Annual Report 2020 - 2021
Client services
Our clients come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse needs. This year, despite the pandemic, we continued to deliver services to new arrivals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people in regional NSW, families affected by domestic violence, and children and young people.
Family Law Solicitor in Charge Gabrielle Cantrall, Early Intervention Unit Outreach Partnerships Manager Daniel Kennard and Domestic Violence Unit Solicitor in Charge Anna Baltins at the 2021 NSW Child Protection Legal Conference.
Key achievements
- We finalised our integration with LawAccess NSW, creating one entry point for people needing legal help in NSW.
- We implemented our triage model across LawAccess NSW and all Legal Aid NSW offices.
- We amended our policies to meet the needs of disadvantaged people in NSW.
- We implemented a new work offer system for allocating criminal law duty work and urgent casework to private lawyers.
- We increased our services to people experiencing domestic and family violence.
- We increased our services to clients at risk of homelessness.
The year ahead
- We will continue to build online tools that meet our clients’ needs.
- We will make it easier for our clients to manage their legal matters with a new client portal.
- We will implement guaranteed standards of service for clients.
- We will implement a new direction in family law, focusing on children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
- We will continue to offer a multidisciplinary approach to casework.
Key challenge
- We will ensure our eligibility policies and services continue to target the most socially and economically disadvantaged people across NSW with limited resources and funding.
- We will learn from the responsive service changes made and focus on ensuring our services adequately meet the needs of our clients.