Press Releases pre-May 2010

A reformed Specialist Support Service could continue for three years under proposals laid out in a Legal Services Commission (LSC) consultation paper today.
 
The paper covers Supplier Support Services, which have two elements: 'Specialist Support', which enables eligible organisations to consult experts in civil categories of law; and 'Community Legal Service Grants', a funding stream that is to be used flexibly to support in the development of services.

The consultation paper proposes that the Specialist Support Service be continued, but recognises that it should be used by more of the lawyers it exists to serve, deliver value for money and, above all, ensure high quality of services to clients. The paper also proposes an increase in Community Legal Service grants to £3 million over three years.

Having reviewed the Specialist Support Service, the LSC proposes to closely align it with the client-focused strategy for the Community Legal Service and corporate objectives to deliver quality legal aid services and value for money. Proposals involve:

• tackling the low use of certain services. Only 29% of eligible organisations used Specialist Support in 2005 and less than 60% of contract hours were delivered. The LSC therefore plans to revise the terms and scope of the Specialist Support contract and manage performance more closely to ensure value for money



• dealing with the high costs of training. The LSC has compared the Specialist Support training with equivalent courses offered outside the Service and found that outside courses are significantly cheaper. It therefore plans to remove training from the scope of the scheme



• ensuring quality services for clients from the outset. This would involve specialist cases being immediately referred to specialist providers, with substantive specialist work being undertaken under the Unified Contract



• increasing the Community Legal Service Grants Budget to £1 million but revising the scope, criteria and application process to reflect the importance we place on paying for outcomes and delivering value for money.

The vast majority of the £196 million the LSC spends on Legal Help (early stage legal advice) goes directly into funding frontline services. A small proportion, currently £3.5 million, is used to fund the Supplier Support Services that complement those frontline services. Any savings made following consultation will be reinvested into frontline services.

Carolyn Regan, the LSC’s Chief Executive, commented:

"Supplier Support Services must help as many people as possible and target groups that, otherwise, might not have access to justice.  Responses to this consultation will help us shape the future of the service and inform our tender for new Specialist Support contracts and grants."

The tender process will start this Autumn for contracts that commence in April 2008. 

Media information

Richard Shand   Tel: 020 7759 0491

Notes to editors

1. The consultation paper is available from CLS > Consultations section of the LSC’s website.