Legal
Young people experiencing homelessness may require assistance with legal issues in relation to tenancy rights and responsibilities, youth justice, court processes, contact with police, fines or a range of other legal matters.
Here you will find information and resources and information on where young people can go for legal assistance.
Youthlaw
Youthlaw is a specialist state wide community legal centre for young people. It provides free and confidential legal advice, information and casework services to young people up to the age of 25 years. Youthlaw also provides education and undertakes community advocacy work. It can advise young people on issues such as:
- getting around: rules for riders and drivers
- public transport: dealing with transit police, inspectors and fines
- police: rights, going to Court, what to do about unfair treatment
- security guards: searching young people and their possessions
- alcohol and other drugs
- family issues: parental separation, who listens to young people (read information sheet)
- violence or abuse at home and when young people can leave home
- relationships: laws about sex, parenting and personal safety
- schools: suspension, explusion, harassment from other students (read legal factsheet)
- discrimination: what it is, when it is unlawful and what can be done
- financial support: information and rights about Centrelink (read legal factsheet)
- working: rights for casual workers
Youthlaw is a free legal service for young people. Young people in need of free legal advice can drop in Mondays – Fridays 2pm-5pm. Youthlaw is one of the services offered at Frontyard Youth Services www.frontyard.org
To find your closest community legal centre, visit the Federation of Community Legal Centres’ FCLC website.
