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Coronavirus Update

Our office is currently closed for face-to-face advice and we are providing advice by telephone for the foreseeable future.

Our general contact details are:
Telephone: 01603 496623
Text: 07900 153753
WhatsApp: 07900 153753
Email: info@ncls.co.uk (if your query is urgent it is best to call us)

Or if you know which of our services you need to speak to you can call them directly. The numbers are:

Debt: 01603 851246
Immigration: 01603 851247
Welfare Rights: 01603 851248

We are experiencing extremely high demand at this time and if you leave a message it may take us over a week to get back to you so please be patient. If your situation is urgent please tell us why and we will prioritise your call. 

Please note that as a charity we are only funded to assist people who live in Norfolk.

An update on our Service

Free Legal Advice: Our drop-ins are cancelled however we will be working hard to still provide advice over the phone and if you are in need of assistance please call, message or email us. We will not be able to provide immediate advice but will do all we can to get you a call with someone who can help as soon as we can.

Advice services: Our Advisers are set up to work from home and are taking on new clients. To access our services call, message or email us and your details will be passed to someone who can help and they will give you a call to arrange a phone appointment.

Existing clients: please be assured that our Advisers are still working on your cases and will be in contact with any updates. If you do need to speak to someone about your case please contact us.

Our Family Court Support Service continues to support existing and new clients with Child Arrangements cases as best we can whilst we and the courts are working remotely.  Please contact us on the above number or email us on family@ncls.co.uk if you would like our help. You need to include in your message: your name and date of birth, plus the name and date of birth of the other parent, and a phone number we can reach you on.

Post: you are still able to send things to us but we are only able to collect our post once a week so please bear this in mind. Anything that we send out to you may also take a little longer to reach you.

Thank you for your patience during this time, we welcome any feedback or comments.

We are a registered charity dedicated to providing access to justice and equality in Norfolk.

We target our services at individuals and groups, particularly those who cannot afford access to justice and representation. This includes, for example, those with long term physical and/or mental ill-health, physical and sensory disabilities and/or learning difficulties, offenders, ex-offenders, migrant workers and others who are disadvantaged. The advice we offer is non-discriminatory and confidential.

We provide the following services which are all free, independent and confidential. 

• twice weekly Free Legal Advice (FLA) drop in service in our Norwich office – employment, family & general advice; also similar services at Cromer and Great Yarmouth. Please be aware we are unable to provide any advice on criminal law matters except where there is an issue of domestic abuse, e.g. any matter that involves the police or the Crown Prosecution Service.
• debt advice for vulnerable people and those with complex needs
• welfare benefits advice and representation at Tribunal
• legal advice for victims of domestic abuse
• immigration advice on residence in the UK and help with Home Office applications. We can also offer help with challenging Welfare Benefits Habitual Residence decisions.
• discrimination advice and representation 
• rent arrears mediation for Norwich City Council (NCC) housing tenants. This service is accessed by referral from NCC only
• family court support for private law child contact matters

Interpreters are available for all our services by arrangement. 

For more details and information on how to access click on ‘Our Services’ above.

Our funding comes from a range of grants, service level agreements and donations – more information can be found in our latest Annual Report which is available here. 

We are holders of the Advice Quality Standard