Policy
18 December, 2007
LSC unveil plans for refined Specialist Support Service and CLS Grants
£3 million available - tender process to start in January
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) unveiled their plans for a refined Specialist Support Service (SSS) and Community Legal Service (CLS) Grants today.
The SSS provides second-tier support to legal aid advice providers through telephone advice and casework support. The tender process for £2 million worth of contracts will start in January and will be for a three year period from April 2008.
The SSS will continue to fund consultancy services in the five social welfare law categories of community care, debt, employment, housing and welfare benefits; as well as mental health, immigration and public law. However, the revised service will no longer provide training to providers.
The LSC will also be increasing the CLS Grants budget to £1 million a year for three years. The grants will be available for complementary services that cannot be funded from other sources, including those that help not-for-profit providers to adapt how they deliver civil legal aid following the recent reforms.
Chief Executive of the LSC, Carolyn Regan said -
'Having listened to the views of those who responded to the consultation we have decided to retain both the Specialist Support Service and the Community Legal Service Grants.
The new Specialist Support Service and Community Legal Service Grants will be refined so that they complement our strategy for the Community Legal Service and our wider objectives, of ensuring vulnerable clients have access to the advice services they need while obtaining better value for taxpayers money.'
For more information, see the LSC press release The future of the Specialist Support Service and Community Legal Service Grants.
See also the related rightsnet policy new stories -
- Future of Specialist Support Service and CLS Grants: LSC launches consultation paper (19 June, 2007)
- Specialist Support Services consultation put on hold: Delay to allow more time for 'analysis and consideration' (15 November, 2006)
- LSC consults on future of specialist support services : Front-line advice organisations urged to respond by 15 September (12 September, 2006)
- Specialist Support review begins: Legal Services Commission looking at supplier support projects (13 July, 2006)
- LSC revokes termination of funding for specialist support services : Decision follows support from MPs and threat of Judical Review proceedings (23 March, 2006)
