Southern England Law Centre is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of the new Access to Justice Foundation grants programme – Improving Lives Through Advice 2026.
£3.9 million in funding will support 16 organisations providing vital services to people facing issues including debt, housing, employment rights, and consumer issues.
This is the first grant programme distributing settlement money from a class action in this way, demonstrating the powerful public benefit that collective action residual funds can generate for consumers and communities.
Southern England Law Centre has been awarded £300,000 over the next three years. This funding will enable us to sustain and expand our specialist advice and representation service across South East England, addressing a significant regional gap in access to expert legal support.
Building on our progress to date, we will move beyond crisis intervention towards a comprehensive regional model of support. We will develop new Community Care and Family Law practices alongside expanding our existing Benefits programme, creating a permanent and sustainable legal resource for vulnerable individuals and families.
We will meet the programme outcomes as follows:
Expanding specialist advice and representation
We will increase the provision of specialist benefits advice and representation, ensuring that people across the region can access expert support where little or no specialist provision currently exists.
Expanding into new areas of law
Funding will enable us to establish Community Care and Family Law practices and support staff to qualify as supervisors in these areas. This investment will build long-term organisational capacity and create a lasting legal resource for vulnerable families.
Providing holistic support
The needs of underserved communities drive our expansion. By developing a wrap-around service spanning Housing, Benefits, Family and Community Care law, we will reduce the referral fatigue that often prevents marginalised clients from achieving lasting legal solutions.
Strategic community engagement
We will deliver a targeted outreach programme that equips community organisations and frontline staff to identify legal issues early and make timely, effective referrals to our specialist services.
Early intervention and prevention
By embedding our services within trusted local networks, we will help people access specialist advice at the earliest possible stage, preventing legal problems from escalating into crises.
Data-led inclusion
Through improved data collection and analysis, we will identify gaps in service access and monitor engagement among underrepresented groups, which will enable us to target outreach activity where it is most needed and ensure equitable access to our services.
Our vision is that geography, language and disability should never be barriers to justice. By embedding legal expertise within trusted community organisations, we empower people to access support where and when they need it.
Expanding our partnership network
We will build new relationships with community organisations to create a more inclusive and accessible pathway into specialist legal support.
Strengthening referral pathways
We will develop clear referral processes and deliver training to frontline staff, enabling earlier identification of legal issues and smoother transitions into specialist services.
Influencing policy and practice
We will share learning through local and national networks, using evidence from our frontline work to influence policy and practice on the social welfare issues affecting our communities.
By extending our reach into communities that are currently underserved, we will ensure that specialist legal support is available to those most at risk of exclusion, regardless of where they first seek help.
Measuring meaningful outcomes
Our enhanced data systems will provide stronger evidence of impact, enabling us to demonstrate not only how many people we support, but how their lives have improved as a result.
Addressing inequality in access
We will regularly review demographic and service-access data to identify underserved groups and areas. Findings will be shared with partners and funders and used to inform service development and community engagement strategies.
Driving continuous improvement
By sharing evidence, learning and outcomes with partners and funders, we will strengthen our services, improve accessibility and ensure resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact.
Our approach to data and evaluation is rooted in inclusion. By actively monitoring the barriers faced by marginalised communities, we ensure that lived experience informs service design, delivery and future development.