Ms Rose Wall:

There is a major need for a community education programme and it has two aspects. As the Deputy correctly indicated, sometimes people become aware of how the law is relevant to their lives through a traumatic event but sometimes it is still not obvious after a traumatic event. We have experience of people coming into our clinic to get advice on a slip and fall, which is a classic legal matter. Talking to these people one might also realise they are homeless or have been refused social welfare; they might have a range of legal issues that they may not even have identified as being legal problems. Sometimes a traumatic event is not enough for them to crystallise it as a legal issue.

A community education programme is critical and it should go to the community, as we do, to speak to people about law, rights and how the law can be used to enforce those rights. One must also work with organisations that might be contacted by individuals, including those dealing with citizens' information and family resource centres. These are organisations that link with the community on a regular basis. People might go to them for help but perhaps they might not categorise it as legal help. We often go to the community and provide education to individuals and training or capacity-building for organisations that provide information. They might be the first port of call for individuals.