BY MYRNE LIVETT
THE recent set-up of the Family Support Centre in Gizo will help reduce the backlog of pending tasks at Gizo’s Public Solicitors Office says local family lawyer, Andrew Bosa.
The new Family Support Centre (FSC) office is currently manned by two paralegal Officers, a Councillor, and a Finance Officer.
Family lawyer, Andrew Bosa says that the opening of the Family Support Centre in Gizo is a welcoming news for us as it will ease the previous difficulties faced by our new para-legal officers with legal experience.
“The drafting and writing up of legal letters will be easier while working with paralegal officers in FSC.
“It will also be very helpful in the SAFE-NET’s referral pathway, especially for us in the Public Solicitors Office (PSO).
“Like for now, they can do legal counseling with victims faced with social domestic issues, unlike in the past, they always refer clients to us, but for now they can do that and only come to PSO for legal assistance.
“Now they can do the first step at the FSC, which will make it easier for us to deal with cases related to family violence,” Bosa said.
He further added that the new office of the Family Support Centre in Gizo will also help to reduce the workload and ease any reported cases of gender-based violence to the Public Solicitors Office.
“In the past without FSC here, it involves a longer process and more time, and cases have to go through the police, but now the process will be faster.
“For example, they can assist us with the drafting of instructions so that we can only go through it, and liaise with them.
“Previously, FSC officers doing the job did not have legal backgrounds so they only send general information to PSO, which often gives an extra job for his officer to weed out the real specific issues that require legal attention.”
