Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Field Officers – Leadership, legacy and impact
I recently gathered with the Legal Aid NSW senior leadership at our annual conference to learn and reflect on our purpose, people and practice. At the conference we had keynotes from the Solicitor-General of New Zealand @Una Jagose KC, Human Connection Scientist and mediator with a PhD in group dynamics @Dr Ali Walker, and psychologist Mel Harries, who skilled us up on leadership and workplace mental health. They were all exceptional speakers and educators who taught us so much. At the conference, we also heard from our Aboriginal Services team about the work of our Aboriginal Field Officers (AFOs). The lessons they shared with us about the power and importance of collaborating with AFOs and the impact of their legacy-building work connecting mob to mainstream legal services struck such a chord. For me, their often ‘low profile’, everyday impact was up there with the ‘big impact’ keynote speakers and presentations.
This week I’m preparing to interview Sonja Stewart, a proud Yuin woman and former CEO of the Law Society of NSW at our upcoming Executive offsite. In preparation for this, I was listening to an ABC interview from back in 2020 where Sonja reflected as the newly appointed CEO on what she learnt working at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) early in her career including: the importance of self-determination; doing things with legacy and impact; working with your people for your people; how to use power and how to have impact. In this interview she shared how the late, then ATSIC Commissioner, Steve Gordon would often call her from the mission out at Brewarrina and say, “What are you doing for our people today my girl?” Listening to this again caused me to reflect on just how much our incredible Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Field Officers, working in partnership with our amazing advocates, are doing for their people every single day.
Over 20% of Legal Aid NSW criminal family and civil law services are provided to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients. This financial year to date we have provided 37,471 services to Aboriginal clients. Behind this raw data are the stories and lives of clients assisted by lawyers in every local court across NSW from Sydney Central to Broken Hill and Nowra Local Court and everywhere in between, as well as clients on our Youth Hotline, in our Domestic Violence Unit, Disaster Response Legal Service, Civil Human Rights, Royal Commission Legal Services, NDIS, Mental Health Advocacy Service, Housing and homelessness legal services and Coronial Inquest Unit to name just a few.
AFOs are an integral part of our work to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients receive culturally safe, trauma-informed services that are responsive to their legal and non-legal needs. Pictured above alongside Super Cuz at their inaugural AFO event on 11 April 2024 with keynote speaker Jeff Amatto, who spoke of the importance of cultural rehabilitation as an alternative to incarceration, the Legal Aid NSW AFOs, supported by Aboriginal Services Branch, came together for team building activities that focused on wellbeing, cultural load and providing support to each other. The AFOs provide wholistic support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients across the State by addressing clients’ unmet socio-legal and non-legal needs. The AFOs' deep understanding of culture and community, coupled with their ability to build trusting relationships with community members, enables them to connect Aboriginal people to the legal and other community-based supports they need and to navigate and meaningfully engage with the legal system.
Our Solicitors in Charge who have benefited from an AFO joining their team describe their impact as revolutionary. In Broken Hill, the AFO has worked closely with the criminal law solicitors to secure bail and make Supreme Court Bail applications for a great many clients – their investigations and community engagement work to identify appropriate accommodation and prepare support letters was pivotal to the success of the bail application. In the civil space, the AFO connected with clients who were at risk of having their homes sold by the council for unpaid rates. Once unaware of the legal avenues and support available to them, these clients are now being assisted by our civil lawyers in the office, thanks to the AFOs' work. In Campbelltown, the AFO's ability to reach out and build a trusting relationship with an incredibly vulnerable client with serious unaddressed mental health conditions has meant that rather than being homelessness, the client is now represented and supported to attend NCAT proceedings in relation to his tenancy. Further, as a result of the AFO's rapport building and referrals to Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service, the client is now receiving ongoing support for their mental health. The AFO in Campbelltown has also been instrumental in supporting the introduction and smooth running of Circle Sentencing at the Campbelltown Local Court.
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More broadly, the impact, contribution and individualised support for clients provided by our AFOs includes:
If you’re interested in finding out more about the framework underpinning how our legal practitioners harness the cultural knowledge, community connections and expertise of our Aboriginal Field Officers, please contact the Aboriginal Services Branch at [email protected].
I am deeply in awe of the cultural knowledge and wisdom of our AFOs and the incredible work they are doing with and for our people at Legal Aid NSW.
It's inspiring to see the positive impact the Aboriginal Field Officer program is making. The dedication of the AFOs truly makes a difference in the community. What initiatives have been most rewarding for you?
Director, Aboriginal Services at Legal Aid NSW
11 个月Thank you, Monique, for shining a light on the really important and valuable work of our AFOs. Such amazing contributions to the work of Legal Aid and to the communities that we service. Very proud.
NSW Legal Aid Private Lawyer Quality Standards Unit Gr I - III Solicitor
11 个月Well, I can only say I am overwhelmed with the eventual recognition AFOs who make the delivery of services to the most vulnerable people in Australian society possible. As a AFO in the past with my fellow bruthas who have moved on to be Doctors and Lawyers it's so deadly those who have picked up the gauntlet to work in community are finally being recognised and respected.