Community Education & Engagement

Being a victim of crime can affect your mental health and wellbeing. The Crime Victims Counselling Service provides counselling and support for people affected by crime. We make sure victims have the resources and support they need to move on with their lives.

We can help people who are the victim of a crime or who witness a crime. We can also help relatives and close friends of a victim.

Our counselling service is tailored to the needs of each client. Clients are entitled to up to eight clinical counselling sessions. Counselling can be face-to-face, by telephone or in a group setting.

We can assist with:

• Information and advice about the legal process and your rights
• Applications for compensation.
• Referrals to other support services
• Community education and training

People can refer themselves to this program. Service providers (including GPs and agencies) can also make referrals.

Call: 1800 899 855 (free call) to make a referral Email: CrimeVictims@catholiccarent.org.au

The Elders Visiting Program provides Elders the opportunity to participate in a prisoner’s preparation for release. Elders and community members can participate in mediated discussions with offenders in preparation for their release and return to community.

We help Elders to engage with community members and stakeholders. We help to facilitate conversations with community members and offenders that allow them to reach a decision.

CAAFLU provides culturally appropriate legal and support services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have experienced or are experiencing domestic and family violence or sexual assault.

• legal advice and representation
• advocacy
• information
• referrals
• support

DCLS is a free, confidential service. We assist disadvantaged members of the community to protect their legal rights. We work towards a community where everyone has access to legal advice and support. We seek to challenge unjust laws and procedures, and to ensure that people are aware of their legal rights.

General Legal Service

The General Legal Service can provide free legal information and advice on most non-criminal matters including:

• employment
• credit and debt
• social security (Centrelink) rights
• discrimination

Tenants’ Advice Service

Provides information, advice, advocacy and support for tenants on all tenancy and related legal issues.

The TAS works to:

• Advise you on problems you are having with your landlord or real estate agent.
• Negotiate and advocate on your behalf with your landlord or real estate agent.
• Assist you with advice, documentation and in some cases representation before the Norther Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).
• Talk to your community group or organisation about tenants’ rights
• Undertake activities to improve legislation and policies for residential tenants in the Northern Territory

Seniors and Disability Rights Service

The Seniors and Disability Rights Service is based in Darwin and regularly visits Katherine, Nhulunbuy and other locations across the Top End of the NT as required.

The Seniors and Disability Rights Service assists older people or people with disabilities and their representatives who:

• want to know about their rights and how to obtain them
• receive Commonwealth funded aged care services in residential facilities

We also provide:

• community awareness and education activities
• factsheets
• systemic advocacy, policy and law reform work
• NDIS planning and appeals support
• information, education and referrals through our Elder Abuse Information Line (1800 037 072)

Katherine Women’s Information & Legal Service (KWILS) is a not-for-profit Community Legal Centre based in Katherine, Northern Territory. We are a specialist women’s legal service providing all women, and those who identify as women, in Katherine and the Big Rivers Region access to free and professional legal and support services, with a particular focus on the reduction of domestic, family and sexual violence. We also provide community legal education and undertake advocacy and law reform work in areas that improve gender equity and address gendered violence.

KWILS aims to ensure that all women in the Katherine region have access to free legal advice and representation in the following areas:

• Domestic, Family and Personal Violence
• Child protection
• Family Law
• Discrimination (age, sex, race, gender etc)
• Employment (including sexual harassment)
• Government complaints (including the conduct of Police, Corrections & Education)
• Health Care Complaints Commission (including the conduct of Health Care, Aged Care and Disability Care Providers)
• Coronial Inquests
• Tenancy Law (public and private tenancies)
• Social Security/Centrelink
• Consumer law (Credit & Debts)
• Victims of Crime and Motor Accidents Compensation

Provides legal assistance including advice and casework for indigenous women, children and young people affected by family or domestic violence. North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service Provides legal assistance, referral and support for indigenous men, women, children and young people affected by family or domestic violence and sexual assault. NAAFVLS also focuses on raising community awareness and implementing prevention initiatives to address the problems of family violence.

We provide high quality advice and representation and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Central Australia.

Our vision is justice, dignity and equal rights and treatment before the law for Aboriginal people in Central Australia. Services include:

• Criminal Law
• Civil Law
• Family Law
• Community Legal Education
• Welfare Rights
• Youth Justice Advocacy
• Social Justice
• Kunga Program

We provide free and confidential legal information, referral to other helpful services and legal advice appointments for most legal problems in the NT.

Call the Legal Aid Helpline on 1800 019 343. The Helpline operator will talk about what type of problem you need help with and connect you to the correct office at Legal Aid to make an appointment. We provide legal advice over the phone, or in person if that is preferred.

Your nearest Legal Aid office runs legal advice clinics in family law, criminal law and civil law matters.

Ongoing legal representation is available to people who qualify for a grant of legal aid. We require you to meet a financial means test and your legal problem must be something we are funded to provide representation for.

Take your first step towards a solution and call the Legal Aid Helpline on 1800 019 343

We provide information, crisis counselling and referrals for other support services to any victim of crime, past or present. We can also assist in the preparation of documentation such as Victim Impact Statements and applications for financial assistance where victims are eligible. When necessary we will also advocate on behalf of a victim of crime to other agencies such as police, government and non-government agencies. VoCNT are also able to offer support to victims of crime participating in Youth Justice Conferencing and Youth Diversion Programs.

Free call – 1800 672 242 This line is to be contacted in the event of a break-in in order for contractors to be contacted to re-secure or clean up a property. The phone line is a free call number Territory wide and available during business hours. For after hours, please contact us via out website.

Court Services For those victims feeling traumatised or overwhelmed by the court process we can provide a support person to accompany them to court.

Safe at Home Program This program is targeted towards Territorians who are most at risk of unlawful entry or domestic violence and/or personal crime in local and remote communities by assisting to improve the security of their homes or housing.

Restore, Recover and Protect Program This Program is designed to assist victims of crime financially to re-secure their property following an unlawful entry. Please contact our service regarding eligibility for the program.

Public Education We can provide public education on issues related to victims of crime including presentations, workshops, seminars and media interviews.