A NEW partnership aims to improve legal outcomes for Wimmera residents and close a community health service gap.
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The two-year Health Justice Partnership program between Grampians Community Health and the Central Highlands Community Legal Centre will allow a lawyer to provide services at the Stawell Health and Community Centre for Grampians Community Health clients.
The services will also extend to Grampians Community Health’s bases in Horsham and Ararat.
The two organisations have appointed lawyer Bronte Maddaford to lead the partnership. She is experienced in family law, family violence, dispute resolution and mental health-related cases, and will work with Grampians Community Health four days a week.
The organisation’s chief executive Greg Little said the Health Justice Partnership would allow Ms Maddaford to become immersed in the day-to-day functions of a community health service and provide services to its clients.
Part of her role will also be to train the organisation’s staff and the broader health sector about identifying timely and correct legal help for people.
Mr Little said people often confided in their community health professional on some of the issues they faced, but until now there had been a gap in how staff could help people with these issues.
“The Grampians Community Health staff will now have the knowledge and the resource in Bronte to be able to get in early and stop legal issues progressing before they have an adverse impact on the health and welfare of a person or family,” he said.
Mr Little said he had no hesitation when the Central Highlands Community Legal Centre approached his organisation for the partnership.
“A call came out of the blue on a Saturday morning from the centre manager Lisa Buckland asking me if I wanted to partner in having a Health Justice Partnership lawyer working at Grampians Community Health. I couldn’t say yes quick enough,” he said.
Ms Buckland said that the centre was excited to run the innovative program in the Wimmera.
The increased awareness of family violence has highlighted the need for greater access to local legal support for people from all walks of life in our community,” she said.
“This is about giving back to the western Victorian community a program that has worked well in other areas and it has been a gap in the west of the state.”
Ms Buckland said Ms Maddaford would complement lawyers practising privately.
“The focus for the partnership is on people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged, often where there is a gap that Legal Aid isn’t able to cover,” she said.
“We know that if people are able to identify and take action to address their legal issues, there is a likelihood of reducing health problems including stress and anxiety.”
The Department of Justice is helping fund the Health Justice Partnership.