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Legal and Advice Service
This part of our work began as the Community Outreach Advice Service, changing into the Advice Service and since 2002 it has been the Legal and Advice Service.
Today we have our own legal support and representation service for women, an information and referral line and advice/caseworkers that support women in making decisions regarding housing, welfare benefits, education, health and other issues arising from living in an abusive relationship. We also have specialist workers who advocate for and assist women who are affected by gender violence, also those who are involved in street prostitution, helping them to exit and working with women who have issues relating to domestic violence and substance misuse to issues.
Our information and Referral Line is open:
10am to 1pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday
1pm to 4pm Tuesday, Thursday
1pm to 4pm Wednesday for Turkish speaking women only
This line is the first point of contact for women to access the services of this project.
We also provide information and advice to other agencies working with women affected by domestic violence.
Since 1999 the Legal and Advice service has responded to over 6,000 calls/referrals from women and professional organisations and obtained the Legal Services Commission Quality Mark standard in General Help with Casework under the specialist heading of ‘Women’
Examples of some of our work, past and current include:
- Contributing to campaigns and legislation concerning women with no recourse to public funds and domestic violence.
- Piloted a multi agency, out of hours help line providing information, support and a follow up service.
- Developed and implemented a service specifically aimed at meeting the needs of Turkish speaking women (we were told this work would never take off!)
- Helped develop and implement protocols and services with partner agencies including Addaction, various housing departments, the police, Hackney’s Community Safety and Domestic Violence and Hate Crime Teams, Victim Support, The Women’s Alcohol Centre, the DSS, Health Authorities and many, many more.
- Developed and facilitated support groups for service users.
- Provided a specialist information and referral service for Turkish speaking women.
- Set up The Sanctuary Housing Scheme with the London Borough of Hackney.
- Developed operational systems for the Haringey domestic violence project (Hearthstone).
- Provided training internally and externally on family law, domestic violence and working with women involved in prostitution.
- Work with women involved in prostitution, helping them to exit and providing them with the support that is inherently needed when working with women who have very high complex needs.
- Working with women who are subject to ABC’s and ASBO’s.
- Providing Legal Surgeries in Hackney, Barking and Dagenham and Hammersmith and Fulham.
- Providing advice and casework services at the Women’s Alcohol Centre.
- Advising and representing women at court on such cases as child abduction, obtaining contact orders and injunctions, petitioning for divorces etc.
- Helping to develop and implement the nia project volunteer training programme.