Wesley Mission Annual Report 2020 - Flipbook - Page 37
Counselling and legal
Legal support brings transformation
Our Wesley Community Legal Service lawyers understand how
gambling problems affect individuals and families and are ready
and waiting to help.
Wesley Community Legal Service was established
in 1994 and is a free state-wide service with
expertise in gambling related law. The program
offers legal advice and case management on a
variety of issues related to gambling.
Looking after the whole person, our lawyers
connect with a large referral network of associated
legal, allied health and other Wesley Mission
services. Many clients also benefit from the
support of Wesley Mission’s Gambling and
Financial Counsellors to address underlying
issues, including trauma and financial stress
caused by gambling.
Some clients are facing bankruptcy, criminal or
civil charges related to gambling debts and are at
significant risk of self-harm. The Wesley
Community Legal Service team not only provides
legal assistance but are trained to initiate an
integrated crisis response to support clients through
harm minimisation and resilience building.
Principal Solicitor, Jodie, supports with intake to
make sure each case is suitable for the team to take
on and oversees the more complicated matters.
Other legal professionals are often surprised to
learn that such a service exists.
“Our service walks alongside a person for the
duration of their matter, we invest hours into each
case and are committed to supporting the person’s
whole situation. There is no other service I know like
it,” she said.
“The gambling debts that bring clients to our service
are often tens of thousands, or sometimes millions
of dollars. Some of our clients have stolen from their
employer or other people in their lives and are facing
the prospect of going to gaol. We help them get
back on their feet, get into employment and start
being able to feed themselves again. Without a job,
they could end up experiencing homelessness too.”
148
3
clients supported by
lawyers
36
Resolution begins with Rhonda
Rhonda is one of our best kept secrets. A criminal
lawyer for Wesley Community Legal Service,
Rhonda represents people in court when faced with
criminal prosecution for gambling related stealing.
While Rhonda’s work often goes under the radar,
her work brings resolution for people who’ve
allowed secrets to overtake their lives.
“Often people who see me, their behaviour has
been very secretive, and they feel very ashamed.
They’re also very frightened because of the public
nature of going to court,” she says.
“I like to work for Wesley Mission and this area of
law, because it’s very satisfying to help somebody
go through that daunting process.”
Rhonda brings a calming presence and offers a
guiding hand to all who seek her legal services.
And she lives and breathes Wesley Mission’s holistic
vision to assist a person’s whole needs and offer
wraparound support.
“I don’t like people to have to struggle to find what
they need. I like working with support networks to
easily refer people to get the help they need,”
Rhonda explains.
Wesley Financial
Counselling
Wesley Gambling
Counselling
Wesley Mission provides free, independent
and confidential counselling to assist people
experiencing financial difficulty. Our
counsellors work with people to help them
manage and break the cycle of debt to take
control of their finances. Financial counsellors
may also advocate or negotiate on their behalf
with creditors.
Our individual, tailored gambling
counselling program is for people needing
support. We help individuals with
gambling, but we can also support family
members where the person who is
gambling will not seek help.
Wesley Mission is a longstanding contributing
member of Financial Counselling Australia and
the Financial Counsellors Association of New
South Wales (FCAN). All our counsellors are
professionally qualified and are accredited
members of FCAN.
In 2011, Wesley Mission developed the
financial literacy course ‘In Charge of My
Money’, which has supported 8,022 Australians
and has been highly commended by the
Money Smart Awards. Macquarie University
evaluated this program in 2016 and found that
it created significant behavioural impact in
vulnerable populations. All Wesley Mission’s
Financial Counsellors are trained to deliver this
financial literacy program.
All our counsellors are required to maintain
their professional membership with the
NSW Psychologist Registration Board,
Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation
of Australia or the Australian Counselling
Association and undergo specialist
gambling counselling training.
Gambling is a significant problem in our
communities, with Australians losing about
$24 billion on gambling each year. Most of
the losses are felt by those who are the
most vulnerable, where the harmful effects
of gambling can result in family
breakdown, financial hardship or
bankruptcy, and even crime-related
incarceration.
2,530
1,472
21
11
people supported by
financial counsellors
people supported by
gambling counsellors
37
