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Download Annual Report 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc Gosnells Community Legal Centre ANNUAL REPORT For the financial year ended 30 June 2013 Presented at the Annual General Meeting 16 October 2013 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc Gosnells Community Legal Centre Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc CONTENTS: Funding Bodies 4 Committee of Management 5 Chairperson’s Report 6 Strategic Plan 2013 – 2016 Vision, Mission and Values 9 Centre Objectives 2013 – 2016 10 Manager’s Report 11 Services and Funding 11 Networks and Community Involvement 12 Outreach Services 13 Community Legal Education, Law Reform and Legal Policy Activities 13 Staffing 15 Legal Needs Assessment Project 2013 18 Annual Statistics 19 Client Feedback 24 Access and Equity 27 Centre Services 28 GCLC Team 2012/2013 53 Co-Ordinators’ Reports (Network Programs) 54 DVLWN Report 54 CLC/FRC Partnership Report 56 Audited Financial Statements 59 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc FUNDING BODIES Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc. acknowledges the funding provided by the BODIES FUNDING following funding bodies throughout the reporting period July 2012 – June 2013. • Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department • Department of the Attorney General for Western Australia • Department for Child Protection and Family Support • Department of Commerce • Legal Aid WA • Law Society of WA Public Purposes Trust • Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs • Lotterywest 4 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT CHAIRPERSON OFCOMMITTEE LUKE EDMONDS DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON CHARMAINE HOLYOAK-ROBERTS SECRETARY MARION LEACH (Centre Manager) COMMITTEE MEMBERS HELEN STAMP TERRI-ANNE FAMLONGA MARGARET FITZPATRICK MANELKA FERNANDO (Staff Representative) 5 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc REPORT Gosnells Community Legal Centre CHAIRPERSON’S CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT For the first time in a number of years Gosnells Community Legal Centre is in a position to look at planning for the future rather than focussing on the challenges of maintaining all existing programs and meeting an increasing need for service delivery. Over the last year, we have been able to overcome a number of major resource concerns and our funding for the immediate future is secure. Achieving stability for the Centre and gaining recognition of the high levels of demand within our community are significant achievements; but does not diminish the need for additional legal services that are required to meet the emerging unmet needs and predicted population growth in both Armadale and Gosnells. Recently The Australian Council of Social Services compiled results from a Community Sector Survey of over 500 agencies showing that housing availability and affordability is the greatest unmet need for clients of welfare services. Nearly 70% of housing and homeless services reported that they struggled to meet demand. Other services under stress and struggling to meet demand among their client groups were legal services (63%), youth services (52%) and emergency relief providers (47%). Over the past 12 months, our experience at GCLC reflects these concerns. Housing continues to be the highest priority for our clients and at various times throughout the year, we have needed to limit the intake of new casework as we have been operating at above capacity levels. In this year’s report, I comment on the key strategic issues of the 2012/2013 financial year and Marion, (Centre Manager) will report further on our various program and service activities. Strategic Plan: On Saturday 13 April 2013, staff and management committee members met at Ramon’s Willow Pond in Canningvale to develop the Centre’s plans for the next 3 years. Maxina Martellotta from Kalico Consulting was engaged as facilitator and organised a preliminary online SWOT survey tool to check our perception in meeting the Centre’s current vision, values, objectives and to examine the strengths, internal challenges, external opportunities and external threats facing GCLC. The Centre’s 2013 – 2016 Strategic Plan is detailed as a separate section in this Annual Report, immediately following my Report. This Plan is reported against as part of our Community Legal Service Program (CLSP) Plan to the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department. Legal Needs Assessment: During the year the Centre participated in the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) Legal Needs Assessment project. This exercise used a range of tools to predict and analyse legal need in the context of disadvantage within our community. It provided an opportunity to formulate evidence-based data and arguments for planning and 6 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc service delivery decisions. Both Census and CLSIS (our Centre’s statistical data-base) data was examined. All staff participated in this project and the key outcome findings for are included as a separate section, following the Manager’s Report. The Legal Needs Assessment assisted all staff to better understand the Centre’s funding and contractual arrangements; making the collection of statistics, reporting requirements and strategic planning decisions more meaningful. REPORT National Accreditation: Another major project this year has been the completion of on-line CHAIRPERSON’S assessment requirements for the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) Accreditation Scheme. This work involved examining all the Centre’s governance and service delivery policies and procedures, onsite visit review by the State Accreditation Officer and incorporated the annual cross check and Risk Management Guide processes. GCLC has completed all requirements for accreditation and is awaiting final confirmation. This is a sector led process for the accreditation of all member CLCs as a commitment to ensuring that clients have equitable access to quality legal services across Australia. National Partnership Agreement (NPA) Review: In November 2012, Allen Consulting Group (on behalf of the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department) approached Community Legal Centres requesting voluntary completion of surveys, data templates and employee questionnaires. This review is analysing the quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of all Commonwealth-funded legal assistance programs. GCLC assisted in these review activities and we await the outcome of this Review and the further discussions flowing from the findings. Community Law Australia Campaign: GCLC supported and contributed to the Community Law Australia Campaign. The campaign is a coalition of NACLC and all State and Territory CLC Associations striving to achieve major improvements in access to legal help for all Australians. GCLC was highlighted in a media article focussing on the increase in client numbers and the need for additional outreach legal services in Armadale. Comparing reporting periods: Last year: 2011-2012 - At the conclusion of my report last year, I anticipated that this year’s issues would include – the need for additional office space, challenges of maintaining funding for all programs with the commencement of the Federal Equal Remuneration Order salary adjustments from 1 December 2013, future of the Centre’s FDR service, development of a new Strategic Plan, national accreditation and the NPA review Current year: 2012-2013 – I have commented above on the Strategic Plan, National Accreditation and NPA Review. I am also very pleased to be able to report that the Centre has received additional non-recurrent funding that will assist the Centre over the next 4 years. This funding will enable us to increase solicitors’ salaries and engage an additional contract Solicitor without reducing service delivery programs. We have successfully secured Public Purposes Trust funding through the Law Society WA for a further 3 years to continue the Domestic Violence Service for CaLD and Aboriginal Women. Legal Aid WA is evaluating the Family Law Partnership Memorandum of Understanding that funds our Family Law Service. The outcome of this review is scheduled for September 2013, and the future direction of our Family Law Service will be determined by Legal Aid WA’s decision following this review. 7 Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc Year ahead: 2013-2014 – We have an opportunity to gain an additional interview office and with the generous grants from Lotterywest, the House and our Centre will be refurbished to provide a fresh environment for clients and staff. Our focus for the next twelve months will be to progress the key issues outlined in the Strategic REPORT Plan – in particular, expanding Armadale service delivery, researching funding for Criminal Injuries CHAIRPERSON’S Compensation and reviewing Duty Intake and administration service needs. We will continue monitoring and adjusting our service delivery to meet community needs and to further develop the provision of early intervention and preventative strategies where possible. My personal thanks: As Chairperson of GCLC, I sincerely thank the many individuals, organisations and Government Departments that help us to achieve many excellent outcomes for our clients and the wider community. The Centre is only able to achieve results with the assistance of these dedicated individuals and organisations that recognise the need for us to work together in helping people to access the services they need. My thanks to the Management Committee for supporting me in my
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