In this issue:
Our community legal education (CLE) program educates the community about legal issues. It also helps community, workers, community lawyers and financial counsellors to access legal services for their clients.
CLE Collaboration Fund 2024 grant recipients announced
Publications, videos, an interactive website and community legal education sessions are some of the great initiatives being produced by this year’s CLE Collaboration Fund grant recipients.
- LawRight: will produce a self-help kit and an interactive website for Blue Card matters. These resources are for self-represented people who are engaged in or about the start a QCAT proceeding about their Blue Card eligibility.
- Hub Community Legal: will produce an illustrated, culturally appropriate and accessible Child Protection Kit for Parents: A Self-Help Guide. The kit will help parents to understand their legal rights and how the child protection system works so they can better understand and participate in their legal processes.
- YFS Legal: will deliver tailored, culturally appropriate community legal education sessions and resources to First Nations people in Logan, Beaudesert, and the Scenic Rim in collaboration with local Elders and other First Nations community groups.
- Basic Rights Queensland: will produce Demystifying Discrimination – A resource pack which will include a series of videos and simple factsheets to help people understand discrimination rights and laws and how to navigate discrimination processes.
Congratulations to our grant recipients!
The CLE Collaboration Fund is funded by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General. It supports organisations to deliver CLE projects that help vulnerable people identify legal problems early, understand their legal rights and responsibilities and how to access legal help.
Find out more about the fund and past resources produced by grant recipients.
Blurred Borders Queensland update
We’ve been busy delivering training sessions to frontline workers and lawyers across Queensland and adding new story card common layouts to our website.
Free Blurred Borders training sessions
Our trainers have recently delivered training sessions in Brisbane, Logan, Townsville, Mount Isa, Moranbah and Mackay. We are planning more sessions—check out our website to stay in the loop about upcoming sessions.
Would you like us to deliver a free training session to your colleagues or attend one of your staff meetings to talk about the Blurred Borders kits? Please get in touch by emailing cle@legalaid.qld.gov.au
Need more Blurred Borders kits, stickers or wallet cards?
Visit our website to order more Bail and criminal process or Family violence tool kits for your organisation. You can also order extra stickers or wallet cards to top-up your kits.
All the Blurred Borders resources can be downloaded or printed via our website at no cost.
Common story card layouts now on our website
You can print or download some story card layouts from our website. These common layouts are examples of how the cards can be displayed to explain common legal concepts, processes and conditions to clients. Topics include:
- people in Childrens Court
- domestic violence order red flags, conditions and court hearings
- safety planning
- bail
- criminal trial.
Feel free to create your own!
Need help with mapping out story cards to explain a legal issue? Please email cle@legalaid.qld.gov.au, we’re happy to help.
Our website also has lots of information about the Blurred Borders tool kits and how to use the resources.
Upcoming webinar
Join us for a free webinar this month to learn how Legal Aid Queensland can help clients working with Child Safety to achieve better outcomes.
- 18 September – Child protection: helping clients access legal help Register here.
Watch our webinar recordings on the Legal Aid YouTube channel. Recent recordings include:
Drug Diversion Legal Advice Line
Legal Aid Queensland has a new Drug Diversion Legal Advice Line to support adults who police have spoken to about a minor drug offence and drug diversion as an option.
People 18 and over can call 1300 004 924 for free and confidential drug diversion legal advice, seven days a week:
- Monday to Thursday 8am to 9pm
- Friday 8am to Sunday 5pm (excl. Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Christmas Day).
Free factsheets, wallet cards and posters about the service are available. To order resources, please email publications@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
Visit our website to find out more about the Drug Diversion Legal Advice Line and Police Drug Diversion Program.
Free legal help for insurance and disaster-related issues
Our lawyers will be travelling to Far North Queensland, Southeast Queensland and the Gold Coast region to give free legal help to people with insurance concerns or other legal issues after a disaster.
We’ll be attending these Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) forums to provide free legal advice on insurance claim issues or refusals, temporary housing issues, financial hardship, family law issues and more:
- Cairns (Brothers Leagues Club) – Tuesday 3 September (10am – 5pm)
- Port Douglas (Pullman Sea Temple Resort & Spa) – Wednesday 4 September (10am – 5pm)
- Upper Coomera (The Well Community Centre) – Wednesday 11 September (9am – 5pm)
- Jimboomba (Community and District Hall) – Thursday 12 September (9am – 5pm)
- Mt Tamborine (Vonda Youngman Centre) – Friday 13 September (8am – 3pm)
Call Legal Aid on 1300 527 700 to make an appointment with our disaster relief lawyers at these forums. Book a consultation with your insurer or the ICA at these forums to discuss the progress of your claim or any outstanding issues.
Help with getting child support and proving paternity
Did you know Legal Aid Queensland helps young and vulnerable mums understand their legal rights about claiming child support and proving paternity?
If you support clients with these legal issues please call us on 1300 65 11 88 for free legal help.
We’ve developed a factsheet to answer common questions about DNA testing, what to do if the baby’s father won’t sign the baby’s birth certificate and why it’s very difficult to get child support payments backdated.
In the community
Come and chat with us at these upcoming community events:
- Labrador Family Fun Day and Expo – 5 September
- Rosewood Family Fun Day – 18 September
- Belong Community Lunch, Acacia Ridge – 1 October
- Thriving Financially, Living Fully Mini Expo, Varsity Lakes – 10 October
- Housing + Health Connect, Biloela – 21 November
Want Legal Aid to run an information stall at your event? Email us at cle@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
Updated family law resources
Need help to sort out a family law problem?
Tips on how to resolve a family law dispute without going to court.
Your family law property conference
Learn how lawyer-assisted mediation and arbitration can resolve less complex family law property disputes.
Your family law property arbitration
How to use an independent third person in resolving a family law property dispute.
Order free publications and resources
Visit our website to browse, download, print or order copies of our free legal information publications and resources (including free delivery).
Book an information session about the law
Would you like us to speak to your colleagues or clients about Legal Aid Queensland’s services and how to access them?
Book an information session about the law.