Community Relationships
We are highly engaged and connected with our local community, participating in the following networks:
- Aboriginal Action Group;
- Bayside Peninsula Integrated Family Violence Partnership;
- Casey/Cardinia Homelessness Network;
- Cardinia Shire CALD Network;
- City of Casey Services Network;
- Collaborative Support Group (Federal Circuit Court, Dandenong);
- Dandenong Rooming House Network;
- Federal Circuit Court Duty Lawyer meetings;
- Frankston Charitable Fund Committee;
- Frankston Homelessness Network ;
- Frankston Emergency Relief Providers Network;
- Frankston Magistrates’ Family Violence Court Users Meeting;
- Frankston North Collaborative Partnership;
- Inner South Rooming House Network;
- Living Free Steering Committee;
- Middle South Welfare Network;
- Mornington Peninsula Housing Network;
- Mornington Peninsula Combined Service Provider Network;
- Outer South Integrated Family Violence Partnership;
- RAD-FMP Steering Committee.
Legal Assistance Sector Relationships
Our collaboration with the legal assistance sector and government is an important strategy in identifying and responding to legal and related needs within our community.
This past year we have participated in the following initiatives over this period.
Regional
- South East Region Legal Assistance Network;
- Victoria Legal Aid (Peninsula & Dandenong Regional Offices);
- Southern Metropolitan Partnership;
- South East Region CLE & Community Development Network.
Victorian
- Access to Justice/Jurisdictional Planning Working Group;
- Family Violence Working Group;
- Infringements Working Group;
- Integrated Legal & Social Support Network;
- Management Committee of Federation of CLCs;
- Principal Lawyers’ Network;
- Streamline Fines Project Committee ;
- Tenancy Working Group;
- Toll Fine Coalition;
- VCAT Residential Tenancies Users Group;
- VLA Child Support Stakeholders;
- Work and Developments Permits Project Committee.
National
- National Association of CLCs Advisory Committee.
Community Partners
We value our relationships with community partners who enable us to proactively engage and respond to the legal needs of our priority client groups.
Health Justice Partnerships
Peninsula Health
PCLC and Peninsula Health are working together to strengthen the local community’s service response to victims of Family Violence. A PCLC lawyer is located within Peninsula Health’s Social Work Department providing legal consultation with referred and eligible clients at either Rosebud Hospital or Frankston Hospital.
Outstanding fines and related legal issues have also been identified as an issue in our community by our Health Justice partner. PCLC provides a weekly visiting service to Peninsula Health’s Integrated Health Centre providing free legal services. It is proposed to expand this service across all Hospital departments.
Mind Australia Ltd
PCLC and Mind Australia Ltd, a leading community managed mental health service provider, have teamed up to participate in the Justice in Mind Project. The project recognises that Health Justice Partnerships (HJP’s) have proven effective in reaching clients who would not ordinarily seek legal help. PCLC visits Mind Australia’s YPARC facility in Frankston fortnightly to conduct a legal clinic.
HJP’s are a holistic model of service delivery which sees free legal services integrated into public health-care settings
Education Justice Partnerships
Our school lawyer project is a partnership with the three schools in the suburb of Frankston North. Frankston North has long been identified in the four most disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria. The project partners, Monterey Secondary College, Mahogany Rise Primary School, Aldercourt Primary School and PCLC, are working together to strengthen and build capacity within the community to identify and respond to legal problems. PCLC provides a weekly legal clinic at the two primary schools and community legal education and professional development at the Secondary School.
Local Government Partnerships
City of Glen Eira
The Glen Eira Mums Project (GEMS) is an initiative with the City of Glen Eira to undertake legal clinics and a secondary consult service at the Glenhuntly Maternal & Child Health Centre, targeting those experiencing family violence.
Mornington Peninsula Shire
People experiencing elder abuse are the priority client group in our partnership with the Mornington Peninsula Shire. The partnership has enhanced the Centre’s capacity to provide legal services to older people who are at risk of or are experiencing elder abuse along with the provision of public forums and professional development to people working in aged care and related sectors.
Community Partnerships
Family Life
Our partnership with Family Life helps ensure that separating parents at the Frankston Relationship Centre have access to timely legal information and advice.
FMC Mediation and Counselling Services
PCLC and FMC service response relationship has been strengthened with the provision of Financial Counselling Services primarily to PCLC clients at its Frankston Office, four days per week.