Increase Public Understanding

CHALKY LAW CHAT

Grant: £74,320
November 14, 2018

CLC, have developed a prototype digital solution to address the unmet legal needs of children - a non-linear Chatbot built through Google’s DialogFlow using natural language programming to provide accessible legal information to young people in response to basic legal queries.

The Prototype, focusing on 3 areas of law – Employment, Homelessness, FAQs on At What Age Can I.

Over 12 months the Project will develop the Chatbot to:

• Add additional areas of law
• Further develop/ refine the technology, functionality and natural language capacity through increasing the range of channels e.g. Skype and You Tube
• Have a low key “launch” enabling wider market testing
• Plan full launch in early 2020
• Undertake further business planning and fundraising to enable scaling of the project

The long-term vision is to add a “Live Chat” function supported by volunteer lawyers/legal students to provide advice “out of hours”.

FixMyBlock: An advice and reporting system for tower block residents

Grant: £46,315
November 14, 2018

Tower blocks are subject to a range of safety and maintenance issues, which, if not identified and dealt with properly and at an early stage, can potentially be life-threatening.

Residents must be at the heart of the system for managing and improving the safety of tower blocks – yet they are often unaware of their legal rights, and lack the capacity and resources to exercise these rights and make their voices heard.

To address this, mySociety and Shift Design will collaborate with the Tower Blocks UK project to build a new online service, adapted from mySociety’s FixMyStreet platform, that will:

• Provide information to residents on their rights and the law.
• Enable residents to report issues directly to the property manager (including safety, maintenance and repair issues).
• Provide advice on how to take further action should the issues not be resolved.

Affordable advice and digital justice

Grant: £73,775
November 14, 2018

This partnership project by Law for Life and Resolution proposes an innovative approach to providing affordable legal advice to separating couples. It harnesses the expertise and strong track records of the two organisations, pioneering new ways of working to support separating families.

The pilot presents a unique opportunity for Law for Life to partner with the leading membership organisation for family justice professionals who are committed to offering affordable access to legal advice. Since the introduction of LASPO 2012, legal aid is not provided in most areas of family law, including early advice. Early advice is no longer available for issues such as family breakdown, divorce and child arrangements. Familial disputes - such as those regarding child arrangements - can escalate to court unnecessarily. These often result in more complex and costly legal proceedings, which ultimately have a more negative impact on families, and particularly children.

Increasing awareness about intermediaries

Grant: £30,000
November 14, 2018

To develop a communication platform, infrastructure and tools to raise awareness, so that more eligible individuals receive assistance and gain fair access to justice.

There are three parts to project:

1. Redevelopment of IfJ’s website with addition of Contact Relationship Management (CRM) and Content Management System (CMS)
   • Streamline IfJ’s website and administration
2. Create 1 promotional and 3 short training films to inform public and professionals about the intermediary role.
3. Develop an Online Resource Platform on IfJ’s website
   • an in-depth library of ‘best practice’ with training materials (SM 7. Content and development).
   • go-to place for anyone seeking information related to how vulnerable people within the justice system can be helped by intermediaries

RIPPLE roll out – Phase 1

Grant: £74,000
November 14, 2018

RIPPLE (2016/18) pioneered a new approach to public legal education, rooted in and informed by casework practice. It showed the power of connecting knowledge transfer to experience and created opportunities for identification of systemic issues with potential wider benefit.

RIPPLE focused on the law relating to health and social care, working with groups of people in similar situations.

This project will extend the RIPPLE approach across all of its health and community care work and begin to explore what can be achieved within communities with a legal practice working in this way. This project is Phase 1 - essential groundwork to support the proposed roll out.

Legally Informed Advocacy in Children’s Hearings

Grant: £9,600
September 7, 2018

The Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, which modernised the children’s hearings system, was brought into force 4 years ago.The only section that is still not law is a requirement for the hearing to inform the child of the availability of children’s advocacy services.

In late 2017, the Scottish Government commissioned Who Cares? Scotland to develop a National Practice Model and Service Delivery Model for children’s advocacy. This work is almost complete, and the Scottish Government is now developing a procurement process and is aiming for the model to be in place by the end of next year.

This is therefore an opportune time to influence how the advocacy element of the Act is implemented, to ensure that legally informed advocacy in Children’s Hearings for all care-experienced young people is embedded into processes and practice.

Virtual Partnership Law Centre

Grant: £49,870
September 5, 2018

GLC will provide legal services for a remote area of Scotland. It will invest in broadband, computers with Skype, camera/microphone, in private confidential areas in offices and secure scanning to safely upload documents. The aim is to make legal services accessible anywhere in Argyll and Bute Council (A&BC) that has a private room and computer with camera connected to broadband. Skype client appointments will be booked in the same way as other clients, with a solicitor ‘meeting’ a Skype client in a local meeting room.

Reach Advocacy will train and support four people in A&BC to become citizen advocates, who will provide local support to Skype clients. Reach Advocacy are a Scottish Qualifications Authority approved training centre who provide support to individuals, families, carers and communities affected by drugs, alcohol and mental health problems.

Second Year of Falmouth Dracaena Centre Webcam Advice Project

Grant: £24,230
September 5, 2018

The Falmouth Dracaena Centre Webcam Advice Project is a partnership between the Legal Advice Centre and the Dracaena Centre (Falmouth.

Engagement with the Dracaena Centre is key to the projects sustainability, and a great deal of time has been invested by the Legal Advice Centre in assisting the Dracaena Centre with fundraising, as the ambition is that the Dracaena Centre can take ownership of this project once it has secured funding in its own right.

Use of the law by voluntary Organisations Phase 3

Grant: £200,000
August 23, 2018

Strengthening the Voluntary Sector (STVS) is a well-known and highly regarded grants programme in the sector. The focus chosen for the new five-year programme is building on a belief that better use of the law presents opportunities for parts of the voluntary sector to enhance their ability to pursue their charitable purpose. In turn, better use of the law by the voluntary sector will help to amplify the law’s everyday relevance by situating it within a wider framework advocacy and social change. It also offers opportunities to unlock new sources of financial and other support for legal-related activity and to widen ownership and defence of the law at a time when it is under pressure.

Virtual Law Clinic

Grant: £39,200
July 19, 2018

The Virtual Law Clinic project uses Skype technology and pro bono support to offer free advice to individuals in ‘advice deserts’ areas where vulnerable people are unable to access a Law Centre.

Clients are supported by a volunteer working under supervision at a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in North Somerset or Somerset. The project has attracted a lot of regional and national attention and a number of CAB offices have contacted us to see if the project could be expanded.

The project currently provides legal advice in the areas of employment law and family law however it is planned to expand the model to include civil litigation and immigration.