Public legal education:Improving lives, empowering communities

Welcome to issue no.2 of the Public Legal Education Network newsletter.
In this issue we throw the spotlight onto the subject of evaluation, and include a combination of excellent PLE resources and associated evaluations.

Check out Plenet events to see what's been going on, and if you haven't yet booked to attend our Legal Empowerment conference in February - BOOK NOW, there are limited spaces available!

In this issue:
• Evaluating PLE - next steps
• Guide for asylum seekers
• DLA/AA Action guides

Evaluating PLE - next steps

Good evaluation is fundamental to improving the development of PLE. Yet many projects struggle to evaluate their work effectively, either due to lack of time and resources or because they lack expertise in evaluation. We aim to support improved evaluation by sharing evaluation findings and working on evaluation tools.
Read the article - Evaluating public legal education: where we are now and where we want to get to (73 KB)

To find out more about research and evaluation check out our website link Research and Theory

Guide for asylum seekers

Right to sanctuary – rhetoric or reality?
The rhetoric of bringing rights home may bear little resemblance to the realities of life in Britain from the perspective of young asylum seekers and refugees. Yet PLE can be a valuable tool in reducing the impact of isolation and confusion experienced by many newcomers by letting young people know what life in Britain can offer them, and where they can get help.

Life and Law in Britain: A guide for young asylum seekers - www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk Following the huge success of the Citizenship Foundation's Young Citizen's Passport, their subsequent publication: Life and Law in Britain: A guide for young asylum seekers offers an accessible source of help and information for new arrivals to the UK. "In Britain today 'asylum' has become a political football and a term of abuse". So comments Alveena Malik, former head of the communities and integration team at the Commission for Racial Equality, in her introductory think piece 'Life and Law in Britain: A response in an age of indifference'.

Read the evaluation report - Life and Law in Britain: a guide for young asylum seekers and refugees - Evaluation

Essi Lindstedt of the Citizenship Foundation introduces the evaluation, and gauges the impact of the publication on the lives of young asylum seekers, refugees and their support workers.

Read her article - Life and Law in Britain - Essi Linstedt (113 KB)

Evaluation Action Guides

Advicenow has produced two self management guides aimed at helping people who don't qualify for legal help to manage their problems. These were on Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance appeals and interviews under caution for suspected benefit fraud. The guides include information on the issue; a guide to the actions needed to resolve the problem; and material providing the knowledge and skills to manage the problem effectively and to encourage the reader to seek further advice.

These guides were independently evaluated by talking to people who used the guides, and to advice workers and other intermediaries. As well as raising issues relevant to improving the guides the evaluation flagged up policy concerns that were also reported on.

Read the Action Guides -
DLA/AA Action Guide
Interview under Caution Action Guide

Read the evaluation report - DLA-AA/IUC Action guide evaluation report

Read about the policy issues - Policy issues report

All these links are on Advicenow - About us

Better Information Handbook

The first version of Advicenow's Better Information Handbook is now available. The handbook looks at the issues involved in the successful delivery of information to the public, draws together good practice, and provides plenty of practical advice on techniques and procedures. Download your free copy from Better Information

This work was funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Ministry of Justice.

January 2009

www.plenet.org.uk

Plenet events

The Legal Empowerment Conference - Book online here!
23rd February 2009, Dexter House, Tower Hill, London

click here to download
Speakers:
• Lord William Bach
• Professer Dame Hazel Genn
• Dr. Diane Rhyason

Key topics will include:
• Adult education
• Young people
• International PLE
• Research and evaluation
• Pro Bono and PLE
• Advice Services and PLE

CLA News
Community Legal Advice have launched a new section on their website; 'Do you help people get advice?'. CLA - Adviser information
It will give you quick links to information and tools on the site that you may find useful such as legal aid eligibility calculator, directory of advice providers and online ordering of CLA promotional materials.

If you want to keep up to date with Community Legal Advice news and developments you can now also sign up to their new bi-monthly e-newsletter here: CLA email newsletter

Cardiff conference - Developing Capable Citizens: Civil Justice and Public Legal Education
November 13th 2008, Plenet organised a joint conference event with the Civil Justice Council in Cardiff. The event brought together practitioners and policy-makers to develop a better understanding of the notion of legal capability, discuss the development of citizenship education and to introduce the research and evaluation work currently in progress at Plenet.
Read the papers and further details of the conference at; Developing Capable Citizens Conference Report 2008

What do you think?
Advicenow are keen to hear your views on their Better Information Handbook and the issues it discusses. The consultation runs until January 19th. Respond to the consultation at:
Better Information Handbook consultation

January 2009