LAW CENTRE (NI)
Law Centre (NI) was established as Belfast Community Law Centre in 1977. In 1980, it was reconstituted as Belfast Law Centre. In 1994, it became a company limited by guarantee and a charity and the name was changed to Law Centre (NI).
1.0 PURPOSE OF THE LAW CENTRE IS:
To promote social justice and provide specialist legal support to advice-giving organisations and disadvantaged individuals.
2.0 MEMBERSHIP
Membership consists of three categories:
Full Membership – Access to all services voting rights
Associate Comprehensive – Access to all services
Associate Standard – Access to publications
Full members must satisfy the following criteria:
· be involved in social welfare law;
· be formally constituted;
· be impartial, non-discriminatory and confidential;
· provide an advice service free of charge;
· carry professional indemnity insurance;
· be in broad compliance with the aim and objectives of Law Centre (NI)
A list of members can be found in our Annual Report
There are presently around 400 full and associate members who are affiliated to the Law Centre and receive our magazine, information material etc and avail of our general services. These associate members include voluntary organisations, individuals, public bodies, solicitors, social services and probation offices, political parties and community-based organisations.
3.0 STRUCTURE OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The Management Committee of Law Centre (NI) consists of:
“up to 15 members with at least 50% plus one of voting members elected by the membership with others co-opted to represent special interests and skills
as required”.
As a matter of policy, the Management Committee structure for Law Centre (NI) is as follows:
(a) Number of Elected Members
In order to allow for a majority of voting members to be elected and to keep the number of non-voting members to a minimum and allow for a significant number of co-options, the number of elected members is at least eight, allowing for up to seven co- options.
(b) Method of Election
The different types of advice agency represented by our membership should be reflected on the Management Committee. Rather than rely on co-options which may be needed for other purposes, a system is used for electing members which more or less guarantees that different types of members are represented on the Management Committee.
Thus, persons put forward for election are divided into three categories:
- regional organisations
- CABx
- local advice groups
A total of at least eight persons are elected from these three categories. At least two people are elected from each category. Each member organisation has at least eight votes and has to vote for at least two in each category, thus virtually guaranteeing the election of at least two people from each category of member organisation.
(c) Term of Election
The term of election for Management Committee members is two years with no bar on re-election.
(d) Co-options
The number of co-options can be up to seven. Two of these places are reserved for persons nominated by the Belfast Solicitors Association and the L’Derry Solicitors Association to consolidate and build upon our positive relationship with the private legal profession.
While there is no specific reserved co-option to represent the interests of people with disabilities or minority ethnic communities, it is policy that if these interests are not represented through the elected members of the Committee, then co-options may be used to correct this imbalance.
Up to three other co-options are used to co-opt persons with particular skills and/or to redress any imbalance in relation to types of agency, geography, gender, perceived religious background etc. Possible co-optees include: legal/social policy academics and persons with finance/accountancy and other relevant skills.
4.0 OPERATION OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The Committee normally meets at least seven times a year with Finance & General Purposes Committee meeting monthly to carry business forward. Occasional special meetings of the Committee are held to consider particular issues, eg a Development Plan.
The present composition of the Management Committee is as follows:
Janet Hunter Housing Rights Service
Ciaran McAteer Solicitor in private practice (Chair)
Delegate of Belfast Solicitors Association
Fiona Magee AdviceNI
Karen Campbell Former Assistant Manager Holywood CAB
Norman Stewart WAVE Trauma Centre
Sharon Dillon Dungannon CAB
Mick McAtavey Belfast Group CAB
Donal McKinney Falls Community Council
Cathal McElhatton Foyle Health and Social Services Trust
Grainne McKeever University of Ulster (School of Law) (Vice Chair)
Barrie McLatchie Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (Treasurer)
Mary McManus East Belfast Independent Advice Centre
Michael Roddy Omagh Independent Advice Centre
Patrice Hardy Equality Commission
5.0 FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE
The F&GPC is made up of at least four members of the Management Committee including the Treasurer, the Chairperson and meets once a month.
6.0 STAFF
The present complement of permanent staff in the Law Centre is 34 full-time staff and 14
part-time staff.
Core funding comes from the Department for Social Development. Other posts are funded by the four Health and Social Services Boards (now the Regional Commissioning Authority) which funds the Community Care Legal Advice service, the Department of Employment and Learning which funds an Employment Rights service, and the Legal Services Commission who fund an Immigration Legal Appeals service. In addition, Atlantic Philanthropies funds the Law Centre’s mental health legal service and part of the policy unit.
Currently, the staff structure includes a Director and two Assistant Directors.
The office in Derry is managed on a day to day basis by a senior solicitor. The organisation operates with a team structure with casework, training and publications, finance and administration teams.
7.0 OFFICES
The Law Centre has presently two offices - the Central Office at 124 Donegall Street, Belfast and the Western Office at 9 Clarendon Street, Derry.
8.0 FUNDING
Grant aided funding is around 90% of total income. The remaining 10% is generated through project income, charging for services (training fees, membership and subscription fees and sale of publications), legal aid and legal costs. The total budget for 2011/2012 was around £1.6 million.
9.0 SERVICES PROVIDED
The services provided by the Law Centre can be broken down into four main categories: Advice/Casework/Training/Publications and Policy work.
The Advice/Casework service is provided from Belfast and Derry offices. The service consists of:
- a telephone advice service (operating mornings only) for members and
associate members;
- an advice/casework service to clients referred by members and other
appropriate bodies which includes representation at a tribunal or in
court in appropriate cases.
The advice line handled over 7000 inquiries in 2010/2011 and took on over 300 cases in the same period. The Law Centre aims to be strategic in its work, taking a number of important public interest and test cases to the High Court, Court of Appeal and Social Security Commissioners.
The subject areas covered by the advice/casework service are detailed in Appendix 1.
The training service consists of training provided at foundation, intermediate and advanced level covering the Law Centre’s areas of law. An accredited Welfare Rights Adviser Programme covering eight weeks is run on a regular basis. One off training events and training in partnership with other organisations is also delivered. A training programme is published each year.
APPENDIX 1
Law Centre (NI) - Areas of Work
Our current areas of work in which we provide both advice/casework and training/information services as appropriate are:
Social Security Income Support, Social Fund, Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, Health Benefits. Industrial Injuries Benefits, Disability Benefits (including Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance). Representation at Appeal Tribunals (where complex) and Social Security Commissioners hearings.
Community Care General legal issues around provision of health and social services and social security matters related to residential, hospital and other forms of care.
Employment General employment rights, representation at Industrial Tribunals where Trade Union cannot represent or person cannot afford a solicitor.
Immigration/Nationality People from abroad wishing to stay in the UK,
including applications for asylum and other
immigration and nationality issues.
Mental Health Issues including compulsory detention, capacity, service provision and representation at mental health review tribunals.
The Law Centre’s work also includes dealing with Human Rights Act and European Law issues in the above fields including migrant worker issues. Our constitution states that the Law Centre will not normally undertake certain types of work including acting for landlords or employers, commercial work and conveyancing.
The Publication service consists of the provision of an online Encyclopedia of Rights covering social security and community care law which is updated annually and available on the Law Centre’s website www.lawcentreni.org, other guides on rights, the quarterly magazine ‘Frontline’; monthly e-newsletter, casework bulletins; occasional information bulletins and briefing papers on various areas of welfare law; and occasional publications on specific issues.
The Policy Development service - The Law Centre also has a policy development unit which works pro-actively on policy issues arising from the Law Centre’s work and responds to consultation documents and legislative change initiated by government as well as lobbying for specific policy issues through the Northern Ireland Assembly and elsewhere.
Our website address is: www.lawcentreni.org
September 2011
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