Community Legal Education and Reform [database]

Steve Womersley (National Assoc. CLCs)

Background

CLE database - first suggested?

Background

2008 - AGD one-off grant to NACLC to strengthen sector support and coordination.

NACLC to develop proposal for improved mechanisms or procedures for coordinating CLE and law reform work undertaken by CLCs.

Background

2009 - Rachna Muddagouni prepared report for NACLC

Background

8.3 Lack of systems and process... At the best the worker may make time to send a copy or inform colleagues working in the same area that an activity has been completed. Staff know many other CLC workers who work in a particular area, but they do not know all the people who encounter these matters, whose clients have these same issues, who may be looking to address those same legal needs or issues. Even more rarely is there time for reflection and analysis afterwards, and a mechanism to communicate what is learned to others and learn from them what they have been doing, how and what they have learned.

Background

8.6 Potential for unnecessary duplication of CLC workToo often, centres have much to learn from each other in relation to CLE or community empowerment activities, law reform submissions, or campaign development. Currently the sector lacks a uniform way of sharing information about what they do and how they do it. When commencing a new strategy, although the local or specialist community is the first and foremost guide for the work to be done, similar work may already have been done by another CLC, and the opportunity to leverage off that work may be missed... unnecessary duplication (caused by centres being simply unaware of similar work) is a waste of the sector’s limited resources.

Background

2010 - NACLC funded to employ 0.4 Project Worker to develop database

Background

February 2011 - Project Worker employed

Background

October 2011 - CLEAR launched at NACLC Conference with 180 projects

Background

January 2012 - 0.2 EFT Project Worker position extended until December 2012.

Project Worker Role

Promote CLEAR Source projects Moderate submitted projects Promote projects via Twitter, e-

newsletter Review uploaded projects Liaise with site developers re fixes etc Monitor and report on site usage Evaluate site

Functionality

CLEAR homepage

Introduction to CLEAR

Statistics

270 projects contributed by approx. 68 CLCs etc

33 Community Development, 194 Community Legal Education, 58 Law Reform

Projects by Jurisdiction 89 VIC 72 Commonwealth 69 NSW 19 SA 16 WA 12 QLD 8 TAS 2 ACT 0 NT

Statistics

NACLC Website

Page Views (Oct 11- Feb 12): 855 Page Ranking: 14th (out of 1835)

Promotion

@NACLCBruce on Twitter 191 tweets 281 followers

E-newsletter 431 on mailing list February newsletter Law Week newsletter (new projects,

updates,

Recent Developments

January 2011: VLF and the NSW Law and Justice Foundation - submission to CLEAR a mandatory funding acquittal item for funded CLC projects.

February 2011 CLEAR opened to Non-CLCs (What’s the Law? Best for Kids, Progressive Law Network)

The Future?

Project Worker funding ends Dec 2012

Resourcing/link with National CLEWS?

CLEWS Network

Meets annually at NACLC Conference (share information/projects; assess CLE Guidelines; professional development)

Vic, NSW CLEWS, WA (Oct) PLUs intermittent CLEWS Resources (inc

Guidelines for the management of community legal education)

Opportunity for joint session in October

CLE at Loddon Campaspe

Monthly lunchtime discussions 2010 (Get Smart – credit and debt

CLE for young people ), 2012 (Sex and the Law with VLA)

CLE Worker 0.4 EFT