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ROLES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN JAG STATEWIDE PLANNING FOR JUSTICE
INITIATIVE
Role
of the Work Group Chairs -
Convene all meetings -
Facilitate all meetings - Assure
that the person staffing the work group is taking minutes and if not available,
that another work group member has taken on that responsibility - Review
minutes and submit to JAG Executive Coordinator - Assure
that agreements entered into by work group members are recorded -
Identify next steps – who will do what by when - Check
in with people who have volunteered for particular tasks or projects.
Do not assume that work is getting done! - Keep
informed and make sure your committee is informed of the work of the other work
groups, particularly as it relates to your committee’s work -
Communicate with other work groups about your group’s progress - Keep
the JAG Executive Coordinator and Steering Committee Chair informed of the
activities of your work group, including any problems the work group faces, any
particular needs your group may have, and/or any items for the Steering
Committee meeting agenda - Draft
or assign responsibility for drafting interim reports and final committee
recommendations - Serve
on Steering Committee meetings Role
of Work Group Vice Chairs -
Assume duties of
chair in the absence of the chair -
Provide assistance to the Work Group Chair or Work Group Staff Person as
requested Role
of the Work Group Staff Person - Make arrangements
for work group meetings (location, logistics, space for teleconferencing etc.) - Take minutes of
work group meetings (include list of agreements, tasks and timeframes) - Record
all agreements entered into by committee members -
Circulate meeting notice, minutes and other materials to work group members in a
timely fashion prior to meetings - Submit
minutes and work group materials to Work Group Chair (Vice Chairs for Consumer
Friendly and Self-Represented Litigants) - Participates as a voting member in work group meetings Role
of Work Group Members - Participate in regular work group meetings, conference calls and
sub-committee meetings as necessary - Contributes time, ideas and labor necessary to research and analyze
issues, develop recommendations and draft the work group reports Role
of the Steering Committee - Review Interim and Final reports of the work groups - Ensure collaboration among work groups - Provide support and information to the work groups to ensure their
progress - Advance the study of appropriate outcome measures for the legal
community in light of work group recommendations - Prepare and submit Interim and Final reports to JAG - Make recommendations for implementation Role
of JAG Board of Directors -
Provide a forum for updates regarding progress of planning initiative -
Serve as a resource for the Chair of the Steering Committee and work groups -
Receive Interim and Final reports from Steering Committee -
Provide oversight and monitoring for the implementation phase Overall
Assignments to Each Work Group Each
work group will: 1.
Survey the landscape: What is the current situation/picture in Maine?
What additional information is needed? 2.
Identify best practices and strategies that may address issues/problems
presented. 3.
Determine how each identified strategy will enhance access to justice
4.
Classify strategies with respect to various dimensions, e.g. long
term/short term; new funding/reallocation of current resources; need for new
legislation; need for changes in rules and regulations; institutional
reorganization. 5.
Identify action steps to be taken and the individuals/organizations that
will need to take those steps. 6.
Determine how the success of each strategy, if implemented, will be
measured. Support
Available to Work Groups Staffing
Work Groups –
Each work group will be assigned someone who will serve as staff for that group
and who is responsible for carrying out the duties described above.
Additionally, the MBF staff have offered to provide assistance to work
groups in the form of making meeting arrangements, copying and distribution of
materials, etc. The JAG website
will also serve as a communication tool/archive for work group materials such as
posting agendas, minutes, background materials etc. Information
– As each work
group begins its work, they will have available to them the information gathered
from participants at the Planning Retreat regarding the issues and strategies. Each work group will also be provided a set of copies of all
of the surveys that were submitted from the courts, the bar, social service
professionals and clients. To the
extent possible, the JAG website http://www.mbf.org/justice.htm
will serve as a clearinghouse of information that will help inform work group
members on the different topics of interest to their groups.
Work group chairs and members are encouraged to forward –
electronically – to the JAG Executive Coordinator any information they would
like to have posted on the website. Additionally,
periodic planning e-mail messages will be sent out by the Steering Committee
Chairperson to those involved in the planning initiative keeping them up to date
on the process. Facilitators
– JAG has been working with the Institute for Civic Leadership (ICL) who,
depending on need, is available to the Steering Committee and the different work
groups to facilitate meetings and to reach out to different stakeholder groups.
Specific uses of ICL should be worked out with the JAG Executive
Coordinator and Steering Committee Chairperson. Work
Group Meeting Spaces
– Each work group should determine when and where it is most convenient for
its members to meet. Video conferencing equipment is available for use from the
court houses, Pine Tree Legal Assistance and Maine State Bar Association.
Teleconferencing is also available for those that are unable to
physically attend a meeting even by video conferencing.
Funds are available to cover the costs of transportation or child care
for those consumer participants involved in a work group. Research/Technical
Assistance – It
is expected that work group participants may bring some level of expertise or
knowledge to a discussion, or be able to do some research as needed.
However, when the necessary expertise or knowledge about a particular
issue is not available within a work group, other people not involved with a
particular group, may be called on for their advice or assistance.
The JAG Executive Coordinator may be available to help identify resources
and/or provide a minimal amount of research.
Stakeholder
Involvement –
While the intent of the make-up of the work groups is to try to ensure that
those with a potential interest in a particular issue are involved in the work
group that will be discussing that issue, it is recognized for this planning
process to work, it will be necessary to reach out to various stakeholders in a
way that is easiest for them to participate process and provide information and
feedback. As work groups identify
information needs or certain perspectives that are necessary for their process,
or feedback regarding particular strategies, that cannot be obtained through the
members of the work group and their constituents, they should be in touch with
the JAG Executive Coordinator who will work with the Chair of the work group and
others as needed on identifying the best approach for getting input from the
identified stakeholder group. 5-6-06
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