Families going through courts in Devon and Cornwall are set to get an extra boost. We are one of 59 frontline organisations selected by Government to support vulnerable people in Devon and Cornwall.
We’ve been chosen out of 221 organisations for the innovative Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support Fund (distributed by The Access to Justice Foundation). This is the result of a £10 million grant programme from the Ministry of Justice. Shabana Aslam, Grants Director of The Access to Justice Foundation, said:
We’re pleased to be working with the 59 funded organisations on the new Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support grant programme. The Access to Justice Foundation exists to support organisations providing free legal advice to help people most in need address their social welfare issues.
This grant will help organisations across England and Wales to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal advice, specialist casework and where court or tribunal proceedings are needed, provide the support needed to help people navigate the process effectively.
Access to advice and support for family hearings
For the next two years, we will work independently and alongside local and national partners to extend our support to litigants in person (people who do not qualify for legal aid) going through the Family Courts in Newton Abbot, Plymouth, Bodmin, Truro and Exeter.
CASS+ has been picking up ad hoc referrals to support people coming through courts for civil matters for many years. I am delighted to now be approaching this as a structured project. We will need to network across new and existing partners. I know that the organisation is well placed to take on these challenges and we look forward to our collective learning on making courts more accessible. It’s so important to improve people’s understanding of their situation at such difficult and emotional times.
Carole Edwards, CEO, CASS+
Getting people the help they need
This expansion of the CASS+ service means that more people will get the right emotional support through very stressful and protracted hearings.
People often arrive at court alone, feeling powerless, trapped and terrified. We are free, and independent of the system. We sit down and listen. We build trust and use our knowledge and connections to find solutions to complicated situations. We guide towards positive change and stay by their side for as long as they want us.
If you are on your own, without legal representation and need support at a Family Court in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Plymouth, Bodmin or Truro, please contact CASS+: family@cassplus.org, or click here to find your local office.
You can find out more about our impact here.
