January 2010 Interim Report of the Nottingham Systems Thinking Pilot
A pilot of a new approach to advice provision, in which Nottingham Law Centre has played a pivotal role, has found that over 40 per cent of the capacity of advice agencies is spent dealing with work generated by the failure of external organisations. The pilot is applying a “systems thinking” approach to advice provision. It will now start to investigate ways to remove waste from the system so that more resources are available for helping clients.
Read the interim report:
Nottingham Systems Thinking Pilot-Interim Report.pdf
January 2010 Time Well Spent
The Council on Social Action (CoSA) has published a report that examines the importance of the one-to-one relationship between advice workers and their clients. The report, Time Well Spent, was based on research with Law Centres and found that one-to-one relationships lead to better outcomes and value for money.
Read the report: Time Well Spent.pdf
December 2009 LCF Annual Report 2008-2009
LCF Annual Report for 2008-2009, published on 27th November 2009
Annual Report Summary: LCF Annual Report Summary.pdf
Full Annual Report: LCF Annual Report 2008-2009.pdf
November 2009 Regional Discrimination Conferences, Winter 2009-2010
Over the coming few months the Working Together for Advice Project will be offering regional events on ‘Developing Discrimination Advice’. These are aimed at advisers both familiar and new to discrimination and equality advice, and offer training, resources and networking opportunities across organisations. More details and a booking form in the document below:
Regional Discrimination Conferences Winter 2009-2010.doc
November 2009 Treaty of Lisbon
Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights: these are the core values of the EU which are set out at the beginning of the Treaty of Lisbon. They are common to all Member States, and any European country wishing to become a member of the Union must respect them. The Treaty came into force on 1st December 2009.
Treaty at a glance: The Treaty at a glance
Law Society Guide: Guide to Treaty of Lisbon.pdf
November 2009 Conservatives outline plans for legal aid
In November 2009, Legal Action Group reported on shadow justice minister, Henry Bellingham MP plans for legal aid if the Conservatives were to win the general election in May or June next year. One is suggestions is to adopt the ‘La Carpa’ - the French system of having one bank account held by the government, into which all the money French lawyers hold for clients is paid.
Further information: LAG - Promise of cash for legal aid Nov 09.doc
Link to: Legal Action Group
More about: Henry Bellingham
Also see ‘Future of Legal Services - Conservative Party View ‘ below (March 2009)
November 2009 Human Rights and Local Government Project
A Human Rights and Local Government Project was launched on 24th November 2009 in Westminster by the British Institute of Human Rights. The 18 month project will attempt to incorporate the principles of human rights directly into the work of local government, illustrate the benefits of incorporating human rights into policy and practice, and draw out policy recommendations for local authorities.
The Idea and Development Agency (IDeA) has commissioned the British Institute of Human Rights to work in partnership on the project, following the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Inquiry which examined the relationship between human rights and service delivery.
The project will consist of five smaller projects run for six months each in a different local authority. Each project will have a specific focus on areas such as housing, social care, and ethnic minorities, and BIHR will provide training to assist each local authority in their specific needs to implement practical approaches to human rights.
Article published in the Guardian Society on 28th October provides further information: The rights approach Guardian 28.10.09.doc
Link: British Institute of Human Rights
November 2009 Personalisation Commission
In 2009. Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) launched a Commission looking at the personalisation of public services. The Personalisation Commission will look at the various reforms underway to personalise services (e.g. individual budgets), what the third sector’s contribution could be, what the implications are for the sector, and what can be done to support the sector to seize the opportunities and address the challenges associated with personalisation.
An interim report was published in November 2009: ‘Making it Personal’ Interim Report.pdf
Terms of Reference: Personalisation Commission - Terms of Reference.doc
Link to: Personalisation Commission
October 2009 Human Rights Joint Committee Report on the Equality Bill
The Human Rights Joint Committee report on the Equality Bill was published on 27th October 2009.
Link to the parliamentary pages: HRJC Report
HRJC Summary: Summary of Report 27.10.09.doc
Membership of the Committee: HRJC Members and Terms of Reference
October 2009 International comparison of publicly funded legal services & justice systems
International comparison of publicly funded legal services & justice systems by Roger Bowles and Amanda Perry, Centre for Criminal Justice Economics and Psychology, University of York was published by the Ministry of Justice in October 2009.
The research investigated legal aid as it operates in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden as well as England and Wales. The data used in covered the period 2000/01 to 2006/07. In conclusion the authors suggested that there might be some scope to address cost issues. These include:
The research: Comparison of Publicly Funded Legal Services MOJ October 2009.pdf
Link to :Ministry of Justice
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