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Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 3,000+ 1,006+ Young People Young People Provided Supported with Legal with Information, Advice and Representation

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Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 3,000+ 1,006+ Young People Young People Provided Supported with Legal with Information, Advice and Representation ANNUAL REPORT 2017/2018 Making a difference to young lives REPORT FROM THE CHAIR 4 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR 5 OUR LEGAL SERVICES 6 LEGAL EDUCATION AND RESOURCES 12 POLICY AND ADVOCACY 13 VOLUNTEER PROGRAM 14 FUNDRAISING 14 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 16 FINANCIAL REPORT 19 Cover photo and caption courtesy of the Victoria Law Foundation https://www.everydaylaw.org.au/blog/youthlaw-making-a-difference-to-young-lives 2 Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 3,000+ 1,006+ young people young people provided supported with legal with information, advice and representation 1,500+ 600 legal questions RMIT students answered assisted 162 15 young people pods of lawyers provided assisted by our family by 5 law firms to our newly violence team established Legal Pod program We joined the Central Continued to lead Highlands Health Justice Smart Justice for partnership in the Ballarat Young People region and our youth Coalition lawyer started at Ballarat Community Health from March 2018 37 74 people new members volunteered joined Youthlaw with us 13 9 outreach partnerships with partnerships and corporate law firms locations $11,293 $5,643 fundraised at fundraised at the Ashurst Run Melbourne annual trivia night Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 3 It has been another busy year for Youthlaw. We now have more programs across Victoria than ever before and continue to identify and respond to unmet needs of vulnerable young people through our integrated services. We now assist and continue to assist: • young people at university and those working with them – our RMIT Program which combines • young people transitioning out of state care direct legal assistance, legal training of support – with the support of the Legal Services Board, service staff and policy, continues to grow with the we this year launched the Legal Pod Program development of a service model for referrals and in partnering with private law firms to provide a ‘pod’ advocacy in relation to housing and fines issues; of lawyers to answer day to day legal questions; • in advocating for their interests – earlier this year, • young people affected or involved in family Youthlaw launched its policy platform ahead of violence – Youthlaw’s multi-disciplinary family this year’s state election which calls for a justice violence program which now provides both legal reinvestment approach, a focus on keeping young and non-legal assistance will soon reach its second people in the community and ensuring respectful anniversary and has had much success in the last interactions with police. year, with increased demand and opportunity for further growth; None of this work would have been possible without the tireless efforts of Ariel, our Director, Anna and • young people in regional Victoria – through Tiffany our Principal Lawyer and Policy and Advocacy our Outreach Program, Youthlaw continues to Officer, our staff, and the generosity of our funders, provide advice, Court advocacy and training at donors and volunteers. 12 community sites across Victoria in Bendigo, Warrnambool, Frankston, Glenroy, Dandenong/ As I will be stepping down as Chair, I would like to Narre Warren, Wodonga, Shepparton, Seymour, especially thank Ariel, Anna and Tiffany for their Hastings and Rosebud as well as at YSAS Youth leadership and passion and say, how far Youthlaw has Detox Residential Unit in Melbourne; come in the last decade with our expanded service offering, our army of volunteers and ever willing, • young people in Ballarat – in December last year enthusiastic and capable staff. Congratulations, well we partnered with Ballarat Community Health, done and may we continue the valuable work. Federation University and Central Highlands Community Legal Centre to employ a lawyer to be co-located with the health centre; • young people in metropolitan Melbourne – Youthlaw continues to provide legal assistance through its information service, its drop-in clinic and Friday fines clinic; Nicole Jee Chairperson 4 Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 Youthlaw continued to develop & provide innovative and highly responsive legal services for vulnerable young people in Victoria. • We welcomed a grant of $300,000 from the • This year our RMIT legal service adapted along Victorian Legal Services Board to establish & pilot with major innovation in student service delivery a new service for young people leaving out of at RMIT. For the legal service this resulted in home care and transitioning to independence. This greater integration with the student services program will provide long-term legal assistance through training the frontline student hub staff, provided by pods of lawyers in private legal firms. smooth & responsive referral to our lawyer as As of 30 June 2018 we have 5 firms offering 15 required & an online service. In addition James pods and clients being allocated to them. our RMIT lawyer contributed to systemic changes including housing standards for external student • Informed by our consultations with youth services, accommodation to reduce exploitative & poor findings of the Victorian Royal Commission into practices impacting on students. Family Violence & with a small grant from the Victorian Department of Justice and Regulation • As always we stayed firmly embedded with our we set up a small family violence program staffed youth service partners at Frontyard Youth services by 1 part-time lawyer in 2016. In 2017-18 this providing a very flexible and responsive service to grew with a further grant from DOJR to include young people facing homeliness & in crisis. a specialist family violence worker. Key to the We continued to tackle systemic issues. In 2017-18 program is a quick response with a focus on this included advocating for a justice reinvestment safety, providing both legal & non-legal support approach to youth crime while engaging in the public & supporting until they are safe and linked with youth crime debate. what they need. This year we developed the multi disciplinary practice, youth specific risk & intake We presented to the state parliament’s Independent assessment tools & strong relationships with a Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) range of youth services. We also contributed to Committee inquiry into the Victorian police research being conducted by the RMIT Centre for complaints system advocating for an independent Innovative Justice on adolescent violence in the police complaints body. In December 2017 the home. Feedback about the program from clients committee handed down its recommendations & stakeholders has been extremely positive & we a that include a significant move toward independent very proud with what we have achieved. investigation. • Our outreach legal service via 6 headspace centres As always the work of Youthlaw would not be possible and 3 regional youth centres continued to grow without the tireless, passionate & skilled contribution in reputation and client numbers. The service of staff, volunteers and our Board. provides legal assistance to young people via these youth centres. In addition we train up staff at the host services, have visiting clinics & undertake local court representation. All this from Warrnambool to Wodonga by one lawyer! Ariel Couchman Director Youthlaw Annual Report 2017-18 5 DROP IN LEGAL CLINIC AT FRONTYARD YOUTH SERVICES Frontyard Youth Services is a & assistance. Our lawyers this year were Anna Radonic, co-location of youth services where Kathryn McGregor, Amala Ramarathinam & secondee homeless and vulnerable young Tammy Kamil. people can obtain assistance. Dealing with legal issues is important. They can cause Services include short & long term stress and ill-health, stop young people moving on in housing, a health service, youth their lives, deepen their engagement with the criminal friendly Centrelink staff, a mental justice system & leave them exposed to abuse. health team, Youthlaw legal clinics , education & training programs & on-going casework support. It’s a In 2018 we moved out of the 19 King St building we one stop shop and all services try to be as flexible and were all in & relocated to 244 Flinders St. This is a available as possible. temporary move until April 2019 while 19 King St is gutted to make way for inclusion of a specialist youth We have drop in legal clinics most afternoons. Common refuge. Youthlaw will not be going back to 19 King St legal issues are fines, debts and criminal charges. We as we can’t fit in but we and Frontyard services remain also have a family violence team of lawyer and youth committed to Youthlaw being integrated into the worker who assist young people experiencing or using Frontyard service. Our staff will be visiting & embedded violence, addressing safety and providing legal options on a daily basis at Frontyard. CLIENT STORIES Sarah Wei Sarah came to Youthlaw for help with driving offences Wei was born and grew up in China, and fines. During childhood her mother suffered from and arrived in Australia in 2012 at the schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder and age of 16. She had been supporting attempted to commit suicide. When Sarah turned 18 she himself without family and at started using ice and marijuana and was experiencing a lot times was struggling financially & of mental health issues. She had attempted suicide twice. emotionally. She came to Youthlaw for help with a driving offence. Youthlaw represented Sarah in court. The court heard that during the offending period she was struggling with family Wei had significant difficulties conflict and her ongoing mental health and substance understanding and speaking English. abuse issues. On this basis, the court dismissed all 40 We arranged an interpreter at her of the toll road fines and fined her $300 for the Traffic hearing and requested letters from camera offences. services that explained her situation & background. Wei received a diversion Since the court case Sarah’s wellbeing has significantly order to attend counselling and other improved. She has been linked with support services and receives treatment for her anxiety and depression. She support services. has been working part time in the same job for two years and “loves it.” Sarah is also studying for a Diploma of Child Services and is expected to complete this by the end of the year.
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