Redesigning the Process
“We read about administrative burdens, looked at our method of referral, and made small but important changes,” said David Martin, chair of the Domestic Violence Unit in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “More than anything, we want people to get the services they need.”
The prosecuting attorney’s office previously helped domestic violence victims connect to community services such as legal aid, counseling, and housing services by providing victims with a list of contact information for available community services.
People seeking services were thus responsible for identifying which organizations to call and set up appointments.
The system often did not serve the people most in need, just those who knew how to navigate the administrative complexities. Additionally, with little to no information transferred about the victim’s case and circumstances, a victim seeking services often recounted their story and what they went through in every new interaction.
After reading a tweet about administrative burdens by Moynihan, Martin shared the research with his colleague Natasha Willson, victim advocate at King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The research sparked Natasha’s idea to improve the referral process by creating an electronic form for victim advocates to fill out, with the victim’s permission, to improve information transfer between agencies.