WORKSHEET S7: The Community Legal Service
TASK: To evaluate whether the information, advice and other civil legal services available to people in your town and its hinterland are appropriate to their needs.
1: Introduction to the task
The sort of issues that might cause people to need legal help include those to do with housing, welfare benefits, debt, and employment. These are common needs of people all over the country. In some towns there may also be issues about immigration, mental health, health and community care, consumer rights, and education. You may have identified particular problems with some of these areas elsewhere in your Healthcheck (for example, the number of children being excluded from school) and should now be thinking more about what help these people might need to address their problems.
Community Legal Service Direct
Community Legal Service Direct is a key part of the Legal Services Commission‘s strategy to improve access to justice and to combat social exclusion. It helps people deal with their legal problems by providing:
- free information, help and advice on a range of common legal issues
- assistance and guidance in finding other sources of help
In addition, those people eligible for legal aid can get free telephone advice from a qualified legal adviser about welfare benefits, debt and education.
Many people prefer to use telephone advice, even when face-to-face help is available. Community Legal Service Direct (CLSD) is available via a national helpline (0845 345 4 345) and a website (www.clsdirect.org.uk). Telephone advice is particularly welcomed by people who have difficulty accessing traditional legal services, such as those living in remote areas or with reduced mobility. The Internet also is an accessible channel for the delivery of legal information and help, and the CLSD website is one of the most popular UK-based legal information websites, with around 50,000 visitors a month. When face-to-face help is more appropriate, CLSD will provide a valuable entry point to this type of service.
For more information about the Community Legal Service you can contact the Regional Planning and Partnership Team in the Legal Services Commission regional office.
The local Community Legal Service Partnership (CLSP) and their Strategic Plan should be able to help answer some of these questions. The Legal Services Commission‘s regional office can tell you how to get hold of your local CLSP‘s Strategic Plan. (Contact details are shown below.)
2: Getting the following information will help you assess how effectively community legal services are provided in the area.
Sub-section 1: Strategic Framework for Community Legal Services
S7 Q1
What are the particular demographics and the needs of different communities of your town and its hinterland that the CLSP Strategic Plan takes into consideration?
Look at groups such as: young people, older people, ethnic minorities, disabled, etc.
Starting points for information
Local CLSP Strategic Plan
Q1 DRAFT ANSWER: We do not know of any local Ccommunity Legal Service Partnership Strategic Plan. Hart District Council supports the local Partneship which consists of both the Fleet and the Yateley & District Citizens Advice Bureaux and a local firm of solicitors.
The particular demographics of the area served by the Yateley & District Citizens Advice Bureau do give rise to specific needs which are reflected in the advice provided by the Yateley CAB. About 30% of clients are older people who need help with pensions and other social security payments such as attendance allowances. Yateley CAB is a DWP alternative office so can carry out verification on the spot.
About 20% of clients are from the local traveller community. However only about 2% of clients are from ethnic backgrounds. Several enquiries are received from migrant workers from new accession EU countries.
There are a significant number of enquiries from the homeless under 21 years old, arising from family homes in Yateley. This is a particular problem for the Yateley CAB. UB40 used to operate from the CAB's premises. This charity specialises in the homeless aged 16-25, but it has had to close in Yateley due to difficulty obtaining suitably trained staff and lone working procedures. Yateley CAB will shortly take over its full function. Yateley CAB also provides services for clients at Heathlands, Cricket Hill, a District Council owned facility providing temporary accommodation for the homeless, usually from 6 to 18 months duration.
Yateley CAB runs an extensive 'outreach' programme covering Hook, Hartley Wintney and Frogmore, using doctor's surgeries. This outreach programme particularly serves the elderly and disabled in these communities, and can involve home visits. Hampshire County Council provides an annual grant which covers about 75% of the expenditure.
S7 Q2
How does the CLSP Strategic Plan take into consideration travel access issues for people?
Starting points for information
Local CLSP Strategic Plan
Q2 DRAFT ANSWER: Accesss to the limited public transportation network is an issue. The CLSP encourages initiatives such as the Call & Go bus service and Yateley Neighbourcare (see TRANSPORT section).
S7 Q3
What are the priorities in the CLSP Strategic Plan for improving access to legal services?
Starting points for information
Local CLSP Strategic Plan
Q3 DRAFT ANSWER: The Hart CLSP's major solutions to improve access to legal services is to provide a legal help service on Yateley CAB's own site. This would be accomplished by bringing in local solicitors. Such an arrangement has not yet been agreed.
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Sub-section 2: Ease of Obtaining Legal Help
S7 Q4
How many solicitors are there in your town, and how many of them have contracts with the Legal Services Commission?
(Worksheets EC4 Q2,3; EC5; T2 Q12; T3 q!6 also refer to retail and service sector)
Starting points for information
Q4 DRAFT ANSWER: There are three firms of solicitors based in Yateley:
- Eve Coleman & Co (72A Reading Road 01252-404456) no contract with the Legal Services Commission
- Jones, Alun, & Co (5-6A Harpton Parade 01252-869900) no contract with the Legal Services Commission
- Davies Blunden & Evans (68A Reading Road 01252-672617) Legal Services Commission Funded Provider
There are also firms of solicitors in the larger surrounding towns.
S7 Q5
CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES:
Which Not for Profit‘ organisations provide civil legal services in your town and how many have contracts with the Legal Services Commission?
Are the opening times of these services adequate for the needs of your communities?
Examples of organisations that might be providing civil legal services are the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Shelter.
Starting points for information
Citizens Advice Bureau
Q5 DRAFT ANSWER: (a) Yateley & District Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity which does not provide full legal advice at present., but do provide referral and signposting services. As noted in S7 Q3 Yateley CAB would like to introduce a service whereby local solicitors are available for consultation in the CAB premises. Shelter does not provide a directly accessible service in Yateley, but do provide a respondent housing service to the CAB.
(b) The Yateley CAB considers its current weekday opening hours are adequate. These are 9:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday, except Tuesday which is an early closing day at 1:00 pm. Yateley CAB is piloting Saturday opening from 1 Apr 2006 with opening hours from 9:30 am till noon.
S7 Q6
Does the local council(s) have offices where people can access services in the town?
(Worksheets EC2 Q18; T2 Q11,12; T3 Q16 also refer to local government services)
Starting points for information
Local Council
Q6 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley Town Council has its main offices in Yateley providing all the normal services of a parish council. However the Town Council do not provide an legal services or links to legal services, relying on the Yateley CAB.
S7 Q7
Where are the Community Legal Service Information Points?
These may be in the library or other easy access building. They should clearly display the Community Legal Service Quality Mark.
(Worksheets EC4 Q2,3; EC5; T2 Q12; T3 Q16 also refer to retail and service sector)
Starting points for information
Q7 DRAFT ANSWER: The only information point for Community Legal Serivces is Yateley & District Citizens Advice Bureau located next door to the Police Station and Fire Station, and close to the main Town Centre shopping area.. They display the Community Legal Service Quality Mark.
S7 Q8
Which outlets in the town carry a full range of the Community Legal Service Information Leaflets on aspects of civil law?
Starting points for information
Q8 DRAFT ANSWER: The answer to Q8 is the same as to Q7: Yateley CAB.
S7 Q9
How are the following national services advertised locally?
a. Community Legal Service Direct National Helpline (0845 345 4345)?
b. Community Legal Service Direct website (www.clsdirect.org.uk)?
Starting points for information
Q9 DRAFT ANSWER: Leaflets advertising the Community Legal Services are available in Yateley CAB's offices.
S7 Q10
Where can people go to get access to the Community Legal Service Direct National Helpline and Community Legal Service Direct website?
Is there, for example, a library (or other building that is easily accessible to the community) that provides public access to such facilities as a public telephone point, internet point, or kiosk?
Starting points for information
Q10 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley CAB has a confidential kiosk in its building to access the direct national helpline. Some people prefer to talk to people who are not from their own community. They have had many clients from Reading, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, and all surrounding areas, who attend the office in person. Yateley CAB can also provide direct access to the Community Service Direct Website. The only other publically accessible computers in Yateley are in Yateley Library. There is a public telephone point in Yateley Town Council's office.
Yateley CAB has on average about 15 clients per day who attend the office in person plus 15-20 telephone calls per day. They do not handle enquiries by email because of confidentiality considerations.
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