Legal Aid Western Australia

The Centre for Social Impact UWA was engaged by Legal Aid Western Australia (LAWA) , the largest provided of legal aid services in the State, to develop a Program Model of their Child and Family Expert Service.

Child and Family Experts can be qualified social workers or psychologists who support Family Law and Protection and Care matters across regional and metropolitan Western Australia. They work flexibly, providing a client-centred and responsive engagement with families leading to improved outcomes for individuals – both families and children – as well as lawyers and the judiciary who utilise their expertise as part of the legal process.

A Program Model, which is a visual representation of the elements of a program and their intended impacts, was developed through an exploration of the context of the intervention, their core activities and the approach taken.

Findings

Our research found the service leads to early resolution of matters and diversion from further Family Law Proceedings through matters resolving or diverting to therapeutic pathways. This is having a profound impact both at the individual level and at the system level.