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background

The Story

East Hackney LAW has grown out of the significant work of the Kingsmead Kabin and the Kingsmead Advice Service. Following a successful and oversubscribed 4-year pilot as part of the Kingsmead Kabin, the Kingsmead Advice Service was established in 2000. Unique in East Hackney, and currently with two-full time staff (solicitor and advice worker).

In its first 2 years we have:

1. Built the only service providing generalist advice, from self-help to casework,     representation and policy work

2. Successfully gained the CLS Quality Mark for this service and are working

   towards CLS Contracts

3. Developed a capacity to provide a home visiting service for isolated and

   housebound clients

4. Run a volunteer advisor training scheme

5. Undertaken direct work with and support to other organisations

6. Mounted 2 successful benefits take-up campaigns

7. Taken on clients from other advice agencies whose services have been cut

   (e.g. Dalston CAB)

8. Increased the income of our clients by £240,000

Based on recognition of the significant need locally the demands of users to extend the service, and the commitment from local organisations to develop outreach work together in different local contexts in 2003 we established East Hackney Legal and Advice Work (LAW). East Hackney LAW will continue to develop and profile advice work building on the success of Kingsmead Advice Service.

Over the next 3-years the East Hackney LAW will:

Pioneer a 'hub and spoke' approach to developing community-based advice provision in the East Hackney area

Build on the work of Kingsmead Advice Service

Establish a strategic advice service 'hub' in the existing Kingsmead AdviceService building (the Kingsmead Kabin) on the Kingsmead estate.

The East Hackney LAW hub is the main base for:

Administration, case-work, staff management and supervision.
'East Hackney Legal and Advice Work (LAW) which will manage and operate existing advice services (Kingsmead Advice Service).

Future developments.

East Hackney LAW will also work with other community groups to support, develop and promote advice work, including outreach posts.

We will establish a minimum of 3 outreach locations over the next 3 years on Trowbridge estate, Gascgoyne estate and in Homerton.

Each will open for a minimum of one session (morning, afternoon or evening) each week.

East Hackney LAW will employ 2 outreach advice workers, (based at the East Hackney LAW offices on Kingsmead), who will develop advice-work at the outreach locations.

Clients will be able to track the progress of their enquiry each week, or by making an appointment to visit adviser at the main East Hackney LAW office on Kingsmead estate.

East Hackney LAW will also employ a creche worker (to be funded by Homerton/Wick Sure Start) enabling us to promote and extend a more useful service to parents (including lone parents) of children under 5 years old.

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