Ruah Legal Services and Mental Health Law Centre

31/10/2025

Karni Walbirniny Koorliny | Walk of Truth and Healing

Yesterday the RLS team joined our Ruah and community legal sector companions for the Walk for Reconciliation at Galup | Lake Monger - a place of deep cultural and historical significance to the Whadjuk Noongar people.

The walk honoured the storytelling passed down to Doolann-Leisha Eatts (Garlett) by her grandmother Yurleen Bennell (Garlett) and acknowledged the Galup massacre story.

It was an important moment to reflect on the ongoing journey toward truth-telling, healing and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and a meaningful reminder of the importance of listening, learning, and strengthening partnerships across community and legal sectors in our collective pursuit of a more just and fair future.

30/10/2025

RLS travel to regional areas to increase access to legal services for matters under the Mental Health Act continues 🧳

📍 Jaburrarra and Kariyarra Country | WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Pilbara region trip

Our Principal Lawyer, Luke Cassidy, travelled to Munjaree | Karratha and Marapikurrinya | Port Hedland last week to provide training to WACHS staff and deliver community legal education to legal assistance providers.

🧠 Tailored training on the Mental Health Act was delivered to the Karratha and Port Hedland Community Mental Health Service teams. This presentation examined the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under the Mental Health Act, the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Act 2023, and Guardianship and Administration orders.

⚖️ Luke also presented to the Pilbara Community Legal Services (PCLS) teams in both Karratha and Port Hedland. Topics included RLS practice areas, legal professional privilege in integrated legal services, and what to do when a lawyer has doubts about a client’s capacity to give them proper instructions.

We are thankful to our PCLS partners for inviting other legal practitioners to join the Port Hedland session!

27/10/2025

RLS travel to regional areas to increase access to legal services for matters under the Mental Health Act continues🧳

👩‍⚖️ Lawyers Sophie Taylor and Heidi Rees travelled to Wardandi Country | WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Southwest region this week to provide training to WACHS staff, community legal education to legal assistance providers and in-person legal advice to consumers under the Mental Health Act.

📍 Goomburrup | Bunbury

Tailored training on the Mental Health Act was delivered to staff in the Acute Psychiatric Unit, the Inpatient Unit and the Community Mental Health Team, which was joined online by staff in other locations in the Southwest.

🧠 A two-hour CPD session covering the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Act 2023, the intersection between criminal law and the Mental Health Act, Guardianship and Administration and referral pathways was presented for our legal assistance colleagues from South West Community Legal Centre, Southern Aboriginal Corporation, Legal Aid and Aboriginal Legal Services.

📝Heidi and Sophie also engaged with Mental Health Advocacy Service to provide 1:1 advice sessions in the Acute Psychiatric Unit.

Our fourth trip on this year’s travel schedule is now complete. Stay tuned for an update on our Pilbara trip, which also took place this week!

🗺️Through this regional, rural and remote travel we aim to improve access to justice, strengthen collaboration with WACHS, share expertise and foster connections with local legal assistance providers.

We thank all participants for their active engagement and considered questions, and look forward to our ongoing collaboration throughout the regions.

16/10/2025

Ruah Legal Services acknowledges the important role of carers who provide ongoing support to people living with mental illness.

We see firsthand the vital role carers can play in the lives of our clients — offering compassion, stability and advocacy through some of the most challenging times. Carers can make a profound difference in helping people stay connected and navigate complex systems.

This year’s theme, “You are, know, or will be one,” underscores how universal and fundamental caring is to our communities.

https://www.carerswa.asn.au/carers-week/

10/10/2025

🌿 Mental Health Week 2025 🌿

This week has been a wonderful opportunity to recognise the power we each hold to recover, to connect, and to contribute. Through our work, we see every day how offering the right support can open doors to hope, healing and opportunity.

When individuals are supported in their recovery, communities become stronger, safer and more inclusive. 💙

As we move beyond Mental Health Week, we’re committed to challenging stigma, empowering individuals and building communities where everyone has the chance to belong and to thrive.

It’s World Mental Health Day. Time to stop casting our eyes downward about mental health and look up. Today, I need you to know these 3 things. 1. If you are struggling, you are not broken. They are not the same thing. 2. Hard things are not bad things. 3. As a species, we were not designed to sol...

09/10/2025

🌿 Mental Health Week 2025 🌿

Parents involved in child protection proceedings have often faced immense challenges—poverty, family and domestic violence, and mental health struggles that push them to the brink.

They are too often met with judgement, which only deepens the difficulties they face.

With compassion, strong legal advocacy and practical support, real change is possible.

Ebony’s story shows how parents can rebuild, recover, and keep their families together.

And when families stay together, there are better long-term outcomes for parents, children and the whole community.

View the Integrated Service model and how we walked with 'Ebony' to help achieve better outcomes for her life, escaping family and domestic violence.

08/10/2025

🌿 Mental Health Week 2025 🌿

At RLS, we work to break down stigma and empower people with the right tools, services and representation.

And we see lives transform.

People move beyond labels and diagnoses, into recovery, connection and meaningful participation in community and work.

This case study from Ruah Community Services’ Luminos Project shows how, with the right tools and meaningful support, people can create powerful and transformative change in their lives.

This week we’re continuing to celebrate empowerment, resilience and the strength that comes from community support.

When Alex* first reached out to The Luminos Project through Ruah, they weren’t sure it was the right fit and ultimately declined support. But later…

07/10/2025

🌿 Mental Health Week 2025 🌿

This year’s theme ‘Empowering Communities, Thriving Workforces’ is about recognising the power we hold as individuals, and in our communities.

This theme is at the heart of our work at RLS. Every day, we walk alongside people living with mental illness—many of whom face additional barriers in the justice system—offering both legal advocacy and intensive practical support.

Julian’s story is an example of how people’s lives can transform when they can access holistic, integrated legal support without judgement that empowers, encourages and fosters confidence.

For people living with mental illness—especially those involved in the criminal justice system—judgement and negative perceptions can be some of the biggest barriers to recovery.

At RLS we aim to break down those barriers, equipping people to make meaningful, lasting change.

This Mental Health Week, we’re proud to share stories that show how we can all empower individuals, strengthen communities, and build thriving communities. 💙

View the Integrated Service model and how we walked with 'Julian' to help achieve better outcomes for his life, as he faced stigma associated with mental hea...

01/10/2025

The Law Society recently brought together leaders from across WA's mental health services oversight bodies to discuss the legal aspects of current issues for consumers, community and the profession.

The panel was chaired by the President of the Mental Health Tribunal the Hon Dr Andrew Lu AM, and included Chief Psychiatrist Dr Nathan Gibson, Mental Health Commissioner Maureen Lewis, and Principal Lawyer of Ruah Legal Services and Mental Health Law Centre, Luke Cassidy.

The wide-ranging discussion considered the effectiveness of the new Criminal Law (Mental Impairment Act) 2023 over the last 12 months, the impact of extremely low availability of forensic mental health beds in our state, the review of the Guardianship and Administration Act (1990) by the WA Law Reform Commission, developments in therapeutic jurisprudence, and approaches promoting to the mental and physical health of prisoners.

Thank you sincerely to the Law Society and all who participated in this important discussion.

10/09/2025

📍 Wangkathaa, Malpa and Wudjari Country | Goldfields

Last week, RLS lawyers Heidi Rees and Will Nelson were on the road, covering significant ground in the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Goldfields region to increase access to legal services for matters under the Mental Health Act.

✨Karlkurla | Kalgoorlie

• Three tailored training sessions were delivered to WACHS staff in the Acute Psychiatric Unit, Emergency Department and Community Mental Health Team.

• A Community legal education session was presented to colleagues at Goldfields Community Legal Services, Legal Aid WA, and the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA.

Heidi and Will also had the opportunity to meet with a client in prison.

🌊 Kepa Kurl | Esperance

• Three tailored training sessions delivered to the Emergency Department Team and Community Mental Health Team.

🚗 Our third trip on this year’s travel schedule is now complete.

These trips to Regional, Rural and Remote areas are critical to increasing access to justice, sharing knowledge, strengthening working relationships with WACHS and building connections with local legal assistance providers.

We thank all participants for their engagement and thoughtful questions and look forward to continuing our work across the regions.

08/09/2025

✨ RLS at the Community Legal Centres Australia Conference in Canberra! ✨

⚖️ Today our Chief Integrated Services Officer, Sarah Toovey, and Principal Lawyer, Luke Cassidy, presented a workshop with Norton Rose Fulbright’s Special Counsel, Garth Tinsley, on Integrated Legal Services.

📑 The workshop showcased the extensive work RLS has undertaken to produce the Integrated Services Framework, and the learnings gained from experience in practice.

The interactive session focused on:

✅ Best practice principles

✅ Navigating scenarios where the obligations of lawyers and community workers clash

✅ Protecting Legal Professional Privilege

🔎 The complexities and benefits of integrated legal service delivery were thoroughly explored.

💡 It was a privilege for RLS to share learnings that will support practitioners all over Australia to provide clients with holistic support they need to make meaningful change in their lives.

04/09/2025

One Year of CLMI – Anniversary of the enactment of the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Act 2023, which came into effect on 1 September 2024.

Part four.

CLMI transformed the way our justice system supports people with mental impairment. It upholds fairness, dignity, and respect for people with mental impairment in the justice system.
Early identification of mental impairment, opportunities to become fit to stand trial and special proceedings for persons who are found unfit to stand trial are provided for within the Act.

CLMI ensures that persons with mental impairment are subject to the least possible restrictions on their freedom, have access to advocacy, and receive the treatment, care, and culturally appropriate support.

Outcomes for clients are improved through the safer and more compassionate pathways for reintegration into the community.

RLS lawyers are the State’s experts in Mental Health Law and CLMI.

📚 You can find more of our community legal education resources here:
https://ruahlegal.org.au/resources-education/

Did you know that until September 2024, laws around people who were deemed unfit to stand trial hadn’t changed since the 1800s? Australia faced internation...