Online Intake—Best Practices

Moderator: Claudia Johnson, Pro Bono Net

Panelists

William Guyton, Legal Services AlabamaJaffe Pickett, Legal Services Alabama

Dina Nikitaides CATJ/A2J Author

Craige Harrison, Utah Legal Services

Some terminology

Intake –the process a legal non profit (including a pro bono project) uses to accepting or rejecting clients based on articulated criteria. It includes data collection, review, acceptance or denial, notification to the applicant, and referrals for all.

Online intake= online application tool + online intake system

Online intake application—an online form that collects information, it can also be an email.

It refers to an application that is received using some online tool and travels through the

internet.

Online intake system—the online application and all the other components/resources that

are required to process the application. It could include staff, a data base, a staging area not

integrated into regular case management system, a call back queue, web chat to support

the application, etc.

Triage-once a case is deemed eligible how the case is prioritized for services and legal

resources by a program. Depending on the context, sometimes triage comes before intake.

Some Assumptions

All legal non-profits do intake—because they

have limited resources and their funders

may require it.

Intake is generally perceived by most funders as an

Administrative function covered by the overhead of

a program.

Online intake is another “door” to the program, it

can supplement phone intake, in person intake,

remote location intake.

Standard 4.1

► A provider should strive, therefore, to offer multiple avenues for persons to seek assistance, or should actively participate in a delivery system that provides such opportunities.

Best PracticesFor Illinois

Standard 2.2

Centralized telephone intake and the provision of legaladvice and limited intervention by phone can increase the

provider's capacity to reach otherwise isolated clients. Advances in technology can help overcome some of the limitations of serving clients remotely by telephone, particularly with regard to the transfer of documents important to a case.

SCLAID Standards

► Standard 2.3 on Participation in Statewide and Regional Systems

Providers and others should work together to establish support systems that will expand the

capacity of the system to respond to those who are not receiving services. Providers, in

cooperation with others, may establish delivery mechanisms, such as centralized telephone

intake to increase the capacity of people who are isolated geographically to gain access to

needed help.

SCLAID Standards

STANDARD 4.1 ON THE PROVIDER’S INTAKE SYSTEM

A provider should design and operate an intake system that treats all persons

seeking assistance with respect, accurately identifies their legal needs and

promptly determines the assistance to be offered.

Standard 4.1

► Persons seeking assistance from a provider will be offered different levels of assistance. Some applicants will be accepted as clients and offered assistance that may range from full representation1 to representation limited to advice or brief service. Others will not be accepted as clients, but will be given legal information about their problem. Still others will be given assistance to represent themselves through pro se clinics and other methods that teach self help. A number will be denied any form of assistance because they are ineligible or seek help in an area that the provider does not handle. Regardless of the service they ultimately receive, all persons seeking services need to be treated respectfully and professionally.

Standard 4.1

► Denials of service

The provider should strive to preserve good will among those who are denied

service. Reasons for rejecting a case should be explained clearly and promptly, and

applicants who desire a review of the decision should be given immediate assistance to

pursue their grievance.The provider should refer rejected applicants to other

sources of assistance, if available. Such referrals should be made as quickly as

possible to allow rejected applicants to seek other assistance if necessary to protect their rights.

Intake is a gateway to data/analysis

► Intake goes beyond picking and choosing clients and cases

► Intake is a nervous system that can let you detect new problems, new needs

► To allocate resources effectively

► And change your delivery system to better serve your communities

LSC Performance Criteria 1

What screening for other types of problems is done at intake? What systematic review of intake

and intake data is done to identify repetitive problems?

The program has systems and approaches reasonably calculated to

identify new pressing issues and legal needs, both of individuals and the

target population as a whole, including continuing engagement with and

input from the low-income population, regular review of intake and case information, monitoring

of local, state, and national legal developments, and other appropriate strategies. Such new

legal needs may be either short or long term.

Utah’s lessons

LSC funded program

Elegant handling of:

► Kennedy Ammendment eligibility

► Denials

► Grievance policies

► Asset valuation

Household is a term of art

Asset Valuation

Asset valuation

Grievance information

Asks all cases about DV

Kennedy Ammendment Eligibility--Utah

Interview follows through

Asks about other criteria

Verifying the information--Utah

► Offers two choices

► Webchat option

► Or call in option—with priority into a queue

DV safety information--Utah

Setting expectations about email

Check preference language

At the end two options are presented

Impact on ULS since implementation

► Eligibility screening time decreased► Queue times: 10 minutes from 12 minutes► Anecdotal: As much as half

► Triage for Eligibility screening (87% vs 55%)

► Greater availability► Urban vs Rural (55/45 vs 63/37)► Hard of hearing► DV victims► Temporarily out of the country, etc.

From Alabama—tips on the application

► Use plain language itself

► Provider disclaimers upfront

► Set up an online intake queue/set aside resources for processing, review, analysis, call back

► Integrate with your other intake activities

Alabama’s Lessons

► Transforms

► Design team

Consideration when planning online intake system--Alabama

► Pick a design team, a diverse team

► Look at the tech options from the beginning

► Do not underestimate the difficulty of data transforms

► Choose carefully where you store and how you move the data

Online Intake with A2J Author

► Overview of Online Intake with A2J Author

► A2J Author Online Intake Training Series

► States using A2J Author for Online Intake

Dina C. NikitaidesProgram CoordinatorCenter for Access to Justice & TechnologyChicago-Kent College of Law

Online Intake with A2J Author

Petition for Joint

Simplified Dissolution of Marriage

Petition for Joint

Simplified Dissolution of MarriageA2J Author

interface collects data from end-user and stores data in an answer file.

HotDocs reads the answer file and inserts data in the correct location on the form.

The completed document is returned to the end-user for printing or saving.

Typical document assembly project with A2J Author

Interview Answers

(.anxFile)

Answer File Datain holding area available for review in the Case Management System:

• conflicts check• attorney review

• processing

XSLTransform

Interview Answers

(.anxFile)

33

A2J Guided Interview® for Intake

Transformed Answer Files

Case Management System

Online Intake with A2J Author

Online Intake with A2J Author

► Planning & Preparation► Inception – meet with project stakeholders, identify roles, review budget,

review other program’s intake interview, determine goals & restrictions► Elaboration – draft online intake script (in word processor), rounds of review

with stakeholders

► Construction► A2J Guided Interview – using script draft questions and logic in A2J Author► Interview Testing & Review – can still easily make changes at this point► XSL Transform Development & Testing

► Implementation► Staff Training – train intake workers to process online applications► Go Live – success!

Online Intake with A2J Author

► Time► Varies from program to program depending on available staffing resources► Suggestion: If completing project in house, estimate high for times when other

projects are more demanding

► Cost► Varies from program to program depending on many factors such as current

staffing and need for outsourcing► Suggestions:

► Do not reinvent the wheel – start with an interview from another program that is similar to what you would like

► Partner with other programs that have same CMS and get a basic interview done for the group and then customize to individual program needs

Online Intake with A2J Author

A2J Author Online Intake Training Series► Part I - Intro to Online Intake: How it works with A2J Author + Benefits &

Concerns.► Part II - Project Phases & Management: – How to organize an online

intake project with time and resource estimates► Part III - Make It Your Own: Customization, Reviewing & Editing an Online

Intake Script► All Things Technical: Hosting (where is your interview going to live) &

Transform (how to get collected data into your CMS) – October 20th► Guest Speaker: John Mayer, CALI

► Up and Running: Where does the information go and what happens next? – December 15th

► Guest Speaker: David Bonebrake, LSC

Online Intake with A2J Author

A2J Author Resources

► A2JAuthor.org► Download software & user guide► Sign up for monthly trainings► Find slides and recordings from past trainings

► Online Intake Tools & Trainings► Sample interviews from other programs► Slides and recordings from past trainings

Online Intake with A2J Author

Programs using A2J Author for Online Intake

► 10 programs with online intake projects

► 35+ programs researching for future online intake projects using A2J Author

Thank you for attending today!Next up:

More information at www.lsntap.org

Contact Information

Allison McDermott (amcdermott@probono.net)Brian Rowe (brianr@nwjustice.org) or via chat on www.lsntap.org

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