What is Community Connections at Wyndham?
A Victorian first that aligns with the principles of therapeutic justice, Community Connections is a partnership between Court Services Victoria and Court Network. Court Network is staffing the Hub as a 12-month pilot program at Wyndham Law Courts, where court users can seek information and referrals from Natalie, our Community Connections Coordinator, and other Networkers. A working collaboration with community organisations, we aim to have local community agencies on site, making their services accessible to people while at court.
In the last fortnight, our Community Connections Coordinator has visited community centres and local services that provide material aid to introduce the new Community Connections space. The impromptu visits were well received and led to a collated list of material aid offered within the region and a timetable of days and times where aid is provided that can be provided to court users.
In our dedicated space there are telephones (free of charge) and computers (restricted to certain content) for court users to access to complete self-referrals and have the assistance of the Community Connections Coordinator, as well as dedicated interview rooms and hot desks for agency staff.
What we have achieved so far:
- On site service agreements with Anglicare (financial support/counselling) and Elizabeth Morgan House (support for those experiencing Family Violence).
- Warm referral processes to the L2P Program supporting drivers to obtain their license (joint program with Wyndham City Council and Laverton Community Centre), Odyssey House (AOD), and Anglicare (employment/housing).
- Significant progress on a comprehensive stakeholder database that will be utilised by staff across Magistrates’ Courts, Children’s Courts, and VCAT.
We are very excited to continue working in the Community Connections space, supporting all court users who need assistance in the Wyndham Law Courts.
