Access to Advice - Reaching out with information (22 November 2004)

The second ASA Advicenow conference will explore three main themes -

• How can we use the internet, the mass media and other channels to reach out and inform people about rights?
  
• How can we increase general knowledge and understanding of rights and legal issues?
  
• How can we support a self help approach to legal problems and disputes?

Last call for the ASA conference on Monday 22nd. Still a few places left.

The theme of the conference is reaching out - how do we increase awareness and understanding of the law and rights? Andrew Phillips, Lord Phillips of Sudbury, will open with his views on the need of Public Legal Education. Workshops will deal with the Citizenship Curriculum in schools; Supporting Self-help; Using the media and much more - see www.advicenow.org.uk/events.

An afternoon plenary session will provide an opportunity to debate the issues raised in the joint consultation paper on Public Legal Education produced by ASA, Legal Action Group; and Citizenship Foundation - see www.advicenow.org.uk/consultation.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) is incorporating a strategy for 'Information, Education and Advice' into its five year plan, and this combined with the consultation exercise, provides a real opportunity to breath new life into information and education work.

Finally, David Lammy MP, Under Secretary of State at the DCA, will launch the Tracker Tool element of the Advicenow's self help project.