Family support project

Govan Law Centre family support project is a joint project with Children 1st to improve the lives ‘just coping’ families.

We provide legal and money advice services to families with young children who are already working with Children 1st in the Glasgow south. The project is funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. Lorna Walker (senior solicitor) and Alison McLaughlin (money advisor with Children 1st) are the key staff working on this project.

We work along side Children 1st early years and family services in Glasgow.  Our legal services are aimed at families who are coping but whose debt and legal problems are in danger of becoming too much for them.  We ensure these families can access appropriate legal advice and representation alongside the intensive family support that the existing Children 1st services provide.

The project also provides training to Children 1st staff to keep them updated on all aspects of housing, welfare, debt and benefit law.

We run advice services for family support workers and their clients; support family support workers who have complex cases; take on legal case work referrals including defending evictions, appeal to social security tribunals and take on judicial reviews and legal appeals.

This is an exciting  innovative project and fits with GLC’s aim to intervene early as we can before problems become even more stressful, complicated and expensive for our clients and public services. The work supports our families to achieve long term goals they are working towards with Children 1st.

KEY FACTS:
All clients are referred to us through Children’s 1st advice work team
We aim to help 60 families every year
Telephone advice is provided to Children’s 1st caseworkers and we provide legal support
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