In Seymour, the Our Place hub brings education, health and family services together on the local primary school site, so families can get the support they need in one familiar location.
Teachers, early years educators, health workers and family support staff work side by side, often becoming the first people families turn to when problems – including legal ones – arise.
In 2025, ARC Justice collaborated with Our Place Seymour to create a tailored 12-month Community Legal Education (CLE) program for these frontline workers after many said they lacked confidence in identifying legal issues and understanding when and how to refer families for legal help.
Working with the Northern Community Legal Centre, we co-designed the CLE calendar based on what staff wanted to learn: family violence, Child Protection, legal rights, navigating court processes and more. Sessions are being delivered in person by ARC and Northern lawyers throughout 2025 and 2026.
The program is already increasing legal understanding among local service providers, who are now more confident in recognising when a family’s issue has a legal dimension and where to seek help. By improving the legal capability of these trusted professionals, families can get advice earlier and prevent problems from escalating.
This early-intervention approach directly supports Outcome 3, helping community members build the knowledge and confidence to address or avoid legal problems before they become crises. Staff are now better equipped to connect families with the right support, including our Friday duty lawyer service in Seymour.
This collaboration builds on ARC Justice’s long-standing commitment to the region, including our role in the Seymour Flood Recovery Hub after the October 2022 floods. Through Our Place, we’ve also linked with the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s SEED project, strengthening referral pathways and collaborative support for families.
We see this as the first step toward a permanent presence at Our Place – part of our long-term goal to embed legal help within community settings and strengthen people’s ability to understand and use the law in everyday life.