News
New community education resource
Sharing ideas to help more people access justice
Legal needs survey findings by region – from Northland to Otago
Changes to Legal Aid
LSA releases first national survey of legal needs
Media contact
Monday 30 June 2008
New community education resource
The Legal Services Agency has produced The Law and Mental Health, an education resource for community groups that provide mental health information and support, and for people experiencing mental illness, their support people, whanau, families and friends.
The Minister of Justice, the Hon Annette King, launched the kit on at the Wellington Community Law Centre.
‘It is important that everyone in New Zealand has fair and equitable access to justice,’ said Hon Annette King. ‘We need to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society, including those with mental health issues, get information on all the legal services that are available.
‘The Legal Services Agency is providing a vital service with this resource and the means to give real support to those people who use mental health services. The Law and Mental Health kit fills a gap and addresses issues that are of real concern to a significant number of New Zealanders.’
The kit contains material for education seminars, including resources for seminar participants. The focus is on the Mental Health Act and six other areas of law that can have an impact on a person experiencing mental illness.
It is designed to be used in a number of situations and settings. For example, mental health advocates can use the kit to assist people needing information on their rights under a compulsory treatment order or community law centre staff can use it to present half-day workshops to community workers on the Mental Health Act and legal issues.
The kit has been produced as part of the Agency’s education and development work, and the Agency worked collaboratively with a wide range of individuals and organisations that use and deliver mental health services in developing the resource.
Special acknowledgement goes to: Wellington Community Law Centre, Kites Trust and a Steering Group including representatives from Wellink Youth Governance Group, Mental Health Foundation, Atareira (Wellington branch of Schizophrenia Fellowship), Te Ratonga Ture Maori Law Centre, Platform Inc., and Inner City Project.
‘This is a good example of different agencies working together to make sure that the needs of the community are met in the most appropriate ways possible,’ said the Legal Services Agency’s Chief Executive Tim Bannatyne.
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14 June 2007
Sharing ideas to help more people access justice
A new information-sharing tool to help people minimise barriers to legal services has been developed by a Legal Services Agency Advisory Committee.
The Agency’s Public Advisory Committee (PAC) recognised there were many, varied examples of creative service delivery that addresses the needs of specific groups, but it is can be difficult to find out about them.
A case-bank is being established that will provide a useful way for community legal service providers to share information, and it is expected that it will be especially useful for the newer providers.
PAC hopes that having started the information gathering, community providers will build the case-bank into a more comprehensive resource.
Some examples of strategies and delivery to help marginalised groups overcome barriers include:
Maori
Strategies: involve whanau in accessing services, provide outreach services in marae and other community specific locations, build meaningful strategic and working relationships with relevant Maori organisations.
Delivery: A Maori-focused worker is employed who prioritises working with Maori clients within a kaupapa Maori practice framework. The worker is employed and supported by the community law centre but is overseen by and accountable to a steering group made up of Kaumatua from the local community.
Mental Health and Disabilities
Strategies: provide evening clinics to help combat morning effects of some medications, allow extra time for face-to-face service delivery, provide “disability friendly” services and environment, never assume there is a mental health issue.
Delivery: A dedicated staff member attended the local consumer mental health network meeting once a month and delivered a talk on an area of law that had been decided by the group at the previous meeting. This would be followed by an hour of individual appointments. The legal literacy of this group and their access to the legal system was greatly enhanced over the 3-year period this programme was in place.
You can view the full Sharing ideas for overcoming barriers document here. (pdf65kb)
Email us for further information
4 April 2007
Legal needs survey findings by region – from Northland to Otago
Regional information from the 2006 National Survey of Unmet Legal Needs and Access to Services, has been published by the Legal Services Agency.
The Agency’s Manager of Strategic Development, Frances Blyth says, “The Agency will be using the information to help improve people’s access to justice by being more focussed to regional needs. The findings are also likely to be of use and of interest to community organisations that help people resolve problems.”
“The breakdowns divide New Zealand into 17 regions to show where people seek help with their legal problems, where they have problems getting services, and what happens if services are not available. The regional findings are compared with the national averages.”
The regional breakdowns and a copy of the survey are available here
1 March 2007
Changes to Legal Aid
Amendments to the Legal Services Act 2000 took effect on 1 March 2007.
For legal aid, this means:
- more people are financially eligible for legal aid
- the application forms have changed
- more people will be expected to repay some or all of their legal aid.
The Legal Services Agency has presented an information session for community providers at 12 venues nationwide. Over 500 people attended these sessions. If you wish to have a copy of the session plan and resources, please contact info@lsa.govt.nz.
The session is based on the legal aid guide on this site. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are below.
Do people have to pay for legal aid now?
There has always been a requirement for people to repay some or all of their legal aid. Now there are clearer rules around how much a person can earn and own before they are granted and have to repay legal aid.
The initial $50 contribution previously asked of applicants for civil / family legal aid has been scrapped.
If a person defaults on a legal aid debt, would they be granted legal aid in future?
Defaulting on legal aid debt is like defaulting on any other debt – it becomes part of your financial history. Having bad debts with the Agency will not prevent aid from being granted.
For further information contact:
Bronwyn Bannister
Senior Communications Adviser
Legal Services Agency
04 4955 967 or 027 688 7312
