Yarn Up

For community legal centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff only to meet and discuss key policy and practice issues.

Convenor: Zachary Armytage (Community Legal Centres NSW)

Aboriginal Advisory Group

Training for Aboriginal workers in the CLC sector

1.1 Domestic Violence & Victims Compensation Network

Convenors: Karen Mifsud (Solicitor, Women’s Legal Service NSW), Kathy Keat (Solicitor, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre)

This network shares issues affecting domestic violence and victims compensation policies and legislation, and makes recommendations to government and non-government bodies. The November network meeting will continue to focus on Victims Support changes and issues relating to the way Victim Support claims are being dealt with. Updates on DV reviews and other DV work and any requests for assistance around DV during COVID will also be on the agenda.

2.1 Administration and Finance Network

Convenor: Kerrith Sowden (Operations Manager, Refugee Advice and Casework Service)

The Administration and Finance Network will discuss current operational issues identified by the group including finance, HR, ICT  and policy and procedures. This session will discuss priorities for future network meetings.

Welcome to Country

3.1 Opening plenary - Gendered violence and safety: stories from the frontline

Our speakers will share stores about gendered violence experienced by clients and how well the justice system protects victim's safety. What needs to change in the justice system to improve safety for victims of gendered violence? 

Panel Presenters:   

Christine Robinson - Coordinator, Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Service

Shannon Oates - Manager, Warra Warra Legal Service Broken Hill 

Isobel McGarity - Senior Solicitor, Refugee Advice and Casework Service 

Arlia Fleming- Managing Principal Solicitor, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre 

Thea Deakin Greenwood - Solicitor, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre 

Possible CPD*: Advocacy

4.1 Coordinators and Directors Network (Part 1)

Convenors: Arlia Fleming (Managing Principal Solicitor, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre), Robert Pelletier (Executive Officer, Macarthur Legal Centre)

Open to CLC coordinators and directors to discuss sector issues relating to centre management, funding, and stakeholder relationships. A meeting agenda will be emailed to all coordinators and directors prior to the session.

4.2 Prisoners' Rights Working group

Convenors: Carolyn Jones (Senior Solicitor, Women’s Legal Service) and Corinne Kew (Assistant Principal Solicitor, Western Sydney Community Legal Centre)

Guest presenter: Dr Jacqueline Small (Royal Australasian College of Physicians, President Elect and paediatrician).

Dr Small will be speaking on child development and the high rates of incarcerated young people with intellectual disability and cognitive impairment.

Possible CPD*: Substantive Law, Advocacy

5.1 Coordinators and Directors Network (Part 2)

Convenors: Arlia Fleming (Managing Principal Solicitor, Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre), Robert Pelletier (Executive Officer, Macarthur Legal Centre)

This meeting follows Part 1 of the Coordinators and Directors Network meeting at 11:30am. Mia Zahra, and the Community Legal Services Reform Project team from Legal Aid NSW will join the meeting to provide any relevant updates. An agenda covering both meetings will be emailed to coordinators and Directors prior to the meeting.

5.2 Employment and Discrimination Law

Convenors: Sharmilla Bargon (Solicitor, Redfern Legal Centre), Stanley Tao (Solicitor, North & Northwest Community Legal Centre), Justin Pen (Solicitor, Marrickville Community Legal Centre)

Guest Speaker: Penny Thew (Barrister, Greenway Chambers)

General Protections claims under Part 3-1 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth): remedies, recent cases and practical tips.

Possible CPD*: Substantive law

5.3 Care and Protection Network

Convenors: Kenn Clift (Solicitor, Intellectual Disability Rights Service), Sym'mon Andrews (Solicitor, Central Coast Community Legal Centre)

This network shares issues affecting child protection practice, policy and legislation and makes recommendations to government and non-government bodies. The November network meeting will focus on the current Parliamentary inquiry into child protection and social services, advocacy in support of the Family Is Culture report, and the Disability Royal Commission.

Possible CPD*: Substantive Law; Advocacy

6.1 Care and Protection Network Training (3.15 - 4.15pm)

Presenter: Angela Geale & Rachel Wilson, Parent Peer Support Program, Broadmeadows Children’s Court.

Angela and Rachel will speak about their role as parent peer supporters in the Parent Peer Support Project at Broadmeadow Children's Court. Rachel and Angela are parents with lived experience of having their children removed from their care. They worked with the project to assist parents appearing before the Court in care matters. The project was was auspiced by Newcastle University and The Samaritans, a Hunter Valley NGO. The steering committee included representatives from Department Communities and Justice, Chief Magistrate Skinner from Broadmeadow Children’s Court,  Hunter Community Legal Centre, the Intellectual Disability Rights Service and others working in the child protection space.

Possible CPD*: Substantive law; Advocacy

6.2 Communications Network (3.15 - 4.30pm)

Convenor: Finn O'Keefe (Communications and Volunteer Manager, Redfern Legal Centre)

Presenter: Nick Belshaw (Canva). 

Representatives from Canva, a graphic design platform, will provide training to the Communications Network about how to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. Canva will also speak to their not-for-profit package, which is available to NFPs for free.

Community Legal Centres NSW Annual General Meeting

Presentation of CLCNSW Annual Report and Financial Reports for 2019/20. Election of board members.

Quarterly social Zoom

CLCNSW invites Quarterly participants to join this zoom social session - wear your favourite accessory e.g. hat, glasses, lipstick, earrings. Breakout rooms will be available for anyone who wants to arrange a catch up with particular colleagues. Feel free to grab a drink and socialise with CLCNSW and sector colleagues.

7.1 Law Reform and Policy Network

Convenors: Niamh Joyce (Solicitor, HIV/AIDS Legal Centre), Sean Bowes (Law Reform Solicitor / Clinical Supervisor, Kingsford Legal Centre), Alastair Lawrie (Senior Policy Officer, PIAC)

Presenters: Deb Fisher (Hume Riverina Community Legal Centre), Kathryn Grimshaw & Justine O’Neill (Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre), Deb MacMIllan, Sym’mon Andrews & BJ Duncan (Central Coast Community Legal Centre), TBC (Western NSW Community Legal Centre)

The November meeting of the Law Reform & Policy Network will focus on law reform in rural, regional and remote centres. Speakers will reflect on a range of issues, including the key justice issues that affect their communities, how COVID-19 and the bushfires have affected their law reform work, and the benefits and challenges of undertaking law reform in regional areas.

Possible CPD*: Advocacy

7.2 PII Committee

Convenors: Ali Mojtahedi (Principal Solicitor, Immigration Advice and Rights Centre), Louise Coady (Chief Executive Officer, Western Sydney Community Legal Centre)

Principal Solicitors meet to discuss and resolve practice issues. Attendance is a requirement of the national Public Indemnity Insurance Scheme and Risk Management Guide.

Possible CPD*: Practice Management

7.3 Sector Induction (9:15-10:45)

Facilitator: Laurel Draffen and Community Legal Centres NSW staff

An overview of the community legal sector in NSW and Australia for new workers.

8.1 Community Legal Education Workers

Convenors: Duhita Lewis (CLE Coordinator, Hunter Community Legal Centre), Nalika Padmasena (Solicitor, Seniors Rights Service)

Community legal education workers share experience providing Community Legal Education.

8.2 CLCNSW Sector ICT Support Project

Presenter: Adam Mallas (IT consultant, mcr IT)

CLCNSW received Commonwealth COVID funds to provide an ICT Support service for the sector. mcrIT has been engaged to provide ICT health checks, help desk hours and other ICT support. The aim of the project is to bring all centres up to a similar level of ICT capability to provide remote services. Come along and find out about the project and how you can get involved.

Possible CPD*: Practice Management

9.1 Rural, Regional and Remote Network

Convenor: Hannah Robinson (Solicitor, Western NSW Community Legal Centre)

Rural, Remote and Regional members discuss issues involved in providing legal services in rural, remote and regional areas. This meeting will have a particular focus on expanding capacity to engage in policy and law reform work affecting RRR communities. 

Guest presenter: Jilly Field (Pro Bono Manager, Senior Associate Ashurst) will speak on assisting RRR members to develop a case study project intended to identify systemic issues/themes arising in RRR areas and to advocate for changes and additional support/services.

9.2 Bar Association assistance schemes

Presenter: Katie Green Manager (Legal Assistance, NSW Bar Association)

Katie will speak about Bar Association Legal Assistance Schemes and discuss opportunities for community legal centres to access barristers to assist in pro bono matters. The Bar Association’s Legal Assistance Schemes are the Duty Barrister Scheme and the Legal Assistance Referral Scheme. The Duty Barrister Scheme provides “on the day” advice and representation for unrepresented parties in the Downing Centre Local Court and in civil matters in the Local Court at John Maddison Tower. The Legal Assistance Referral Scheme provides referrals to barristers and mediators that provide advice, representation and assistance to settle legal issues.

Please bring to this session any ideas you may have about how the Bar Association and its members may provide specialised assistance to your Centre and to your clients.

9.3 ALAP & Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rights Working Group

Convenor: Zac Armytage (Aboriginal Legal Access Program Coordinator, Community Legal Centres NSW)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rights Working Group supports the sector’s work in First Nations justice. This includes monitoring the way community legal centres are responding to advice and guidance from Aboriginal leaders, both internal and external to the sector. A separate governance structure has been established by CLCNSW to formally monitor the organisation’s work in First Nations justice, but this session is an opportunity for any interested workers or volunteers to contribute to the sector’s thinking on these critical issues.

10.1 Closing plenary - collaboration and mergers

Facilitator: Nassim Arrage, CEO, Community Legal Centres Australia

Presenters: Louise Coady (Managing Principal Solicitor, Western Sydney Community Legal Centre), Claudia Fatone (CEO, Fitzroy Legal Service), Blake Powell (Operations Director, Environmental Defenders Office), Helen Liedel (Sector Development, Community Legal WA)

While collaboration is in most community legal centres' DNA, the degree and impact of collaboration between organisations is variable. A merger between community legal centres or with a like-minded organisation is the most formal and far reaching form of collaboration. What can we learn from recent collaborations and mergers? A panel of presenters share their experience. 

Please note this session will be recorded.

CLCNSW presents this plenary in collaboration with Community Legal Centres Australia. This session will be recorded as part of the CLCs Australia Emergence series to be made available on the CLCs Australia website.

Possible CPD*: Practice Management

Zoom is a video conferencing system that is used to run network meetings, training and webinars for Community Legal Centres NSW events. Using Zoom will allow you to actively participate in training and network meetings.

Click here to download Zoom now.

You will be able to dial in to sessions via phone if you wish, although we recommend you use Zoom for full functionality and session experience. 

All registered participants will be sent Zoom links and phone dial-in details for Yarn Up and Quarterly sessions on Friday 20th November.

If you have any questions about Zoom prior to the event please contact CLCNSW on 9212 7333 or email officemanager@clcnsw.org.au.

If you have any Zoom questions or issues during the event please call or text 0401 262 873.

Community Legal Centres NSW indicates whether a session may be appropriate to attract Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points but takes no responsibility if the content does not meet CPD requirements. Sessions are not accredited by the NSW Law Society. Community legal centre solicitors should make their own assessment of whether the session meets their CPD requirements, and maintain their own records for meeting CPD requirements.

Further information about CPD requirements are available on the Law Society NSW website.

CLCNSW would like to warmly thank all of the guest presenters at the quarterly, including Dr Jacqueline Small, Penny Thew, Angela Geale, Adam Mallas, Katie Green and Claudia Fatone.

A special thanks to the panellists from both plenary sessions.

We acknowledge the Lands upon which these meetings take place. Community Legal Centres NSW acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation as the land on which our office operates and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging. The land on which we meet, physically, digitally or otherwise is stolen land of which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' sovereignty was never ceded.