Last month, DCBF CEO Kirra Jarratt shared an exciting opportunity for readers to provide input and feedback on the design of a Coordinated Intake and Referral system (CIR) in the District.
While a CIR system will be a critical new asset to our city’s civil legal aid network, we cannot build it overnight. Implementing CIR is a process that requires frequent check-ins to ensure we are creating a system that works for everyone in our city. Evaluation is an integral part of this process, which the Foundation, in partnership with NPC Research, is conducting at every phase of the project.
Collecting input and feedback from stakeholders in DC’s civil legal services system is an essential first step in evaluating the System Design phase. We envision what CIR should look like. In the System Development phase, where we build out CIR, NPC, and A2J Tech will make sure the CIR system records data in a way that can be efficiently analyzed over time. Data collected will include intake volume, referral rate, case placement rate, case rejection rate, and dropout rate, among other statistics.
NPC and A2J Tech will analyze data collected from the system’s test run about clients and their experiences using the system in the pilot test phase. This will shed light on where CIR is working well and what improvements are needed to meet users’ needs. And, once CIR has officially launched, NPC will assess how the system works in real-time as it handles a significant volume of clients. The data they collect will track how the system functions and inform improvements to the system. Continuous project evaluation is essential and allows us to make changes in real-time to benefit clients in need.
But monitoring how CIR runs isn’t the only valuable form of evaluation taking place. NPC will also assess how CIR impacts the District’s entire legal services system to see where gaps exist and where we can increase CIR’s benefit to the community as a whole.
The System Design phase is happening now! There are just two and a half weeks until the input and feedback period closes on November 5 at 5:00 p.m. Don’t miss your chance to help us strengthen and centralize DC’s civil legal aid network so that all District residents can have a fair and equal legal experience, regardless of wealth, knowledge, or power.
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