PROJECTS
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Northern Community Legal Centre collaborates with community organisations and members, conducting projects that address the social and structural barriers that lead to disadvantage. Our projects aim to support individuals and families to enhance their skills, knowledge, self-efficacy, social inclusion and community connectedness. Through our community engagement activities, NCLC is able to build our understanding of the issues impacting upon our community members, ensuring that we have a solid evidence base for our advocacy work.
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Current Projects
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Using a model of peer support, this project aims to support young, diverse women who are experiencing – or are at risk of experiencing – family violence and economic abuse, to prevent future experiences of homelessness.
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NCLC's Take the First Step Project trains groups of local women from diverse backgrounds to be family violence Peer Educators and leaders within their community. Following successful projects in Merri-bek, Hume and Mitchell Shire, in mid-2024 NCLC received further funding to continue the Take the First Step Project for another year in Mitchell Shire.
Financial Divide Project
This project works to improve the safety and wellbeing of victims/survivors of family violence through enhanced financial sustainability post-separation. Through free, legally assisted mediation leading to financial settlement, victims/survivors will be able to safely re-settle with their children and avoid experiences of homelessness.
Young Women's Economic Empowerment Project (RISE)
This project aims to provide targeted legal support to young women under 25 who are experiencing family violence.
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Safe Landing Project (Extension)
The Safe Landing Project extends the model of integrated migration and family violence related law – as piloted within the two-year Indian Women’s Family Violence Project – to all women on temporary visas who are experiencing family violence. The Project was recently funded for another four years, extending its reach beyond Melbourne's North-West to incorporate communities in the South-East with the help of our partners at South-East Monash Legal Service.
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North-West Enhanced Pathways Project
Working collaboratively with Maternal Child Health Services, this project aims to intervene early to prevent vulnerable women and children in our regions from experiencing family violence and family separation through enhanced safety pathways, within an integrated legal health model.
Barriers to Access Research Project
The Barriers to Access Research Project unpacked the process issues and barriers faced by migrant and refugee women when applying to the court for family violence intervention orders (FVIOs) using the online forms.
Justice at Home Research Project
The Justice at Home Research Project explored the user experience of family violence applicants attending intervention order hearings remotely.
Past Projects
Working with young people in schools and other youth contexts in the City of Hume, this project aimed to mitigate trauma arising from family violence and related social issues  and enhance resilience, safety and wellbeing among this age group. 
Dallas Neighbourhood House Project
In partnership with Dallas Neighbourhood House, NCLC trained 12 women from the City of Hume to support other women in their community experiencing family violence. The project included the co-design of an educational video and the launch of our Take the First Step campaign, which provides resources and information for newly arrived women.
Legally Minded
The Legally Minded Project was a joint project of Northern Community Legal Centre and Mind Australia.
TEALS Project
Funded by the Victorian Law Foundation, the Technology-Enhanced Access to Legal Services (TEALS) Project aimed to explore whether an interactive online tool – the 'Legal Connector' – could streamline NCLC's triage process in an efficient, safe and informative way.
Early Resolution Service
NCLC received funding under the Justice Recovery Plan (JRP) to participate in an Early Resolution Service (ERS) for family violence intervention order (FVIO) matters.
COVID Response Clinic
During the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCLC implemented a Free Legal Advice Clinic exclusively for those having legal issues arising from the pandemic.
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International Student Clinic
Funded by Merri-bek City Council, this project provided legal advice and assistance to international students who live, work and study in the Hume, Merri-bek and Mitchell Shire local government areas.
Communities for Children
Funded by the Communities for Children Grant (Department of Social Services), this project worked with grassroots groups to support gender equity by increasing awareness of factors that contribute to violence against women and children.
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Kangan TAFE Project
From December 2018 to December 2020, Northern Community Legal Centre provided community legal education, legal advice and casework services to approximately 800 people of refugee and recently arrived backgrounds enrolled in the Adult Migrant English Programs (AMEP) at Kangan Institute, Broadmeadows.
Indian Women's Family Violence Project
The Indian Women’s Family Violence Project commenced in early 2019 and concluded in April 2021. Extra funding has been provided to extend the project's integrated service model to include all women on temporary visas who are experiencing family violence across a wider area of Melbourne - now the Safe Landing (Extension) Project.