Research & Evaluation Projects Supporting Legal Assistance Service

The Queensland Government is committed to genuinely working in partnership with the legal assistance sector (the sector) and is a national leader in its collaborative approach to planning for and delivering legal assistance services. The Queensland Legal Assistance Forum has endorsed a research and evaluation framework which provides the next coordinated and incremental step to help guide the sector to better plan for and deliver services.

Research
As limited research has been undertaken in the Community Legal Centre space to date, services are generally designed based on the experiences and expertise of service providers. Overlaying research, including the use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ research frameworks, would be valuable to inform future service development and planning initiatives.
Evaluation
Service and program evaluations also have an increased focus in the sector as funders, service users and clients are keen to better understand the value, including cultural value, of the services they support or rely on. Evaluations will assist in better understanding and measuring the qualitative impact of services, and how they can be improved.

We want to be better informed about the legal needs of the community and understand how our services are achieving outcomes, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Through detailed and culturally considered analysis, we can deliver thoughtful, culturally appropriate service responses to those legal needs that are innovative and best practice.