Workforce diversity and equity

Project Respect

Bringing together diverse voices, Project Respect engaged staff to discuss what a fair, respectful and inclusive workplace means to help us strengthen our organisational culture. Legal Aid NSW facilitated opportunities for staff across the organisation to share their experiences working at Legal Aid NSW on a confidential basis, and insights from the consultations identified areas for improvement. The Chairs of our Pride, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities and disAbility staff networks, as well as the Aboriginal Advisory Group on behalf of the Aboriginal Staff Network, worked with external consultants to develop a set of recommendations based on these insights, which were presented to the Executive. A core design team of staff, managers and executives also co-designed a new high-level internal complaints and resolution framework.

In the coming year, we will focus on implementing the recommendations and the complaints and resolution framework laid out in the Project Respect final report. As part of this, we will establish a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Board chaired by the CEO. The Board will include representatives from each of the staff networks, Executive representatives from the practice areas, corporate services and administrative support, and a representative from the Public Service Association of NSW. The DEI Board will have overall oversight and coordinate the implementation of the recommendations of Project Respect across the organisation.

Career development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crime solicitors

In September 2022, we launched a career development series for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crime solicitors. Informal quarterly sessions invite a guest speaker to address the group on their work and career progression and to offer their guidance. We have been honoured to welcome the President of the Children's Court Judge Skinner, Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling and Senior Judge of the Drug Court Judge Mottley.

Embedding lived experience in the With You project

The With You project team is pioneering greater client participation in service design and delivery as part of their work to improve how the legal assistance sector supports distressed clients. Through recruitment of the first lived experience role at Legal Aid NSW, client perspectives are being authentically embedded as the backbone of training materials being designed by this team.

The mental health sector already recruits workers with lived experience known as peer workers, and a parallel to peer workers in the legal assistance sector is now emerging. By employing people who are current or former clients of the legal assistance sector, we can bring in perspectives that are inherently client centred and engage clients from a place of mutual understanding.

With You is an ongoing case study for co-designing legal assistance sector materials and services with those directly impacted by them. Co-design goes beyond traditional consultation, and With You’s first phase of training materials are being co-reviewed by clients and will later be co-evaluated. This process ensures accountability and that client needs are at the centre of service delivery in the legal assistance sector nationwide.

The year ahead

• Prioritise staff safety, health and wellbeing and embed an inclusive and respectful culture so we can attract, retain, develop and reward a highly engaged workforce.
• Develop our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, anti-racism strategy and disability action plan.