St Kilda Legal Service Annual Report 2006-2007 - Community Law

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Tristan LeeWed night volunteerRosalie Gutman &Susannah PalmerWed night volunteersIt is unfortunate to report that the Commonwealthis yet to provide substantial increases to the CLCFunding Program aside from annual CPI increasesand the recently announced capital equipmentallocation. This is despite the persistent lobbyingundertaken on behalf of CLCs by the Federationand the National Association of CommunityLegal Centres.The failure of the Commonwealth to provide anysubstantial funding increases to existing CLCshinders our capacity to provide appropriatelevels of service to meet the increasing demandfor free and accessible legal services especiallyto the most disadvantaged. The current levelsof funding also restrict the ability of many CLCsto both retain staff over long periods of time andrecruit new staff with the required experience,particularly with respect to lawyers.Thanks and appreciation to Mark Courtney (VLACLC Program Advisor) and Denise Chevalier(Assistant CLC Program Advisor) for theirassistance throughout the year.Other FundingSourcesOn-site interpretingfunding allocationIn this financial year our Service received anallocation of $3,400 from the CLC FundingProgram of funding provided to VictorianCommunity Legal Centres. The Service utilisesthe majority of its allocation to provide free onsiteinterpreters to client from Culturally andLinguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Thefunds have also enabled the Service to provideAuslan interpreters for clients who are deaf orhearing impaired.Free Access toTelephone InterpretingServices (TIS)In previous years the Department of Immigrationand Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA)provided CLCs with free unlimited access tothe Telephone Interpreting Service (TIS) andlimited onsite interpreters for clients attendingday advice sessions. This year the responsibilityfor funding the provision of these servicestransferred to the Commonwealth.However, access is restricted to CLCs such asour service that receive Commonwealth fundingunder the CCLSP.A major drawback to this arrangement is that eachState and Territory’s access is limited to a budgetset by the Commonwealth. Centres were advisedthat should the budget be exceeded then theywill be required to meet their own costs for anyfurther usage. Despite Victorian CLCs introducingefficiencies when utilising TIS, keeping withinthe budget became problematic and Centresexpressed concern that budgetary constraintswould further restrict access to CLC services byour CALD communities. A number of concernswere raised with the Commonwealth from VictoriaLegal Aid, the Federation and the NACLC andthis has lead to a revision of the budget whichhas thankfully resulted in an increase in fundingfor the 2007-2008 period.Rental SubsidiaryAlong with the Port Phillip Community Groupwe are exceedingly grateful to the St. KildaParish Mission of the Uniting Church for theirgenerous rent subsidy and thank them for theirongoing support.10 Annual Report 2006 – 2007
AdministrationLittle has changed with respect to the plethora ofadministrative tasks which need to be undertakenby volunteers, the Board and staff of the Serviceover the last year.However there have been some highlights!Administration forms a major part of the operationsof CLCs and its importance can never be underestimatedgiven that it underpins many of thefunctions undertaken by the Service. As outlinedthe volunteer section of this report, our Serviceis very much reliant upon the contribution of ourvolunteers to assist workers with a number ofadministrative tasks.Administration tasks undertaken by staff include:accountability to the Board of Management, financialmanagement, accountability to funding bodies andother relevant legal entities, maintaining membershiprecords and accountability requirements, coordinationof planning and evaluation processes, wage andother employee-related matters, volunteer and nightservicecoordination, casework administration andstatistical collection to name a few.Whilst all staff, volunteers and managementundertake various administrative functions, itshould be noted the majority of administrative tasksare the responsibility of the Service’s Administratorand Night Service Volunteer Coordinator.Upgrade of ComputerSystemThis year we received a much needed upgradeof our computer hardware and software includinga new laptop and a larger server to improve theefficiency and capability of the networking system.This upgrade was made possible through theprovision of capital equipment funding to CLCs bythe State Attorney General’s Department. Due tothe limited resources available to CLCs, grants suchas these are imperative to ensure that we are able towork more efficiently and effectively with up to datecomputer hardware and software systems.ProfessionalDevelopmentSince the employment of Annie Nash and heramazing output of work in the new position ofSector Development Officer at the Federation, ourCentre has seen a noticeable increase in accessto resources such as training and informationsessions, updated information on various grantopportunities and accessing pro bono services toname a few!Staff lawyers have taken advantage of a numberof Continuing Professional Development freetraining sessions, either through the Federationor other organisations such as the Victoria LegalAid and the Victorian Law Foundation. Staff havealso attended various training organised by theFederation such as on the InfoCom ReferralInformation System, Gener-8 Community LawSub-webs and the Human Rights Charter.An excellent example of the many advantages ofco-location at the St. Kilda Community Centrewas the opportunity to participate in Word andExcel training organised for all Centre staff. ThePPCG Executive Officer Sandy Joffe organisedfor their Neighbourhood House Computer Trainer,Prue Newbery to present training specificallytailored for both PPCG and Legal service staff.The training was quite cost effective and a numberof our staff attended the various sessions.Advertising materialupdateAt the end of last year our service engagedgraphic artist Irene Metter in the development ofour new logo and stationery design and this yearwe have worked with Irene on the new servicepamphlet and banner design. A new poster isalso currently in the pipeline. We are very muchappreciative and thankful that we are able to drawon Irene’s professional experience and talentwhich has enabled our service to develop moreeye-catching and professional advertising.James CahillWed night volunteerPaul KounnasWed night volunteerAnnual Report 2006 – 2007 11
Page 3 and 4: Thirty Four Years of the ServiceThe
Page 5 and 6: Organisational StructureSocialAccou
Page 7 and 8: Board of Directors & StaffBoard of
Page 9: FundingCommonwealthand State Recurr
Page 13 and 14: Volunteer ProgramCurrent Night Serv
Page 15 and 16: Directors are outlined earlier, but
Page 17 and 18: and where there is a significant di
Page 19 and 20: In May an advocate/ guardian with t
Page 21 and 22: Drug Outreach LawyerThe drug outrea
Page 23 and 24: StatisticsAdvice & Casework Statist
Page 25 and 26: DOL Clients by Age65yrs&over50-64yr
Page 27 and 28: Director’s Declaration27
Page 29 and 30: Statement of Cash Flows for theyear
Page 31 and 32: Notes to and forming part of the Fi

St Kilda Legal Service Annual Report 2006-2007 - Community Law

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