National Occupational Standards for Legal Advice

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National Occupational Standards for Legal Advice
DatePresenters Name
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What are National Occupational Standards?
Standards of performance expected of staff and
volunteers
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Why National Occupational Standards?

• Widen access to quality advice services for the
  general public

• Improve the quality and consistency of legal
  advice

• Create a more flexible workforce by enhancing the
  transferability of skills for staff moving within
  the legal advice field

• Create a more coherent career development path
  for the legal advice workforce

• Raise profile of legal advice to encourage new
  entrants to enter the field, and the public to
  access services

• Enhance access to funding support for the
  training and development of workers across the
  sector

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How were the Standards developed?

• Funded by European Social Fund and Legal Services
  Commission

• Led by Steering Group comprising Advice Services
  Alliance, Advice UK, Age Concern England,
  Citizens Advice, DIAL UK, ILEX, Law Centres
  Federation, Legal Services Commission, Local
  Government Association, Refugee Council, OISC,
  Shelter, Shelter Cymru, The Law Society, Youth
  Access

• Developed and refined through wide consultation
  with practitioners working in advice
  organisations in the voluntary, public and
  private sectors throughout England and Wales

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How can the Standards be used?

• Benchmarking organisational practices

• Developing job descriptions and person
  specifications

• Recruiting and inducting new staff and volunteers

• Identifying individual learning needs and
  organisational skills gaps

• Designing, delivering and evaluating learning and
  development

• Managing and developing individual and team
  performance

• As a common language for working in partnership

• As the basis for nationally-recognised
  qualifications

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What do NOS for Advice cover?
LA3 Develop and manage interviews with
clients LA15 Represent clients in formal
proceedings LA28 Provide support for other
practitioners
LA31 Criminal Law Advice and Casework LA32 First-
line Disability Legal Advice LA36 The Provision
of Advice to Young People on their Rights under
the Law
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What other NOS are available?

• Business and Administration
• Customer Service
• Fundraising
• Health and Safety
• Information Technology
• Management and Leadership
• Managing Volunteers
• Personnel
• Trustees and Management Committee Members
• Workplace Violence

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Generic Units

• Unit Summary

• Elements

• Performance

• Knowledge and Understanding

• Skills

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Knowledge Units

• Unit Summary

• Outcomes

• Knowledge and Understanding

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Levels of Knowledge Units
LA61 Asylum Legal Advice and Casework
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Putting the Standards to Work
Strategic objectives
People management and development
Workforce planning
Recruitment selection
Job design
Working in teams/ partnerships
Succession planning
Induction
Career development
Assuring quality
Learning development needs analysis, design,
delivery evaluation
Personal performance
Performance management
Continuing personal professional development
Developing organisational culture competence
Assessment
Recognition
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Identifying Relevant Standards
4. Produce the role profile
3. Identify relevant knowledge units
2. Identify relevant generic units
1. List the task, duties or responsibilities of
the job
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Generalist Adviser
LA1 Establish communication with clients
LA8 Enable clients to act on their own behalf
LA2 Support clients to make use of the service
LA9 Assist clients to gain access to other
services
LA3 Develop and manage interviews with clients
LA10 Provide and receive referrals on behalf of
clients
LA4 Provide information and advice using the
telephone
LA16 Negotiate on behalf of clients
LA5 Provide information to clients
LA20 Evaluate and develop own practice
LA6 Support clients to plan, implement and
review action
HSA Ensure your own actions reduce risks to
health and safety
LA7 Provide continuing support to clients
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Housing Advice Caseworker
LA40 Housing Legal Advice and Casework
HSA Ensure your own actions reduce risks to
health and safety
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Advice Supervisor
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Receptionist
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Guide to Good Practice
5. Evaluate your performance
4. Use the standards as checklists
3. Plan the task
2. Identify relevant standards
1. Choose a task
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Performance Management
6. Provide feedback
5. Appraise performance
4. Perform to standards
3. Agree support required
2. Identify relevant standards
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Benefits for Individuals
For individuals, National Occupational Standards

• support their professional development
• open up a wider range of career possibilities
• help them transfer competence to other jobs or
  work contexts
• give them confidence they are working to best
  practice standards
• help them speak with authority and present a
  professional image

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Benefits for Line Managers
For line managers, National Occupational
Standards

• ensure their staff are clear about their
  responsibilities and competent to carry them
  out
• provide a ready-made framework for performance
  management and appraisal
• make assessment an integral part their work
• help them provide specific feedback designed to
  improve performance
• allow them to delegate responsibility to staff
  with confidence
• ensure their staff comply with legal and
  organisational requirements

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Benefits for Organisations
For organisations, National Occupational
Standards

• provide an integrated structure for management
  and development
• align individual effort with organisational goals
  and targets
• help develop and retain a highly skilled,
  motivated and flexible workforce
• assure the quality required to win and retain
  contracts
• provide a common language and standards of
  quality in partnerships
• enhance public confidence and understanding of
  the organisation and the sector

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Further Information
If you want to know more about theNational
Occupational Standards for Legal Advice,contact
Skills for Justice 0114 261 1499 info_at_skillsforjus
tice.com