2: Quality and Compliance
Enhance the quality and compliance of legal services programs. Other Information:
Outcome measures: In considering outcome measures, LSC recognizes that the ultimate measure is whether grantees obtain successful
outcomes for their clients. The definition of success, however, is not simple. Even where a case goes to trial, the outcome
may be viewed as successful by some but not by others. In simpler matters where an attorney provides brief advice, the attorney
has no way of knowing if the client followed the advice or if the outcome was successful. LSC has been discussing outcome
measures with grantees and will continue to encourage grantees to identify methods for measuring outcomes for their clients.
LSC will collect and share the outcome measures developed by grantees to promote their use by legal services programs. Since
priorities and state laws (and therefore the desired outcomes) vary from grantee to grantee, national outcome measures are
difficult to establish. While grantees generally conduct some form of client follow-up such as client satisfaction surveys,
surveys provide limited information by which to assess the quality of legal assistance provided. LSC will continue over the
next five years to work on appropriate means to measure successful outcomes for LSC programs. Until such time as appropriate
outcome measures are developed, LSC will track the following performance measures for quality and compliance: Performance
measures: Goal two is divided into two areas for performance measures, quality and compliance. LSC has adopted five indicators
of quality in the delivery of legal services. LSC performance criteria measures. LSC performance criteria are the means
LSC is using to emphasize quality in LSC programs. LSC will develop methods of measuring and reporting on these criteria,
and then use those methods to produce performance measures for Goal 2. Scores on competitive grant evaluations. LSC uses
its performance criteria to score applications for competitive grant awards. Over a three-year period, every grant will be
open to competition. While year-to-year scores may vary depending upon which grants are being competed, the trend in scores
over time will be considered an indication of the level of program quality of grantees competing for awards. Diversity
numbers for grantee boards, leadership, and staff. Grantees annually report to LSC on the diversity characteristics of their
staff, leadership, and boards. This information will be aggregated and reported as a quality indicator for LSC programs.
Grantee attorney retention. Retention of experienced attorneys will be considered a measure of quality in staffing. LSC will
report annually on the average length of service for all grantee attorney staff nationwide. Amount of training provided
for grantee staff. LSC will collect from grantees during the competitive award process the training provided to grantee staff.
A well-trained staff being an indicator of a quality program, LSC will consider the amount of training provided as an indicator
of program quality. As indicators of compliance, LSC has adopted three performance measures: Number of technical assistance
and training sessions conducted by LSC. In order to assist grantees to achieve and remain in compliance with laws and regulations
governing legal services operations, LSC conducts training sessions for grantee staff. LSC will count and report on these
sessions on an annual basis. The number of training sessions provided will be considered an indicator of LSC’s compliance
efforts. Percent of in-compliance findings from OCE visits. During program visits by OCE staff, grantees are evaluated
on whether they are in compliance with a list of regulatory items. The aggregate percentage of findings that are in compliance
will be reported annually by LSC and considered as an indicator of the level of compliance by legal services programs with
laws and regulations. Timeliness and degree of resolution of OCE corrective action notices. When items are found during
program visits that are not in compliance, corrective action items are made part of the draft and final reports sent to programs.
The average length of time for a program to resolve a corrective action notice will be considered an indicator of commitment
to compliance by LSC grantees. In addition, the extent to which a program has implemented necessary change, as well as the
level of proof obtained by LSC to support full compliance, will be considered indicators of the success in improving noted
compliance issues.
Objective(s):
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