1. Lessons learned from the first 13 model approaches to legal services delivery

2. Presenters Omar Valverde, U.S. Administration on Aging
David Godfrey, ABA Commission on Law and Aging
Keith Morris, Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors and Center for Elder Rights Advocacy
Sue Wasserkrug, Senior Law Center

3. Model approaches Strategic Goal Tactical Application
To promote the creation of comprehensive, well integrated, and cost effective legal service delivery systems that target scarce resources to older adults in the most social or economic need
Tactical Application
Systems that function with the right legal entities, handling the right kinds of legal cases, at the right level of service

4. Model approaches Essential Features Senior Legal Helplines
Needs and Capacity Assessments
Leveraging Low Cost Mechanisms
Integration with Aging network
Outreach and Targeting
Reporting Systems and Outcomes
Role of Legal Assistance Developer

5. Model approaches Needs assessment Systems capacity
Collaboration with aging network
Training
Targeting services
Integration
Statewide reporting system
Leveraging resources
Outcomes

6. a. Needs Assessments

7. Needs Assessment Understand before you improve
Legal Needs Studies examine the Demand side of the equation
Legal Needs vs Legal Wants
Benchmarking

8. Many Models for Studies
Statistically valid sample
Targeted sample
Online
Paper
Multiple choice
Narrative
Interviews
Focus groups

9. Look for conditions that place elders at risk:
Income,
Food
Shelter
Health care
Risks to autonomy
Risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation

10. Look beyond the choir
Needs of those we know
Who do you never reach?

11. b. Systems Capacity

12. Supply side of the equation
What is the capacity of the system to meet the needs of the population
How can the supply be enhanced
How can the supply be better coordinated

13. Look beyond the usual suspects
Traditional and non-traditional providers
Collaborations with new partners
Quantitative and Qualitative measures
How many
What issues
What level of service
Think of the full spectrum of legal assistance

14. c. Collaboration with aging network

15. Who else works with or helps your target population?
Collaborations
Who else works with or helps your target population?

16. What kind of collaborations
Reciprocal referral arrangements
Cross training
Communications sharing of resources
Collaborative funding
Private bar
Invite – invite – invite

17. d. Training the project that never ends

18. Training, training, and training…
Who to train?
Staff & volunteers
Other legal providers
Aging services network
Government staff, e.g., victim services

19. Training Topics Our services & how to access them
Substantive legal issues
Issue spotting
Serving seniors
Capacity issues

20. Training can be an opportunity…
To enlighten the general populations about seniors, their needs and vulnerabilities
To educate the aging services network about low-income issues
To inform about the importance of SLH’s
To create collaborations & coalitions
To find allies & advocates

21. e. Targeting Services

22. Targeting services
Most programs are still very numbers driven and have a hard time changing to impact driven work
Older Americans Act requires targeting to the most economical and socially needy
Cannot means test

23. Targeting services
A struggle for hotlines because most are used to helping all eligible callers
Hotlines have been effective in helping target III-B programs by triaging all clients to identify ones with priority cases
Use the needs assessment to help you determine what types of services are most important to your target population

24. f. Integration

25. Integration
Goal is to create a seamless network of referrals and services, from the client’s perspective
Must include both legal and aging
Use formal agreements to cement relationships
Hard to overcome territorial feelings from some programs

26. integration
Hotlines can play a major role in establishing this seamless program
Use of “warm handoff” is a great benefit to clients
Use technology, such as automated case transfer, to help client and providers
Survey clients to make sure there is no breakdown in the process

27. g. State reporting system

28. Statewide reporting system
How you tell if your efforts for targeting and integration are working
You have to be able to tell your story with an accurate picture
Identify trends and gaps in service
Must have buy-in from AAA because they control the contracts
A strong Legal Assistance Developer is crucial

29. Statewide reporting system
Michigan’s model
Automated data extract of non-identifying client- level information
Statewide system that cross references all entries to create a uniform report
One source for all reports

30. h. Leverage resources

31. Sustainability Who moved my cheese?
From Day One
New and innovative
Never done before
Share projects
Use legal needs and systems assessment to build the case for state and local funding
Involvement builds buy in
50% of spending on Title III legal assistance

32. i. Outcomes

33. Outcomes How did your work change the lives of clients? Define it
Measure it
Report it
Qualitative vs. quantitative
Outcomes vs. outputs
Crucial for funding!

34. Legal Service Delivery System

35. Customer Centered vision
No wrong door
Improved access

36. Resources www.nlrc.aoa.gov www.legalhotlines.org
Omar Valverde,
David Godfrey,
Keith Morris,
Sue Wasserkrug,