The LAA has consulted with providers who are experienced users of CCMS. This document contains their top hints and tips on the best ways to integrate CCMS into your working practices.
| Be aware that… | Create ‘CCMS Experts’ |
| CCMS does not replace your case management system (CMS) CCMS is a transactional online tool. It’s function is to allow you to submit your applications and bills for Legal Aid. You will need to think about how it will ‘fit’ with your current processes and systems, or whether you need to re-design the way you work with CCMS in mind. You will need processes in place to make it work effectively. CCMS will be a big change for your staff Think about strategies to help your staff get used to CCMS. Set aside time as an organisation to talk through any issues and your own best practice. | The #1 tip from providers is to nominate at least one person to ‘own’ CCMS within your organisation This person should be ‘go-to’ person that your staff can talk to before contacting the LAA. Responsibilities could include: Undertaking all of the online training. Knowing what quick guides are available and how to access them. Cascading the information we send via the CCMS e-updates. Knowing what to do and who to contact if there is a problem. If you have a large firm, have one individual responsible for each area of law, and someone responsible for billing. Identify your local IT expert Having technical support is valuable to help you with activities such as ‘clearing your cache’, or taking screen shots to report problems/questions to the LAA. |
| Understand Actions/Notifications | Use the available resources |
| CCMS will become the primary method of contact between providers and the LAA The LAA will send letters and actions through CCMS via a notification system, which will replace post and emails in the majority of cases. Make sure you understand how this system will work, i.e.: – Who receives notifications – How to respond – How you will check for notifications if staff are absent | The CCMS website should be your first port of call to prepare or solve a problem The information on the website is designed to answer your questions, and we improve and update the resources regularly. Make sure you are familiar with: – The FAQs – Hints & Tips – Quick Guides – Available training – Key contacts All of the above can be found on the website. |