This fall, Legal Aid BC is soft launching a program to support our clients with issues not covered by their legal aid contract. The program will match clients with Legal Aid Navigators, who can guide them through the legal aid process and help connect them to any health and social support services they need.
The goal is to improve legal aid client outcomes by helping their understanding of the legal aid process, connecting them to community support, giving lawyers more time to focus on clients’ legal issues, and reducing the need for clients to use legal aid in the future.
There will be two different levels of Legal Aid Navigators, each filling distinct roles.
Level 1 Navigators will work to help clients with immediate or short-term needs find appropriate support services as needed, give clients timely information about navigating the court system, and help them find local resources or services like the Family LawLINE.
Level 2 Navigators will help clients with complex, multidisciplinary or intersecting needs who have been issued a contract and need some extra support in working through the process together with their lawyer. For example, a level 2 Navigator could help connect a criminal client to services that support them through finding housing, or addiction treatment.
All Legal Aid Navigators have training and backgrounds in providing social services, and the plan is to continue to improve and expand the program into 2024.
If you have questions about the program, please email alex.peel@legalaid.bc.ca.
If you would like to contribute feedback to the program, please consider responding to our program survey here.
