Community Legal Advice Centres & Networks

As well as highlighting key benefits of bringing services together for clients through an ‘integrated advice service model’, the research has raised a number of issues that the LSC needs to consider in the light of the government’s current assessment of the way legal aid is provided.

The four reports produced on this research topic can be found on the LSRC’s website.

Statement on the future of joint commissioning

We have published a statement on the future of joint commissioning.  The statement makes our plans for future Community Legal Advice centres and networks clear, in order to give those providers bidding for Social Welfare Law contracts in 2010 as much certainty as possible about the duration of the contract.

The statement and a Q and A can be found under Documents.

Where are we currently working?

We are currently working with the following local authorities to jointly commission a Community Legal Advice Centre or Network:

• Wakefield
• Manchester

Working with the relevant local authorities we have developed and opened Community Legal Advice Centres and Networks in the following areas (click on the links to go to each Centre or Network's website):

• Gateshead
• Portsmouth
• Leicester
• Derby 
• Hull
• East Riding of Yorkshire
• West Sussex
• Barking and Dagenham

Aims and objectives

Community Legal Advice centres and networks aim to:

• enable people to protect their fundamental rights and sort out legal disputes
• tackle disadvantage and promote social inclusion
• deliver legal advice services to local communities according to local needs and priorities
• provide quality integrated legal advice services ranging from basic information to representation in court, which offer value for money and are supported by co-ordinated funding
• be independent of funders and government
• bring services to clients who do not currently access legal services.

Accessing legal aid

Centres and networks will combine our funding and knowledge with that of local authorities and other funders to jointly buy services that better meet the needs of local people.

They will provide access to face to face legal advice from basic advice to specialist representation. The advice is in the five social welfare law categories:

• community care
• debt
• employment
• housing
• welfare benefits.

Seeking legal advice?

Community Legal Advice can help if you are eligible for legal aid.

Call the helpline now on 0845 345 4345.

Calls cost no more than 4p per minute from a BT landline but calls from mobiles are usually more. Worried about the cost? Ask an advisor to call you back.

The helpline has a translation service if you would like advice in a language other than English or Welsh.

For more information

Visit the CLS>Tenders page for invitations to tender.

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Last updated: 30 July 2010