Essendon Community Legal Centre
Aims & Objectives
To have a management structure that encourages participation by community members in the running of the services.
To have a management structure that allows responsible decision-making within a policy and procedural framework that reflects the principles of CLCs, the needs of our community, funding accountability, and a safe and healthy workplace.
To place a high priority on efficient financial management that meets the reporting requirements of relevant funding bodies.
To have policy, resources and planning that supports policy development and law reform initiatives that challenge inequality before the law and promote social justice.
To provide legal advice and casework services that demystify the law and the legal system, and encourage people to be involved in the solution of their own problems.
To coordinate and plan community legal education and community development activities that are pro-active in providing efficient and effective services.
To provide community legal education and information activities that help the community to understand and critically evaluate the impact of the law so that people can make sense of the law, and contribute to a climate for law reform through collective action.
To ensure that the knowledge, skills and attitudes of workers and volunteers in the community legal education activities reflect the principles and goals of the Centre and are in the best interests of our users.
To have policies and procedures that uphold the rights of clients and ensure that service users, workers, volunteers and committee members are informed of these rights.
To ensure that the services we provide are accessible and appropriate to the needs of our community, and that a special focus is placed on the needs of those who face difficulty because of social status, education, age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religious beliefs, sexuality, political beliefs or any other values or life experience.
To provide services in an environment that ensures confidentiality, safety, comfort, dignity and privacy.
To provide education and training for workers and volunteers to ensure that clients have access to workers whose knowledge, skills and attitudes enhance their legal rights.
To evaluate the use of volunteers on an ongoing basis in providing an effective and efficient legal service to our local community.
To encourage and work closely with other community organisations and services in the pursuit of these objectives.
