Seniors' Advocacy, Information and Legal Service (SAILS)

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Are you over 60 ?

• Are you concerned for a friend, a relative or a client who is aged over 60?
• Are there family members living with you or coming to your place who are treating you badly?
• Have you given or are you under pressure to give your property to a family member or someone else?
• Do you want to know what you can do about protecting yourself from family members or people caring for you informally who are not respecting you or your right to your own property or money?
• Or do you know an older person who is experiencing these problems or who needs protecting?

SAILS may be able to help
The Seniors’ Advocacy, Information and Legal Service (SAILS) aims to help older people over 60 years of age at risk of abuse, where the other party is a family member (other than a husband or wife) or an informal carer. SAILS is staffed by a solicitor and a social worker. 

All contact with SAILS is CONFIDENTIAL and PRIVATE

Who should contact SAILS?

• An older person or a person concerned for an older person
• Service providers working with older people

What can SAILS provide?

• Home visits within the Brisbane area
• Appointments at the Centre

A telephone service for clients and service providers

When can SAILS assist?
SAILS can assist where abuse occurs in the following situations:

• Informal care relationships where a person is dependent on another to help them in their daily activities
• Family relationships where people are related by blood or marriage or are regarded as family because of cultural traditions
• Intimate personal relationships where two people were previously engaged to be   married, or they dated each other and their lives have continued to be enmeshed

What is meant by domestic and family violence?
Domestic and family violence can affect any person regardless of age, gender or cultural background. It can be:

• Intimidation or harassment such as name calling, insults, stealing or withholding money
• Controlling behaviour to the extent where a person is unable to make their own personal decisions, such as who they have contact with
• Intentionally hurting a person such as slapping, hitting or pushing someone
• Intentionally damaging another person’s property, like hurting pets or breaking belongings
• Indecent behaviour towards the other person without their consent, including unwanted sexual behaviour
• A threat to do any of these

What can SAILS do?
SAILS can work with an older person or a service provider in many different ways, ranging from giving preliminary information to asking a court for a protection order.

SAILS can:    

• Undertake court representation and   support in certain circumstances
• Provide crisis and short-term counselling including development of safety plans
• Refer to other legal and/or support organisations
• Provide information, advice and support to service providers
• Try to arrange pro bono legal assistance for more complex legal matters such as recovery of money or property
• Provide community legal education
   

What happens when a referral is made to SAILS?
SAILS workers (a social worker and a lawyer) will discuss each possible referral once an initial contact has been made. A decision will be based on the mission statement and the casework guidelines of the program. Individuals or service providers who made contact with SAILS will be advised as soon as possible whether or not the referral will be accepted.
 
SAILS’ approach to client care
We respect an older person’s right to confidentiality.  We acknowledge that safety is an issue for all people experiencing abuse and we will work with an older person to promote their safety.
We respect an older person’s right to:

• Choose whether or not SAILS will become involved in a particular situation
• Choose whether or not to follow through with any of the options discussed with SAILS workers
• Make comments about the service they receive from SAILS

Click HERE to download our SAILS brochure

Contact SAILS:
Caxton Legal Centre Inc.
28 Heal St, New Farm Q 4005
T. 07 3254 1811
F. 07 3254 1356
www.caxton.org.au/sails

email us:
sails@caxton.org.au

The SAILS program is funded by the Queensland Department of Communities

Privacy Statement:
Caxton Legal Centre Inc. abides by the National Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. Information supplied to us is confidential and it will not be given to anyone else unless we have consent or are required to by law. We do however give statistical information about our services to our funding bodies.  Clients have a right to access any personal information we collect, or to make a complaint if they think that we have breached a National Privacy Principle.