- Legal AID WA establishes dedicated service for people with disability
- Disability Legal WA to provide wraparound support for clients
- Service aims to provide equitable access to justice and improved outcomes
A dedicated legal service for people with disability has been established to better meet the diverse needs of these clients.
Disability Legal WA (DLWA) will operate within Legal Aid WA to case manage clients with disabilities and collaborate to make services more accessible.
Legal Aid’s existing and newly created business units will support DLWA’s case management team, which will provide a single point of contact for these clients.
The team, led by a managing solicitor, will be supported by lawyers and social workers to provide wraparound support for the clients.
DLWA will complement and work with other legal assistance providers, including community legal centres and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, which are also delivering services to people with disability.
These efforts are reflected in the WA Legal Assistance Strategy, which identifies people with a disability among priority client groups for legal assistance services.
The 2022-2035 strategy emphasises the need for tailored services to meet the needs of high-demand groups across the legal assistance sector.
The strategy prioritises people experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage, who are more likely to face legal problems and less able to access legal assistance.
DLWA will also seek to incorporate into its service model any recommendations in the final report from the Disability Royal Commission after they are published.
Comments attributed to Attorney General John Quigley:
“Establishing legal services for people with disability is one of the key planks of the Government’s WA Legal Assistance Strategy.
“People living with disability regularly present with a range of interconnected legal issues, and face a variety of barriers, both legal and non-legal to accessing justice.
“The DLWA, and other services like it, aim to address these issues by providing access to appropriate and timely legal assistance.”
Comments attributed to Disability Services Minister Don Punch:
“The community expects people with disability be provided access to high levels of inclusive, equitable and tailored services, to ensure their full participation in the community and in all matters that affect them.
“It’s pleasing the service model Legal Aid has adopted places the client, rather than the legal issue, at the centre of the process.
“DLWA will also work to engage with stakeholders in the disability sector to ensure clients have access to the other services they need.”
Comments attributed to Disability Legal WA solicitor Helen Loreck:
“In 2022-23, more than 29 per cent of Legal Aid WA’s clients disclosed that they had a disability or mental health issue.
“The launch of this new service is an important step in ensuring clients with disability can be empowered to make informed decisions, participate in the justice system, and get equitable access to justice.
“Legal Aid WA is committed to being a leader in the field of disability service provision.”
