A group of 16 Kent Law Clinic students has begun training that will enable them to support victims of domestic abuse during court proceedings.
The students are being trained as volunteers by SATEDA (Support & Action To End Domestic Abuse) for a project called Support2Court. The first training session was held on Monday at Swale House in Sittingbourne and was led by Solicitor Olive Craig from Rights of Women.
This initiative is the result of a new partnership established between the Law Clinic and SATEDA by Family Law Solicitor Philippa Bruce.
Philippa said: ‘Many of our students are very passionate about using their law degree to help people. This is an excellent opportunity for them to attend court, experience the law in action and provide much-needed support to victims of domestic abuse. SATEDA are overwhelmed so to have our students as an additional resource, supporting victims of domestic abuse, is invaluable.’
During Monday’s session, comprising a mix of second-year, final-year and LLM (Master’s in Law) students from Kent, the group learned how to support victims who wish to apply for family law injunctions and orders about their children. Two students from the group will be attending court on Friday, together with Support2Court project coordinator Steve Pettitt, as part of their ongoing training in understanding the different types of proceedings that take place in Family Court.
The Law Clinic’s Family Law Team has a particular focus this year on how the Family Court is coping with the pressure of increasing demands and will welcome the insights that students will be able to share as a result of their experiences as volunteers for SATEDA.
There will be further opportunities for law students to get involved with SATEDA in January. Students who are interested are encouraged to subscribe to Kent Law Clinic’s mailing list at: http://lists.kent.ac.uk
