Impact of the OpenLearn Create course ‘Support Through Court: Domestic

Impact of the OpenLearn Create course ‘Support Through Court: Domestic Abuse’ Elizabeth FitzGerald and Hugh McFaul

Our talk today Introduction to the Open Justice Centre and Support Through Court The collaboration and the OpenLearn course creation The impact of the OpenLearn course The role of universities in the community

The Open Justice Centre and previous OER production

Support Through Court An award-winning charity with 36 staff members and over 800 dedicated volunteers, operating from 20 courts and associated offices across England and Wales They aim to reduce the disadvantage of people facing the civil or family justice system without a lawyer, enabling them to access justice They believe that no one should face court alone and so work to provide immediate support to everyone who comes to them Their trained volunteers provide emotional and practical support to clients throughout the court process OU students volunteer as part of W360: Justice in Action

The collaboration and the OpenLearn course creation Ministry of Justice funded project Focus on domestic abuse Perpetrators and victims Volunteer training traditionally done face-to-face Desire to investigate online training – legacy for MoJ project

The collaboration and the OpenLearn course creation Collaboration with Open Justice Centre to design and write a new OpenLearn course on Domestic Abuse STC staff included OU law student OU staff included family law solicitor Genuine co-production Combines substantive law and soft skills

The impact of the OpenLearn course (1) Mandatory for all STC volunteers Part of induction training for new team members Reached beyond STC to related organisations and individuals STC considering extending online learning to other areas of law including housing and issues relating to families/children

The impact of the OpenLearn course (2) Currently investigating the impact at micro (learner), meso (course designer/creator) and macro (STC management) Some interesting initial findings around the perspectives of alleged perpetrators, in both access to this course and how volunteers work with them the digital divide still being a barrier to access the importance of this resource during COVID-19 lockdown, where both F2F training has had to be reduced, and domestic violence has increased

The role of universities in the community Wider questions around the role of universities in terms of their responsibilities to the community Do we have an obligation to share knowledge or provide opportunities to access knowledge? Professional/personal development as a form of knowledge exchange – links across to KEF in terms of public and community engagement

Thanks for listening Elizabeth FitzGerald – [email protected] Hugh McFaul – [email protected] https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id 4648 https://www.open.ac.uk/open-justice https://www.supportthroughcourt.org