| Established | 2016 |
| Partner/s | Go-Goldfields |
| Current Funders | Victorian Legal Services Board Grants Program |
| Previous Funders | Go-GoldfieldsCentre for Non-Violence |
Overview
Commencing in 2017, the Tipping the Scales (TTS) Project is a place-based community justice partnership delivered by the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre (LCCLC) in Maryborough.
Community justice partnerships contribute to the collective impact goals of a community by working with a broad network of local stakeholders and community groups to identify and address access to justice issues and barriers both inside and outside the formal justice system.
The TTS Project contributes to the Family Violence Partnership with the Go-Goldfields network, a collective impact initiative operating in the Central Goldfields Shire which aims to improve opportunities and wellbeing outcomes for children, young people and families in Maryborough.
The TTS project aims to contribute to the following outcomes within this broader collective impact initiative:
- Family safety and perpetrator accountability;
- Improved service coordination within the local family violence system;
- Meaningful community engagement to inform local access to justice initiatives; and
- Shared measurement of access to justice issues and priorities for victim/survivors of family violence.
In addition to this work at a local systems level, the TTS Project also provides legal support to people affected by family violence and related legal issues, including child protection and family law matters. A lawyer from LCCLC is based in Maryborough three days per week, providing legal advice, duty lawyer and representation services to victim/survivors, and connecting clients to local health and social support services to more holistically address the legal, health and social needs of people affected by family violence, predominantly women.
Impact
Since 2017 we have provided 300 legal assistance services to 217 individual clients through the TTS community justice partnership in Maryborough.
Working closely with our clients, community groups and the broader Go-Goldfields Alliance has helped us to develop a more nuanced understanding of local access to justice issues and priorities in Maryborough, one of the most disadvantaged communities in Victoria. By having a regular presence in the community and actively participating in local networks and community events, we have increased awareness of and trust in legal services within the community and are more accessible to those seeking help. By demonstrating our commitment to the collective impact goals of the community, beyond the basic provision of legal services, we have built credibility and gained a seat at the table within local networks and forums, enabling us to facilitate conversations to identify and address systemic access to justice and service coordination issues in Maryborough.
“They’ve understood the need to be proactive and connect with a whole range of people and organisations and have been willing to work with people and organisations to support the shared work. For example, Go-Goldfields and the Family Violence Action Group work” – Quote from local service provider
“They’ve done lots of advocacy work. It means they’re getting into the community themselves and breaking down a few barriers.” – Quote from local service provider
“Just being present and being seen is the most important thing about the model working well. It’s making themselves trusted so that people keep coming back” – Quote from local service provider