Services - Customizing

The static built-in Service records are sufficient for many use cases.

This page covers building and editing dynamic processes, forms, and profiles for service records for sites that need more flexibility.

Related: The help page for static service records. A nice example of using dynamic services for the Cannabis Expungement Project in Illinois.

Use Cases 

Service records (originally called Phases) are a way to track multiple services provided to a client throughout the life of the case. Sites can set up different services types such as "Immigration Service," "Counseling," to track both legal and non-legal services provided to the client. A given case/matter can have multiple service types as well as multiple instances of a given service type that run concurrently or consecutively. Users can create and close out service s as a case progresses, and report on the various services provided, the time a given service was active, and the overall time advocates have spent on a given service or services. Additionally, users can create detailed services on a case so users can collect detailed, service-specific information, or can quickly add basic information about several services at once, depending on site set-up.

Detailed Custom Services

The service/phase module can be used to collect detailed information for each service, where admins can create custom fields, branch logic, etc. to collect that detailed information using the "New Service" block (see admin setup, below). In addition, using services is also a helpful way to collect and report on structured data that may be collected multiple times throughout the life of a case such as multiple domestic violence incidents on a given matter, the different immigration forms filed for a client, or for separating out additional services provided outside of the main legal matter for a client. Some use case examples are below:

Immigration 

Many immigration groups use services to track the ongoing progress of the various forms filed for a client. Users can create fields to track which forms were filed, when they were filed, if a decision has been made, the date of that decision, etc. 

Domestic Violence

Groups providing DV assistance to clients often need to collect information for multiple prior historic domestic violence incidents. The services module allows these groups to create a single form to track each incident, preventing admins from having to create multiple branch logic forms and fields for each incident. Having these incidents collected through services also allows for much more streamlined reporting: users can see the case history of domestic violence, report on the dates of each, the possible outcomes for each service, etc. 

Non-legal services

For some agencies, it's important to track those services provided to a client that are ancillary to the legal matter provided, but are still important to collect and report on. For example, many groups offer non-legal services such as counseling, job training, housing assistance, or other social work services within the legal matter for the client. Users can create custom fields for these services to track that the advice provided, materials given, etc. and can easily report on these services. 

Quick Add Service

Sites can also use the "Services" block to quickly create services with limited detail, in order to allow users to create multiple services quickly on the same form. Sites may want to set up different options for different service types, depending on the information needed. Regardless of how a service/phase is created, services can later be updated and edited as the case progresses. 

The Services block lets users enter title, brief description of the service, start date, notes, and optional funding code for each service. This and can be helpful for users who do not collect a lot of detailed, service-specific information, but want to add this information quickly.

Viewing and Tracking Services

Regardless of how services are created, users can view services from the system Services/Phase list view. Or use an embedded report to capture custom service-specific fields to display. 

Note: Closing a case also "closes" all open service/phase records by setting Closed to Yes, the End Date to the current date, and Closed By to the current user.

Services generally have start and end dates, and can run concurrently. A case can have multiple services, even of the same service type, and admins can track services by closing or inactivating each service as those services are completed.

Recording Service Outcomes

You can track outcomes for each service, separate from the overall case outcomes if desired. Similarly, users can also add time to an individual service on a case, separate from overall case time. (see admin setup, below).

Current Functionality

Currently, users can record outcomes for each service, and admins can set which outcomes should display for each phase/service type, as described below. Currently, the "Add Outcomes" form that appears from the "Add Outcomes" action menu in the Services list view will direct the user to a static page using the Outcomes List (Version 1), rather than the Outcomes v2 list that most groups use.

Additional Functionality for Collecting Outcomes 

Recording Times  for Services

TImeslips

Adding Documents to Services

See the Service Documents block.

Reporting on Services

Users can report on data collected for a given service using the Case Data > Services (One Row Per Service) subtable in reports. Users can further filter on service/phase type to see which services have been provided to users regardless of Legal Problem Code or Legal Problem Category. So if admins have configured a service type of “Order of Protection” that can be added to all cases, users could run a report to see all cases where an Order of Protection was provided for all cases, regardless of problem code, intake type, etc.

Admin Setup

Create Service Types 

Add values to the Service Type lookup.. Groups using services typically create different service/phases types or each type of service they want to record using the “Service Type” lookup. For groups using services to collect all work done for a single client, the list of service types may include a service type for “Housing,” “Immigration,” “Social Services,” etc. to allow for more granular customization for each service.

For groups who specialize in a given area of law such as Family Law, the list of available services/phase types may look something like, “Divorce Assistance,” “Custody Modification,” “Safety Planning,” etc. to collect those more granular services provided within a given case.

By default, all services will be available for all cases. Admins also have the option to restrict available service types to only appear for certain problem codes, etc.. which can be done in the Service Type lookup. Each service must be related to specific problem codes, programs, and outcomes.

Create Custom Fields 

Create a Service Profile

You may be used to making fields directly editable on profiles. You can't currently do that on service profiles. (Ref: LS-79611)

Creation Form and Process 

Case Auxiliary Form and Process 

On the back end of the New Service block, there's an option to "Edit Existing Service if One Exists". If you enable this, you allow the user to overwrite the service you've opened instead of adding a new one. Uncheck it and use the 'edit' link available in the Services list view.

Actions Menu

Optional, but Helpful: Add an Actions menu to the dynamic Service profile.

Process Settings

There are 3 settings related to Service records on the Admin > Process Settings page.

Additional Services Options

Restricting Service Type Based on Legal Problem Code and/or Program

Groups can choose to only make certain service/phase types available based on the Legal Problem Code and/or Assigned Program on the case. For example, if a service with a service type of “DV Assistance” should only display for something like Family Law problem codes, an admin would set this up as follows:

On the service creation form, replace the “Service Type” field with the “Service Restricted Phase Type” block. 

In the “Service Type” lookup, select the “DV Assistance” service/phase type, and select the case problem codes(s) where this service type option should display.

If the desired functionality is that “DV Assistance” should display as a service type for all cases with the selected problem codes across all programs, admins will also want to select all programs in for “DV Assistance” in the service type lookup.

If the desired functionality is that “DV Assistance” should display as a service type for cases with the selected problem codes AND ONLY for certain programs, admins can select the individual programs as desired.

Restricting Outcomes

It’s also possible to determine which outcomes should be available for each service/phase type. This can be done as above in the “Service Type” lookup list, and the current functionality links to the “Outcomes Version 1” lookup, not the newer “Outcomes v2” tools that most sites are using (though, see below).