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Law Centre
(NI) Business Plan
2006-2007
The Law
Centre’s purpose is to promote social justice and provide specialist legal
support to advice giving organisations and disadvantaged individuals.
We provide
specialist legal services to members in community care, employment, immigration,
mental health and social security law, and support the work of advice agencies
through advice, casework, training, information and publications.
About us
Main activities
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An
advice line open to members Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm in
Belfast and Derry |
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A
casework and representation service including strategic court work
provided on referral from members |
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Accredited and other training courses aimed at both experienced and new
advisers |
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The
publication of Frontline magazine four times a year, an annual
encyclopaedia of social welfare law, regular bulletins on changes to law
and policy and a casework bulletin detailing progress with Law Centre
cases |
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Quarterly practitioner fora in community care, immigration, social
security and on migrant workers issues to bring together advisers to
discuss legal issues and practitioner developments |
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The
production of informed policy comment on changes to public policy and
legislation |
Recent achievements in
2005-2006
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securing funding for a mental health legal initiative and to set up a
policy development unit; |
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winning a test case at a social security appeal tribunal establishing
that an A8 national is entitled to means-tested benefits without having
to be registered in employment for twelve months. The Department is
appealing this decision; |
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resolving the case of five nurses from the Philippines whose employer
failed to renew their work permits. Agreement was reached with the Home
Office to extend their stay and alternative employment was secured; |
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setting a judicial review and securing permission to work for an ethnic
Albanian from Serbia unable to obtain a travel document to return home.
He had been left in limbo with no access to benefits or right to work; |
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getting the Home Office to change its EEA 1-4 application forms to
include Ireland as a member state whose citizens can exercise European
Treaty rights in the UK; |
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obtaining compensation in employment cases covering whistleblowing,
failure to pay national minimum wage, race and disability
discrimination, working time directive, transfer of undertakings,
grievance/disciplinary arrangements, unlawful deductions from wages,
breach of health and safety and constructive dismissal; |
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successfully challenging immigration rules governing a mother’s right to
stay in the UK with her Irish born child at an Asylum and Immigration
Tribunal; |
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taking the first application in the Court of Appeal for a protective
costs order in a community care home adaptations case; |
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enabling 32 advisers to participate in the Welfare Rights Adviser
Programme; |
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avoiding a judicial review and agreeing a care package to stay at home
for a young man with a spinal injury who would otherwise have been
placed in residential care; |
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hosting, with Queen’s University SLS Legal Publications, a keynote
lecture by Lady Hale on ‘Why we need a more diverse judiciary’. The
lecture was published in the Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly; |
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co-sponsoring a conference with the President of Appeals Service and
Department of Constitutional Affairs on ‘Tribunals – a time for
change’. The papers were subsequently published in the Journal of
Social Security Law; |
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holding a seminar on Freedom of Information; |
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developing and delivering a new multi-disciplinary training course on
the rights of migrant workers; |
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providing training for 312 advisers and achieving an overall
satisfaction rate of 99.6 per cent from all those attending training
courses; |
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undertaking 6,454 pieces of advice, opening 355 cases and providing
representation on 291 occasions in courts, tribunals and before the
Social Security Commissioners; |
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improving accessibility of Law Centre website and producing new web
pages on tax credits; |
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developing a new user-friendly Encyclopedia of Rights CD-ROM; |
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producing an expanded booklet sign-posting immigration advice, to
include languages of new communities of migrant workers. |
Introduction
This is the
Law Centre’s Business Plan for 2006/2007. The Business Plan sets out our
strategic objectives for the second year of our Development Plan. This plan
also outlines our service delivery targets for casework, training and
publications services.
In 2005/2006,
the Law Centre met 64% of its strategic objectives. Substantial progress was
also made towards realising those objectives not met within the original
time-frame. 70% of service delivery targets were also met during 2005/2006.
The Law
Centre has recently secured funding from Atlantic Philanthropies to set up a
policy development unit and a mental health legal advice service. The policy
development unit is also being supported by funding from the Department for
Social Development for a policy post and a social security caseworker.
Establishing these new initiatives and integrating the new staff within the Law
Centre’s existing structures will be a challenging and exciting initiative this
year.
The
Department for Social Development’s Advice and Information Strategy has also
been published. The strategy, along with the Review of Public Administration, is
likely to see significant changes to the way local advice services are funded
and delivered. The Law Centre’s model of working is based on a strong and
effective voluntary advice sector. Resourcing the strategy properly will be
important to meet the aim of a more joined up strategic approach to advice
services. To this end, we will be positively engaging with government to see
this aim is realised.
Key strategic objectives
The main
strategic objectives for 2006/2007 include:
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to
have established a policy development unit; |
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to
have established a mental health legal advice service; |
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to
have commenced two hospital based legal advice clinics; |
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to
have developed a long term accommodation strategy for the organisation; |
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to
review and revise the financial reserves policy; |
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to
receive Lexcel accreditation; |
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to
achieve reaccreditation of Investors in People; |
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to
have completed a review of publications and commenced implementation of
any recommendations; |
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to
have developed and implemented a human resources strategy; |
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to
have completed an assessment of opportunities for training by distance
learning and implemented any outcomes; |
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to
have secured at least ten changes in law, policy or practice as a result
of our work; |
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to
have provided at least six policy comment papers or submissions on
proposed changes to law, policy and practice; |
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to
have entered at least ten initiatives in partnership with other agencies
to enhance the rights of or improve services to disadvantaged people. |
Service
delivery targets are set for successful outcomes at all forms of tribunals and
courts in which the Law Centre provides representation. Training objectives are
set and included in the training plan which is sent to Law Centre members.
Qualitative targets for training are set and measured by satisfaction rates
obtained through written evaluations completed by participants. A programme of
publications is also set out for this financial year.
Service delivery
Casework
The Law
Centre will achieve Lexcel accreditation for its casework services to provide an
external benchmark of the quality of casework systems and services. In addition,
by 31 March 2007 we will have:
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undertaken at least 6,000 pieces of advice; |
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opened 400 new cases; |
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taken
at least 22 strategic cases (ie cases involving court action or
representation which deal with a legal precedent or cover a point of
public interest or importance); |
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provided representation on at least 300 occasions; |
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achieved a success rates as follows: |
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social
security commissioners |
55% |
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social
security appeal tribunals |
60% |
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industrial tribunals |
70% |
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immigration appeals |
40% |
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mental
health review tribunals |
50% |
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court
hearings |
50% |
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organised at least 12 subject based practitioner fora bringing advisers
together to discuss key policy and legislative developments.
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The casework
team will also be involved in delivering training, producing casework briefings
and other publications. This is reflected in objectives contained elsewhere in
the business plan.
Training
By 31 March
2007, we will have delivered 40 training days in Belfast and 24 training days
from the western area office. Our aim is to achieve at least 90 per cent
outcome satisfaction in evaluation of overall satisfaction and 90 per cent
satisfaction that course objectives are met. The training will include:
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three
Welfare Rights Adviser Programme courses; |
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two
courses on introduction to mental health law; |
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two
courses on advisers guide to community care; |
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two
courses on social security for lawyers; |
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two
courses on community care and mental incapacity; |
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two
courses on introduction to immigration law and practice (in partnership
with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner; |
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one
course on freedom of information; |
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one
course on habitual residence and the right to reside; |
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one
course on taking cases to the social security commissioner; |
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one
course on providing representation at social security appeal tribunals; |
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one
course on tax credits: awards, revisions, renewals and overpayments; |
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one
course to update advisers on European Law and social security: an
update; |
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one
course on age discrimination and employment law; |
Publications
By 31 March
2007, the Law Centre will produce:
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a
guide to employment rights (through Queen’s University Servicing the
Legal System); |
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the
Encyclopedia of Rights (information packs on social security, tax
credits, community care, employment rights and immigration & marriage)
in CD ROM format; |
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a
booklet entitled Students and Benefits in collaboration with the Adult
Learners Finance Project – a joint initiative between NUS/USI and the
Educational Guidance Service for Adults; |
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four
editions of Frontline; |
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Rights in Progress, a guide to the Human Rights Act (third edition); |
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six
information briefings; |
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three
migrant workers rights booklets (in partnership with the Northern
Ireland Human Rights Commission); |
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an
annual report; |
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three
casework bulletins for member agencies; |
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the
business plan for 2007/2008; |
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a
training programme; |
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an
updated casework case referral policy; |
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nine
articles for publication in the Writ; |
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regular updates of material on the Law Centre’s website including a
new tax credits section on the site. |
In addition,
the Law Centre will publicise its work and organise public events including
launches, an AGM and other appropriate initiatives.
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