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Women's Legal Services NSW

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Number of
Employees		 15-20 including solicitors, law reform
and community education coordinators,
project workers and administrative staff. Volunteer positions are offered to law students

and other personnel to work on specific projects.

Major Practice
Areas		 Family law, parenting issues, domestic
violence, sexual assault and discrimination
Management A voluntary board of 9 directors with the
day-to-day management delegated to
the Principal Solicitor & Executive Officer
Date Founded 1982
Website www.wlsnsw.org.au

The Women's Legal Service NSW (WLS NSW) formerly the Women's Legal Resource Centre, is an independent, non-aligned, non-profit organisation funded by the Australian Commonwealth and State Governments. It is part of the Community Legal Centre Network. WLS NSW promotes access to justice, particularly for women who are disadvantaged by their social or economic circumstances.

Work

WLS NSW is dedicated to promoting women's human rights and social justice statewide. The organisation:

  • Provides free legal advice and assistance to women over the phone or in person, prioritising those who are the most disadvantaged by their social and/or economic circumstances.
  • Creates publications and runs training workshops, including free webinars (Ask LOIS) enabling community and support workers to successfully advocate for their clients.
  • Pursues law and policy reforms in areas that affect women by writing submissions to government and other stakeholders.
  • Offers specialised legal services and/or resources for Indigenous women, women from culturally and linguistically
    diverse communities and women in correctional facilities (the Legal Education and Advice in Prison program).[1]

WLS NSW has a strong domestic violence focus, pioneering a trauma informed and qualitative approach to advice and advocacy for victims. Other major areas of practice include discrimination in employment (Working Women's Legal Services)[2] family law, parenting issues, victims support and sexual assault.

Ethos

WLSNSW works from a feminist perspective. Through casework, education, training and reform WLS NSW intends to promote legal and social change to redress the inequalities women experience.

“Women’s Legal Service NSW works from a feminist perspective to promote access to justice for women in NSW. We seek to promote women’s human rights, redress inequalities experienced by women and to foster legal and social change through strategic legal services, community development, community legal education and law and policy reform work. We prioritise women who are disadvantaged by their cultural, social and economic circumstances. We focus on areas of law that most directly have a gendered impact on women. This includes domestic violence, sexual assault, family law care and protection, and discrimination.” – Women’s Legal Service NSW Annual Report 2017/18[3]

In 1996 with the aid of Federal Government funding, WLS NSW founded the Indigenous Women's Legal Program in consultation with Aboriginal women. The Indigenous Women's Legal Program is staffed by Aboriginal women and offers services including: free legal advice, assistance finding a lawyer, training and community workshops, resources and information about the law, face to face advice through outreach services and community legal education across NSW, including in Blackett, Campbelltown, Cranebrook, Emerton and Liverpool.

The aim of the IWLP is to provide services that best meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women.

In 2000 Women's Legal Services (at that time the Women's Legal Resource Centre) received the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Law Award for its specialised Aboriginal women's services.[4]

Partnerships

WLS NSW has developed a number of partnerships in order to promote access to justice, these include:

  • Legal Education and Advice in Prison (LEAP): WLS NSW alongside Warringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre and Western Sydney Community Legal Centre provide civil and family law services to women, particularly Aboriginal women, who are incarcerated.
  • Women's Health Centre Advice Clinics: WLS solicitors give free legal advice from clinics in Blacktown, Liverpool and Penrith.
  • Family Relationships Centres Partnership: WLS NSW and the Western Sydney Community Legal Centre work together to provide legal advice clinics, some lawyer assisted family dispute resolution and professional development for Family Relationships Centre staff.
  • Bonnie’s Legal Outreach: A service for CALD women in south west Sydney in collaboration Bonnie’s Women’s Services.

History

In 1982, a group of female legal activists founded Australia's first legal service for women. The Women's Legal Resources Centre (WLRC) was established to promote access to justice through the provision of legal services, law reform, and community legal education; particularly for women disadvantaged by social and economic circumstances.

In 1986, the Women's Legal Resources Centre recognised the need for a community legal centre dedicated solely to women experiencing domestic violence. The Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (DVAS) was established to provide advice, advocacy, information, and education, in addition to developing policy and working towards law reform. This service has since been re-named the Domestic Violence Legal Service.

Between 1995 and 1998, the Women's Legal Resources Centre established five Legal Outreach services across Western Sydney and in Wyong, enabling women to receive face-to-face legal advice in their local areas. Due to resource constraints the Campbelltown and Wyong services were discontinued in 2010.

In 1996, with the aid of Federal Government funding, the Women’s Legal Resources Centre formed the Indigenous Women’s Program (now called the Indigenous Women’s Legal Program). This program aims to improve the services offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, providing free legal advice, referrals to other community and legal organisations, training, and community workshops.

In 1996, the NSW Government, through the Legal Aid Commission of NSW, provided funding to set up a Training and Resource unit for the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program. This unit provides training and resources to Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Schemes (WDVCAS) throughout NSW (now called Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services) and administrative support and resources to the WDVCAS Network and is now provided by Legal Aid NSW.

As the Women's Legal Resources Centre (WLRC) grew and developed its diverse programs, the board of directors changed the name of the service to Women's Legal Services NSW in 2003, to bette reflect the work of the organisation.

Until 2010, Women's Legal Services NSW auspiced the Walgett and Bourke/Brewarrina Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (WFVPLS & BBFVPLS), which were funded by the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department. The Family Violence Prevention Legal Services aimed to facilitate community development in the prevention of family violence. The services combined legal resources with skills training, group and individual support, community education and advocacy. They are now auspiced by Thiyama-li in Moree.  

Publications & Resources

  • A Practitioner’s Guide to Domestic Violence Law in NSW: A plain English guide to domestic violence law in NSW, produced by solicitors at WLS NSW. [5]
  • HELP! FaCS has removed my children: this resource is designed to help women and families deal with FaCS if their children are removed.[6]
  • Sexual Assault: Your rights and the law – this resource has information for women and girls who have been sexually assaulted including: What sexual assault means; getting medical help and counselling after a sexual assault; reporting to the police and legal process and your rights[7]
  • Ask LOIS: a secure website providing a free online legal information service for community workers across NSW who are working with women experiencing or escaping Domestic Violence, particularly targeted at regional and rural workers[8]
  • Women and Family law (10th ed, 2017, Women's Legal Services, NSW Sydney)[9]
  • GP's Toolkit “When she talks to you about the violence,” A toolkit for doctors in general practice in NSW (2014, Women's Legal Services NSW with financial assistance from the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW)[10]
  • Women's Legal Services Brochure in 10 community languages or in pictorials
  • 10 Things you need to know when DoCS/FaCS removes your child (2013 Women's Legal Services NSW, Sydney)[11]
  • A Long Way to Equal (2007, Women's Legal Services NSW, Sydney)[12]
  • Our Silence is Abusing our Kids (Women's Legal Services NSW and Dympna House, Sydney)[13]
  • Our Dream: Stopping the Violence (3rd ed, 2015 Women's Legal Services NSW, Sydney)[14]
  • Partnerships, Prevention and Rural Action III (Burrendong Report) 2007.[15]
  • Is This Love? A resource made for young women about healthy and unhealthy relationships 2007[16]

References

  1. ^ "The LEAP Women in Prison Programme". Community Legal Centers NSW.
  2. ^ "Working Women's Legal Service Program".
  3. ^ "Annual Report". Women's Legal Service NSW. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission List of Award Winners".
  5. ^ "A Practitioner's Guide to Domestic Violence Law in NSW". Women's Legal Service NSW. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  6. ^ "HELP! FaCS has removed my children". Women's Legal Service NSW. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Sexual Assault: Your rights and the law". Women's Legal Service NSW. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Ask LOIS".
  9. ^ "Women and Family Law 10th ed. Publication".
  10. ^ "GP's Toolkit".
  11. ^ "10 Things you need to know when DoCS/FaCS removes your child".
  12. ^ "A Long Way to Equal" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Our Silence is Abusing our Kids".
  14. ^ "Our Dream..." Women's Legal Service NSW. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Burrendong Report".
  16. ^ "Is This Love?". Women's Legal Service NSW. 1 July 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
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