The Law Foundation of Ontario has published new research on the role of community workers who help people with legal problems.  In many cases frontline workers, including settlement workers, parks and recreation staff, counsellors, nurses and librarians, among others, are the first (and only) resource that people go to for help with justiciable problems.  These intermediaries play an important role in identifying legal problems and connecting people with information and resources that can be helpful.

The final report from this research – Trusted Help: the role of community workers as trusted intermediaries who help people with legal problems – offers insight into the ways that trusted intermediaries provide help, including:

•    Referring people to legal service providers
•     Providing information about legal rights and procedures
•     Identifying legal problems
•     Helping people to take steps to resolve a legal problem
•     Providing assistance to complete legal forms and documentation
•     Accompanying people to tribunal or court hearings
•     Accompanying people to meetings with legal service providers

Trusted Help: the role of community workers as trusted intermediaries who help people with legal problems was prepared by Karen Cohl, Julie Lassonde, Julie Mathews, Carol Lee Smith, and George Thomson for the Law Foundation of Ontario. An overview of this research is available in this Law Foundation of Ontario announcement: http://www.lawfoundation.on.ca/news/legal-help-on-the-frontlines/.

Learn more about the ways that trusted intermediaries help people access legal help and services as well as how to work with, support, and collaborate with trusted intermediaries from parts one and two of this Law Foundation of Ontario report available here: http://www.lawfoundation.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/LFO_TrustedHelpReport_Part1_EN.pdf and here: http://www.lawfoundation.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/LFO_TrustedHelpReport_Part2_EN.pdf.

Ces rapports sont disponibles en français ici : http://www.lawfoundation.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/LFO_FR_TrustedHelpReport_Part1.pdf et ici: http://www.lawfoundation.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/LFO_FR_TrustedHelpReport_Part2.pdf.