Page 1590 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 July 2020
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support the testing of new approaches for preventing and addressing domestic and family violence, particularly those generated through the family safety hub.
The point of the levy was to provide momentum so that successful trialled initiatives could move into recurrent funding for directorates as they became ongoing core business. For example, in the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, the government is strengthening legal and court support for vulnerable young people and families affected by domestic and family violence. For ACT courts, this means a legal registrar dedicated to hearing interim applications and facilitating cross-examination in family violence matters. The levy also supports the important work of Legal Aid’s family violence unit, based at the ACT Magistrates Court, to provide legal services to victims of violence seeking protection for themselves and their children.
Another example is the Education Directorate’s new partnership with Legal Aid in a 12-month pilot program to provide young people with access to legal services within their schools. A lawyer hosts drop-in sessions at ACT colleges on a rotational basis and provides legal education sessions for high school and college students. Students and families will also be able to receive individual advice via a text or phone service.
I would now like to share some of the progress that has been made on other safer families packages over the last 12 months. The family safety hub continues to co-design and test new approaches to domestic and family violence services and supports. The hub gathers insights from people with lived experience and draws on research to understand the barriers, gaps and opportunities for improving service systems.
Since the family safety hub was launched, it has focused on three areas of need. The first is early support for pregnant women and parents, because this is a time when violence is more likely. The second is avoiding housing and financial stress, because being in control of your finances and having a home supports independence and recovery. The last one is supporting our children and young people, because their voice is rarely heard when there is violence in their home.
We know that pregnant women are at greater risk of domestic and family violence. We know that it is a time when violence can start or get worse. We know that intervening early can make a significant difference for those at risk of violence. We also know that people are more likely to seek help through someone they trust, or where they feel safe and comfortable.
We have created new ways to get help by putting amazing specialist lawyers at three Canberra locations: two hospitals and a child and family centre. Our health justice partnerships between legal and healthcare staff provide legal, non-legal and wraparound coordinated care for some in our community who are experiencing the most vulnerability. Taking the time to build trusted relationships has paid off. Together, healthcare and legal professionals are helping to prevent crises such as homelessness, physical injury or psychological harm for women and their children.
The most common legal issues for clients were related to domestic and family violence, parenting and child protection, and housing and financial problems. When support services were provided early and in a coordinated way, they could
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