology is not the way to reach teenagers and young adults hit by the recession. Instead, young people prefer to get advice about their problems from a face to face service targeted specifically at them.



Summary: Rights_Within_Reach_Summary.pdf



Full Report: Rights_Within_Reach_Full_Report.pdf



Maria from our Housing Group was involved in the research that led to this report.