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Legal Aid Services Together @LAST

Legal Aid Services Together @LAST. Eastern Region ED Presentation February 15, 2013. Expanding Our Vision. Increasing access to real Justice. Coordinating legal aid service delivery: Healthy Legal Aid system. Quality poverty law legal services: Healthy legal clinic system.

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Legal Aid Services Together @LAST

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  1. Legal Aid Services Together @LAST Eastern Region ED Presentation February 15, 2013

  2. Expanding Our Vision Increasing access to real Justice Coordinating legal aid service delivery: Healthy Legal Aid system Quality poverty law legal services: Healthy legal clinic system ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  3. Outline • History of the Five County Network • What are we trying to do? • Desired Outcomes • Accomplishments and Resources Created to Date • Lessons Learned ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  4. ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  5. Introduction to Five County Network (FCN) • Community Advocacy & Legal Centre (CALC) • Kingston Community Legal Clinic (KCLC) • Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) • Northumberland Community Legal Centre (NCLC) • Queen’s Student Legal Aid Society (Queen’s) • Rural Legal Services (RLS) ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  6. History of the Network • 2001, CALC, Queen’s, RLS, and LAO Napanee Area Office partnered on an action research and needs and capacity assessment project recommending greater service coordination (LAO Clinic Expansion project) • In 2005, the network expanded into a “Four County LAO Service Coordination Network”. ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  7. History of the Network (cont.) • In 2010, the Network expanded to include Northumberland Community Legal Clinic • In 2010/11 received LFO “Connecting Region” funding to undertake an action research project to improve access to justice for people who live in rural and remote areas or face linguistic challenges • In 2011/13 received LAO “Client Service Coordination” funding to improve coordination of LAO services and carry out some of the “Paths to Justice: Navigating with the Wandering Lost recommendations” ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  8. Goals of the Network • Increase access to justice for clients and disadvantaged communities • Provide seamless Legal Aid service delivery for the poor • Ensure increased co-ordination and collaboration • Be creative and innovative and show leadership ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  9. Desired Outcomes of the Network • Clients received the LAO-funded services they were eligible for quickly and efficiently • If clients were not eligible for services, clients were helped because they received information about other advocacy help available • Clinic and LAO Area Office staff approached clients’ needs holistically and made referrals for other kinds of help • All staff were responsive to the needs of the local community and could propose solutions for serving unmet client legal needs • All staff could work together cooperatively and collaboratively • Members’ ability to provide cost-effective services was enhanced ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  10. Preventing Referral Fatigue Brochure for Lennox & Addington ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  11. Paths to Justice Report ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  12. Increasing legal literacy and capability Community Access to Justice ToolkitDistributed to Trusted Intermediaries ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  13. LFO Connecting Region Project (2010/11) • Project ran between June 2010 and March 2011 • Culminated in the release of a report entitled Paths to Justice: Navigating with the Wandering Lost • This report was released at a series of Legal Awareness Workshops held in Sharbot Lake, Kingston, Belleville, and Cobourg in March 2011. • Key recommendations: • Regional Planning Model • Increase Legal Literacy • Build Community Capacity • Enhance Legal Services Delivery ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  14. Legal Aid Services Together @LAST • Phase I Goals _ • to improve the trust between different organizations funded by LAO • to improve coordination of services (locally and provincially) • to clarify the “path to justice” by “no wrong door” and avoiding “referral fatigue” • to reflect – what is seamless legal aid service delivery? What are holistic services? How do we prevent referral fatigue? How can each of us improve our services? • to innovate – how can we improve client services? ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  15. ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  16. Action Research Action Research Diagnosing Diagnosing EvaluatingAction PlanningAction EvaluatingAction PlanningAction TakingAction TakingAction ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  17. Action Research How We Do It • Hired Project Coordinator • Monthly meetings • Use of technology: Basecamp project management website, Web conferencing • Project Planning: • Where We Want to Be • Terms of Reference • Project Charter • Pilot Projects / Prototyping • Debriefing • Plan / Action / Reflection Cycle ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  18. Project Charter • A detailed project charter was created collaboratively by the members of the FCN, including the following details: • Purpose of Project • Background • Project Scope • Project Milestones • Project Success Criteria • Assumptions & Contraints • Risks and Mitigation Strategies • Project Budget • Resources Requirements • Approvals (Signed by Each FCN Member) • Glossary of Terms • Project Workplan • Copy of Funding Agreement • Copy of FCN Terms of Reference ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  19. Action Research In-person Meetings • FCN Members meet in-person bi-monthly • Face-to-face meetings have been incredibly successful • Round-table check-in at the beginning of each meeting ensure everyone shares new developments • Other related projects are monitored ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  20. Typical Agenda and Related Projects ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  21. Action Research Webmeetings • Using GoToMeeting software and Premier Global teleconferencing • All participants see the note-taker’s screen, improves the accuracy of the notes • Facilitates collaboration on documents (like this presentation) ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  22. Action Research Basecamp for Online Collaboration • Web-based project hub for storage of agendas, minutes, and project documents • Allows documents to be shared more easily and version control is less of an issue • Automatically emails all group members when files are updated ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  23. Preventing Referral Fatigue Who Does What Chart: How to Access LAO-funded Services Charts outlining the different legal services provided by LAO-funded service providers in each of the Five Counties ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  24. Preventing Referral Fatigue Where Else to Go For Help Chart: When LAO-funded Services Can’t Help A comprehensive online list of referrals in our service area ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  25. Improving the Coordination and Quality of Legal Services Tipsheet: Intersection Between Family and Poverty Law • Sharing talents and knowledge between members of the network to create tipsheets ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  26. Family Law Space Sharing (NCLC and CALC) ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  27. Increasing legal literacy and capability LEARN LAW Legal Columns • Jointly produced monthly newspaper columns being published in rural newspapers throughout the five counties ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  28. Improving Legal Services to the Deaf ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  29. Outreach About LAO-funded Services Access to Justice Outreach • Hired part-time Outreach Coordinators to improve awareness of LAO-funded services to Access to Justice partners in each county • Improving referrals • Identifying promising practices and perceived gaps in service, and making recommendations for improvement • Outreach has included: • Court Staff • FLIC staff • Mediators and Information and Referral Coordinators • Private bar lawyers • Government information centres • LAO Staff • Court Diversion Staff • Family Support Workers • Human Services Justice Network • Presentations made and resources distributed ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  30. Outreach About LAO-funded Services ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  31. Public Library Legal Reference Training ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  32. Phase I - Learning From One-Another ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  33. Improving the Coordination and Quality of Legal Services Other Initiatives • Reviewing the scripts of the Client Service Centre and requesting changes • Working with the Communications Department to revise “How Legal Aid Can Help” • Correcting the Source “database” • Working with ARCH on disability rights - outreach opportunities and possible road show • Working with ACE towards a CPD session on POA for the private bar ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  34. LEARN LAW Lunches: Family Law Bancroft, Madoc, and Picton!

  35. Service improvements Wills & POA Pilot Project CALC Working with Private Bar Volunteer Lawyers ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  36. Learning From One-Another Other Learning Opportunities • CALC Staff have been shadowing court staff and duty counsel • Inter-clinic knowledge sharing about intake in December 2011 • Joint training about Temporary Foreign Workers by Parkdale CLS, February 2012 • ODSP Database and Case Management Training, 2011 and 2012 • Deaf sensitivity and cultural competency training, April 2012 • Client Service Centre presentation, April 2012 • Roundtable sharing of related developments and projects ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  37. Preparing for Phase II – August 2012 ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  38. Phase II – Anticipating Significant Deliverables from @LAST ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  39. Court Judges & Staff A2J Agencies LAW ASSOC. LAO FLICs CLINICS SLAS Working with Access to Justice Partners Increasing Access to Justice ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  40. ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  41. Developing a Queen’s externship program ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  42. Family Law Information and Resource Sharing Workshop - Nov 20/12 ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  43. Lessons Learned ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  44. Lessons Learned • The value of dedicated project assistance • The helpfulness of meeting both by webconference and in-person • Trying to do system work is difficult but also worthwhile (understanding the big picture) • It takes time to develop trust in one another • We prototype and then scale up • It is hard not to take feedback personally • The value of knowledge sharing (provides the fertilizer for innovation) • Knowing more about the processes brings a greater understanding • Expect the unexpected opportunities • Usefulness of action research vs project scope creep • We come from different cultures ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

  45. Five County Network Meeting – January 18, 2013 ER ED Presentation - February 15, 2013

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