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We are proud to share that beginning October 3, 2022, we launched three new case management practices as part of the Probation Evolution project: a new classification system and reporting guidelines, case plan, and quarterly progress reports.
Reporting Guidelines/Classification System
The new reporting guidelines are broken up into three phases. Clients will move to the next phase based on whether they are making progress on their court-ordered conditions.
- Phase 1: All clients report in-person once a month for the first 90 days. After 3 months, if the client is successful staying compliant with their court-ordered conditions, they will move to phase 2.
- Phase 2: The client will report virtually (or by phone if a virtual meeting is not possible) once a month. After 90 days successfully on phase 2, the client may move to phase 3.
- Phase 3: Phase 3 has no reporting requirement for the remainder of probation. The client still needs to keep up with their court-ordered conditions, but they no longer need to report to their counselor.
We are using a Racial Equity Toolkit to guide implementation of the new reporting guidelines, and we will evaluate the new system’s impact over the coming months.
Case Plan
The revised case plan will include the client’s court-ordered conditions plus their personal goals and needs in one document, where all areas of focus and needed support are highlighted. This will help ensure that counselors’ interactions with clients are meaningful and focused on meeting the clients’ needs and goals.
Progress Reports
The new progress reports will indicate a client’s current reporting phase (1, 2 or 3), their accomplishments, and any barriers they are facing. Preparing progress reports and submitting them to the online case information portal every quarter will allow the defense, prosecutor, and judge to have a clear picture of each client’s journey through the system.
We sincerely appreciate the time and thoughtful input of our former clients, service providers, and other stakeholders who have weighed in on these new policies over the past several months. We look forward to sharing outcomes of this work as we analyze use of the new systems and report on equity metrics.
New Classification System By the Numbers
We are tracking data on how many people are in different phases of the classification system, and we are collecting survey responses from people going through our new intake process.
We have a small number of people who have taken the survey so far, but the early results are a good sign. 100% of clients surveyed so far agree or strongly agree that:
- They were treated with dignity and respect by their PC.
- They knew what was expected of them after meeting with their PC.
- Their PC spent sufficient time with them, asked questions about their interests, needs, and/or goals, and answered their questions.
95% of clients agree or strongly agree that they understood the reporting phase process.
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Community engagement is a key piece of the Probation Evolution project. We are using the City of Seattle's Racial Equity Toolkit (RET) to evaluate our new classification system. This is to ensure that the new system has equitable outcomes for all groups. Using the RET has proven to be helpful in guiding the new classification system's implementation, evaluation, and engagement of stakeholders.
The RET has helped the team:
- Increase engagement with the people impacted by the system, with ongoing opportunities for feedback.
- Place an equity lens on the work to see blind spots in current policies and procedures impacting those we serve.
- Engage stakeholders and clients to understand the needs and changes required to improve outcomes for clients. We have engaged over 100 stakeholders through webinars and feedback sessions since June.
- Increase training to ensure probation staff have the skills to equitably serve clients
- Track data and progress to know if what we are doing is working
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