SUPPORTING CLIENTS DEALING WITH LEGAL ISSUES:An Introduction to CLEO’s Your Rights. Your Language. ProjectOCASI SPRING 2010: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

Shankari Balendra, Settlement CounselorAccess Alliance Multicultural Health & Community ServicesT: 416 693 8677 ext 401E: sbalendra@accessalliance.ca

Lisa Cirillo, Legal & Project CoordinatorFLEW (Family Law Education for Women)T 416 961 8101 x 302  E: lcirillo@onefamilylaw.ca

Workshop Presented By:

Workshop Outline: Welcome and Introductions Goals and objectives Format / Q & As Introduction to Your Rights. Your

Language. Project & materials How these materials can help you to

support your clients

Intro

duct

ions

& Go

als

Who’s in the room?

What are your goals for today’s session?

Workshop Format Presentation, short small group

discussion and report back Guidelines for discussion Please share your expertise! Questions and input welcome!

Your Rights. Your Language.

Who is CLEO?Co

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unit

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gal E

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tion

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ntar

io

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leo.

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a community legal aid clinic

specializing in public legal education

produces plain language legal resources to help people understand and exercise their rights

prior to this project, bulk of CLEO’s materials available in English and French only

Why this project? Many newcomers to Ontario do not

understand either official language CLEO’s research confirmed clear need

for PLE materials for low income people in Ontario who are not fluent in either official language

Advisory Group Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community

Service Arab Community Centre of Toronto Catholic Cross-cultural Services Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa Centre for Information and Community Services of

Ontario Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples Legal Clinic Midaynta Community Services New Canadians Centre of Excellence Inc. (Windsor) Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

Phase I: Six Languages Text & Audio

Project Initially a pilot project launched by CLEO

& Advisory Group in 2006 First series of materials dealing with six

areas of law released in October 2008 In late 2008, CLEO secured extension

funding for Phase II

Phase II: Your Rights. Your Language.

Development of two new pieces in area of housing law

Focus on community outreach, promotion and distribution of materials

Target languages Arabic Mandarin and Simplified Chinese Somali Spanish Tamil Urdu

Six Original Topics Children’s aid: Information for parents Criminal charges in Canada and your

immigration status Do you want to sponsor your family to

join you in Canada? Has your child been charged with a

crime? Refugee claims in Canada Your rights as a worker

New Topics Renting a place to live Does your landlord want you to move

out?

Audio materials audio recordings of each resource in all of

the languages (approximately 5-8 minutes each)

also, 30-second public service announcements for radio; each gives one substantive piece of information, for example, you have rights as a worker even if you don’t have status

can be listened to online, or can order CD with audio files from CLEO

listen....

Public Service Announcements(PSAs)

Text materials can be viewed, downloaded and printed

from the website (www.cleo.on.ca) print copies available through CLEO space underneath “for more help” is so

that local agencies and other local referrals on materials

Findhelp

Telephone: 1-866-667-5366

Toll-free number, staffed 24/7 by trained, multilingual information & referral specialists

Outreach strategy Text and audio materials online and by order Outreach to multicultural newspapers to

encourage them to print text pieces as articles

CDs of audio available for agencies to play in reception areas

Outreach to radio to broadcast 30 second public services announcements on each topic; each gives one substantive message about legal rights

Online: www.cleo.on.ca

Your Rights. Your Language.

Print Materials

YRYL and social media Insert text and links from fiona

Any questions? About YRYL project? About the materials? How to access materials?

Strategies for settlement, outreach and community engagement workers

How to use YRYL materials

YRYL materialsYo

ur R

ight

s. Y

our

Lang

uage

.Pr

ojec

t Re

sour

ces

• Information Sheets• CDs with audio files• Posters• Postcards• Display cases

Use of materialsIn your session with client…

Use of materialsIn your session with client – audio

piece

Community information sessions

Workshops

Resource center

Information Sharing Community programs

Small Group Work...

Questions for small groups:1. How can you/your agency use the

YRYL materials in your work?2. Where do you refer clients for

information about their legal rights?3. Where do you refer clients for legal

assistance?4. What other legal issues do your clients

have questions about?***

Guidelines for group work

Groups of 6-8 people Consider discussion questions Appoint someone to report back to

larger group 20 minutes for small group discussions

Report Back & Idea Sharing

Where to go for legal information and advice

Referrals

Legal information: CLEO: www.cleo.on.ca CLEONET: http://www.cleonet.ca/ FLEW: www.onefamilylaw.ca Ontario Women’s Justice Network

(http://www.owjn.org/) Family Law Information Centres (FLICs) (LAO) Human Rights Legal Support Centre

(http://www.hrlsc.on.ca )

www.cleonet.ca

www.onefamilylaw.ca

Legal information, cont’d. Ministry of Attorney General

(www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca) Department of Justice (http://www.justice.gc.ca) Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Canada

Revenue Agency Settlement agencies Community legal clinics Law Society of Upper Canada and Canadian

Society of Immigration Consultants

Legal assistance

1. Legal Aid Ontario Apply for a certificate to hire a private lawyer – now, call 1-

800-668-8258 (416-979-1446 in Toronto) NOTE: must meet financial eligibility and case selection criteria If criminal, immigration or family law issues, visit specialized

legal clinic: • family law office [Toronto, Thunder Bay, Ottawa] • criminal law office [Barrie, Brampton,Ottawa]• refugee law office [Toronto 1-800-668-8258 or 416-977-8111] Duty counsel (criminal, family, tenant, mental health)• Note: for criminal matters, 24 hr duty counsel hotline Visit your local community legal clinic

Other legal referrals:Justice for Children and Youthwww.jfcy.org 416 920 1633 or 1 866 999 5329

LSUC’s Lawyer Referral Service - 30 minutes free consultation regular line: 1-800-268-8326 GTA: 416-947-3330

Want to find out more?Contact CLEO at 416 408-4420Check out the full YRYL library online – or visit our display table in the information fair

Follow YRYL on Facebook and Twitter

Remember, you can help! Share these materials with your clients

who need information about their legal rights

Display the YRYL materials in your office Take our posters and postcards with you

to community events Spread the work to your colleagues about

these materials

Workshops wanted! Want to know more about YRYL? Wish your colleagues were here? Have an opinion about what topics we should tackle

next?

We are looking for workshop opportunities to spread the word about YRYL and to seek input on additional legal topics. If you are interesting in hosting a workshop, please sign up on the sheet at the front of the room or contact us at 416 408-4420.

We are always interested in improving these workshops and value any feedback provide. Please take a moment to complete evaluation survey for workshop.

Thank you!