The New York
State Legal Services
Steering
Committee For State Planning
(State
Designated Planning Body)
Plan of Action
Developed
November
27-28, 2001
A. Steering Committee Structure & Operations.
1. Composition.
(Lillian Moy)
Objective: a target size of 25 up from current 18
Review current membership. Identify gaps (need for diversity, balance, additions). Solicit recommendations for expansion and work with the November recommendations of the LSC Project Directors
2. Operations. (Lillian Moy, Bob Salzman)
Will develop working groups that include both Steering Committee members and others to work in specific area/on specific issues to develop the plan.
Will work from consensus-building model of decision-making.
Further refine as needed as we move forward
3. Staffing (Anne Erickson, Tom Maligno, Andy Scherer)
Co-chairs: Anne Erickson, Andy Scherer and Tom Maligno will provide coordination/clearinghouse/leadership to ensure the process keeps moving forward.
General staff support to the effort will be sought from IOLA, State Bar, Courts. Anne, Andy and Tom will work on initial staffing/organizing plan.
The Co-chairs will have weekly conference calls to guide the planning process and will tap other SC members, Project Directors and/or other interested parties as needed.
4. Information
Sharing. (Anne Erickson, Joe Kelemen)
The Steering Committee will use the WNYLC web site as a way
of broadly sharing information about the planning process, soliciting input and
feedback from the broader community and potentially launching “discussion
board” to allow for on-line discussion of the various issues.
5. Planning Process As Conversations. ( Project Leader
and Co-chairs)
The Steering Committee will orchestrate a series of conversations that will result in a state plan. We are having a series of conversations that educate, engage and excite the broader community: community groups, funders, legislators, local bar associations and others.
The Steering Committee will be planning 4 to 5 events/meetings from December 2001 to June 2002, each designed to promote and facilitate effective conversations. (see Part B below). They will be designed to:
§ capture and expand the excitement of creating an Access to Justice Plan for New York
§ enroll partners in the vision and service delivery system
§ build on an event already planned by a key stakeholder;
§ generate the commitments that will make up the State Plan.
§ develop a set of concrete reports following each that will build into the self-evaluation of the planning process as well as the State Plan.
6. State Plan As A Set of Commitments To Pursue A Vision And Implement A Service Delivery System. (Project Leader)
The state plan will be a set of commitments to pursue a shared vision to implement a state wide, integrated delivery system. The state plan will be built up through a series of events in which leaders step forward and enroll partners in achieving real, short term goals.
7. Accepting The Request and Offer Of The LSC Project
Directors (Project Leader and Co-chairs)
The Steering Committee and LSC Project Directors have agreed
to a partnership in State planning. The objective is to use the planning
process to develop the LSC Program Director vision and enroll others in
broadening it and implementing it. The LSC Program Directors have put forth a
first version of the vision, the building blocks and the organization
configuration for a state wide integrated system. They are committed to
developing it with partners throughout the state. The LSC Program Directors
have asked that the Steering Committee be broadened to make its voice more
powerful, its reach greater, and its work credible. They have asked for
assistance in pursuing the design of LSC Program configuration. The LSC Program
Directors stand ready to play leadership roles in developing the State Plan.
B. The Planning Process: December, 2001 – June, 2002
The State Planning Process will be organized around five events:
§
March
Event: Finding and Funding “The Path to Justice” -- A conversation with funders
and partners
§
May
1, Law Day Event. First Public Presentation of the State Plan. – a conversation
with the public.
§ June 10-12 Event. The Partnership Conference -- Making NY’s Justice System Work!!, Conversations on Adoption and Implementation
The Steering Committee will be responsible for the successful design and implementation of each event.
Who: Target audience is “everyone”
Board members Law Schools
Staff OCA
Clients Labor
Pro Bono Programs Religious
LSC Local Bar Leaders
Legislative Safety net agencies, organizations
When: Thursday and/or Friday, January 24, 25 during the New York State Bar Annual meeting
What: Communicate and enroll others in next version of the vision, delivery system and organization.
§ Meet with as broad a group as possible to educate, engage and excite other (potential) partners; to lay out our vision for Access to Justice; to announce the planning process; to generate commitments from other partners.
§ Meet (as SC, with LSC Directors, others) to continue discussion of key elements of system: the vision, the building blocks; configuration. Extend from Vision to Structure to Individual Elements to Measures and Benchmarks.
§ Begin to create the Evaluation of the Planning Process and lay the groundwork for the State Plan.
§ Organize a Press/Media event. Showcase “A Bold Vision for Access to Justice -- Our Communities, Our Commitments. Announce our vision; highlight models in New York “that work;” celebrate our heroes/heroines – those who have made a difference in the delivery of services.
Results: Shared vision with broader community; “announcing” ourselves, our commitment. Reporting out becomes the first draft of planning evaluation, creates elements for the first draft of the state plan
Who Leads: Bruce Lawrence, Barbara Finklestein, Diane Burman oversee logistics. In addition, Anne, Andy, Tom, Barbara, Bob Elardo, Joe Kelemen, Amy Christensen, Gordon Dean and Jody Davis help design and content of the programs/meetings.
Preparation. In December and January
working groups form around leaders in different topics to develop the
presentation at the January event.
§
The
next version of the vision, the building blocks, organization of the delivery
system, …. How do we present it to those we want to enroll?
§ Develop our story about the vision: what does it mean to end poverty? How to do we “talk” about ending poverty as an Access to Justice issue? How do we share the conversation on ending poverty with other key players and get them to embrace it, particularly funders, policy leaders, legislators, etc? How do we make the issues compelling and communicable!
§ Take the building blocks and begin to create the blueprint for the statewide, integrated delivery system. How to we do this so that stakeholders, partners can own parts of the blueprint?
2. March Event: Finding and Funding" The Path to Justice” -- A conversation with funders and partners
Who: Current and potential funders, including city officials, local government, foundations, United Ways, Office for the Aging, others.
Current and potential partners , including community groups that have retainers with legal services, groups that have jointly funded project, domestic violence programs, others
What: To generate commitments of support. To have current funders and partners say: “This is why I fund Legal Services, why I partner with Legal Services.” To have them say; “We fund state of the art services; we fund access to justice; we partner for holistic services; we share the commitment to justice.” Create very powerful/concrete messages that educate, engage, and excite other potential funders and partners. Showcase the “Vision” as refined and strengthened in January. Generate “buy-in” for Access to Justice; begin to identify potential “deals”
§ Becomes part of the evaluation; part of state plan
§ Expands state planning document
§ Deals are made to help us move forward
§ Brings funders and local community groups into process.
§ Develops leadership and advocates for growing the funding
§ Learn how to connect with, align with the agenda’s of others.
Preparation for the
meeting: Coming out of January event content workgroups form or continue.
§ further develop the vision, service delivery system blueprint, organizational configuration
§ map out the field of potential funders, partners
§ formulate "the ask,” what are we going to ask of these potential partners?
Who Leads: Lillian, Karen Cheeks-Lomax, Steve Banks, Barbara Finklestein; ask IOLA to help handle the logistics, invitations to other funders.
Who: Steering Committee, LSC, LSC Project Directors, board members, local bar leaders, key community groups/advocates, clients/client groups, and others who have become actively involved in the process since January
What: Working meeting to work out best LSC program configuration within context of statewide delivery system. Develop how we all “fit” in a potential new system.
Results: LSC, LSC programs, communities, partners adopt approach to organization of the state wide system and LSC program configuration.
§ Build excitement, buy-in of other stakeholders
§ Build consensus on LSC program configuration.
§ Create new professional and career opportunities for directors and staff
§ Create funding and partnership opportunities
Preparation: Working from the criteria provided by the Project Directors as well as LSC’s articulated criteria, the Steering Committee will engage the community in an open conversation on configuration that will flow throughout the planning process. We will invite ideas on configuration from all players/stakeholders, asking everyone to submit their own best ideas – and the rational for how it fits with criteria and vision. Co-chairs will develop a process for framing the possibilities and engaging participants prior to April so that the April event is successful.
4. May 1, Law Day Event. First Public Presentation of the State Plan. – a conversation with the public.
What: Working from results/reports from January and March as well as working group activity between meetings, we have solid first draft of state plan for announcement on Law Day.
What: Chief Judge, joined by Governor and Legislative Leaders announces – and embraces!! -- the State Access to Justice Plan, the progress made to date and the commitment of those gathered to see that the plan becomes a living document
Who leads: State Bar helps coordinate the logistics of Law Day; Judge Newton helps with ensuring presentation
Results: Buy in and excitement at the highest levels of Judiciary, Executive and Legislative branches of NYS!!
5. June 10-12 Event. The Partnership Conference -- Making
NY’s Justice System Work!!
Conversations on Adoption and Implementation
Who: “Everyone!”
What: Presentation and “ratification” of the State Plan, Announce and cement partnerships/commitments
Themes: The end of poverty is captured in the themes that unify the partners.
§ Better Futures for our Clients
§ Full Recovery through Access to Justice
§ Creating and Building Partnerships for Justice
§ LSC steps forward as full partner
§ Further buy in of state’s political leadership
§ Funding Commitments announced
§ Resource development campaigns announced.
§ State shifts to a statewide integrated delivery system.
Who Leads: Anne, Andy, Tom, along with those already engaged in Partnership Planning; State Bar helps with logistics.