CLASS is the legal database system used nationally by CLCs, and allows all CLCs to perform conflict checks on any new clients and store relevant information about clients.

All volunteers/secondees will be given their own CLASS login to use while they are with Street Law.

It is important to familiarise yourself with how CLASS works. You must review the below videos before you begin at Street Law, which will take you approximately 30 minutes.

 

  1. New Client – 5 step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLce_W2FbuA

The intake process will need to be completed for all new clients. If a client’s details change (such as a new mobile number, new address etc.) then they will also need to be updated in CLASS.

How to complete a new client intake on CLASS:

Step 1.

Click the ‘Çonflict Check’ tab

 

Once you have pressed that tab, the following page will open:

On this page you will need to input the client’s name and DOB. Once you press search either nothing will come up, meaning there is no conflict, or the client’s name will appear, meaning the client is either an existing client or that there is a conflict of interest.

If there is a conflict of interest let the principal solicitor know immediately.

If there is no conflict of interest and the client isn’t an existing client go to step 2

 

Step 2.

Click the ‘New Intake’ tab

 

Step 3.

Click the ‘New Intake’ tab

The following window will pop up after clicking on ‘New Intake.’ You will need to fill out all the questions.

Example of how to fill out this section:

Important sections to note from above:

    • Service Type: generally, you will either pick Legal Advice or Legal Task – (Always begin with a legal advice as this captures the most data that can be copied into other services)
    • Funding Categrory: Generalist services – or COVID-19 if the client has been impacted by it
    • Problem Type: Here you pick the relevant problem type for the client, such as fines, CIC, birth certificate application etc. Please be as specific as possible.
    • Client Type: Individual
    • If the client has been referred from an organisation/service, make sure you fill out the ‘Referral Details’ section.

In the ‘Intake Notes’ section on the above CLASS page, you need to click design and then copy and paste the CLASS data from the File Note made during the initial meeting or telephone conversation with the client.

 

Step 4.

Click “Intake Step 2 -Additional Parties’ as showed below.

You will then be taken to the following page:

Here you input any additional parties to the client’s matter by clicking on ‘Add Party’ in the top right hand corner. The following page will then appear, and you will need to add the additional party’s details.

If there are no additional parties to add, click on ‘Intake Step 3′.

 

Step 5.

By clicking on the Intake Step 3, the below window will pop up, which is the conflict check stage.

You will need to input the client’s name and press search.

    • If nothing pops up after you press search, this means there is no conflict and you can proceed by clicking ‘New Cient’
    • If a name pops up this can mean either the client is an existing client or there is a conflict of interest.
    • If you determine there is a conflict of interest you must inform the Principal Solicitor straight away.

Step 6.

Once you have confirmed the client is not an existing client and there is no conflict, press ‘New Client’ and you will be taken to the following window that needs to be filled out.

Example of ‘Intake Stage 4’ completed:

 

By this stage the following information should be recorded if known.

    • Email type
    • Email
    • DOB known
    • Family type
    • Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander
    • Country of birth
    • Year of arrival (if not Australia)
    • Main language spoken at home
    • Proficiency in English – Spoken
    • Proficiency in English – Written
    • Requires interpreter?
    • Type of living arrangements
    • Employment status
    • Centrelink status
    • Income level (weekly)
    • Income source

Step 7.

Click ‘Save’ and you will be sent to the following page. This confirms that a client service has been put in the CLASS system.

You will then need to click on the blue service ID. By pressing that number you will be brought to the following page, where you need to fill out the remaining questions.

Example of a completed client service section:

Press “Save & Close” and then the Client Intake is complete.

 

Check list for what questions need to be filled out on the Client Service.

How to fill out Service Details:

  • Service type (select legal advice)
  • Funding category (select ‘generalist services’)
  • Problem type (select relevant legal issue from list)
  • Outreach (what clinic you’re at)
  • Interpreter used

How to fill out Client Details:

  • Client type (select ‘individual’)
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Other name
  • DOB
  • Family Violence indicator
    • This is important. Do not use ‘unknown category’. If it is not known you must follow it up and mark it in a review note to follow it up.
    • Includes perpetrators
  • Mobile
  • Gender
  • Address type
  • Street
  • Suburb
  • Postcode
  • Financial disadvantage
    • This is another important section to make sure is always completed.
  • Homelessness status
  • Number of children/dependent
    Disability status
  • Tenure type
    • This is also very important, please be as specific as possible.

A new client service must be completed every time you work on that client’s file if it is an advice. The simplest way to do this is to search client, click on their ‘Services’ tab, select their initial advice by ticking the box on the left and selecting ‘Copy’ in the top right corner. You will then need to select the duplicate and adjust ‘service type’ details – e.g if an advice is changing to a task or case, the open date and service status. See step 3 for more details.

 

Special Circumstances

You will need to clearly note if the client has any Special Circumstances within –

1. CLASS
2. On the File Note
3. On the client’s physical file.

 

Special Circumstances need to be recorded within CLASS in the following ways:

1. By checking the Flagged box on the Client Details page.
2. By checking the relevant box under the “Stickers” section on the Client Details page.
3. Where more detail are required, note them in the Client Details/Notes box.

 

NEW CLIENT ENTRY NEEDS TO BE PUT INTO THE STREET LAW SERVER BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:

  • Create file on server
  • Copy ‘time spent spreadsheet’ from ‘Knowledge Base’
  • Ensure Authority to Act and Client Charter are saved there
  • Client intake file note table to be copied into CLASS Client ‘notes’ section
  • Any other documents are saved to electronic file

 

 

CLASS Services – Part 1 and 2

    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r2GKqt49lw
    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay-Vrg-TA24

‘Services’ are how we record every action undertaken for a client’s matter (for example; wrote a letter, gave advice to client, made a call, etc.). Services contain critical data that we use to assess our client group. This data must be input into every service.

How to add a new CLASS Service:

Once you have found the relevant client, click on their name. Then click on ‘Client Services.’

Once in ‘Client Services’ click on ‘New.’

You will then be directed to this section, that needs to be filled out.

Completed New Services section:

Once all the relevant sections are filled out, click on ‘Save and Close.’ You will know if the service has been saved if you are then taken to the following screen:

Service ID S7177 is the new service that was created.

 

  1. Copy Service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=266BfzQMrVI

To record a service in CLASS, certain data must be entered. Often it is more efficient to copy a previous service and update only the fields that require updating, rather than creating a new service.

To copy a service tick the relevant service ID you want to copy and click the ‘Copy’ tab:

Once you have pressed the ‘Copy’ tab, the copied service will become green and a confirmation message will appear. This means the copy is successful. The next step is to click the copied service and change/update the details.

For example the following details will generally need updating:

  • Who created the new service;
  • Date of service;
  • Task type;
  • Mode of Delivery;
  • How long the task took;
  • Problem type (if there are any changes);
  • And any other relevant sections that need to be completed.

 

  1. Actions (for critical dates and limitation periods): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB_1yHa7cw0

It is important to be aware of how this is done so that you know how to do it if it is asked of you.

To action critical dates, click on the following tab: