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EVALUATING RISKS, BASED ON EXPERIENCES OF PAST PARALEGAL PROGRAMS
EXAMPLES
OF RISK
FACTORS
PROBABILITY
SEVERITY OF
CONSEQUENCES
SAMPLE MITIGATION
MEASURES
Politicization/
perceived bias
High
Variable—Lack of
collaboration is less severe
than retaliation
Educating / awareness-raising,
training, policies against bias,
clear communication about and
framing of the program; also see
4.4 Government Authorities
Risks to
personal safety
of paralegals
during field
visits
Low
High
Security policies, hazardous
environment protocols, team
visits, minimize paralegal
movements
Paralegal work
shines spotlight
on hidden
individuals
Low
High—Increased attention by
authorities, deportation, or
detention
Tactful outreach, office location,
educating officials on the rights
of stateless and undocumented
persons
Confidentiality
breaches
/ ethical
misconduct by
paralegals
Medium
High—Damaged reputation,
chilling effect on uptake of
services, individual problems
Strict codes of conduct must be
adhered to and ethical training
mandatory for all paralegals;
also see 7.2 Training Paralegals
Unexpected
funding
shortfalls
(e.g. surge in
demand)
Low
High—Discontinuation or
interruption of services,
damaged reputation
Diverse and sustainable funding
streams, e.g. community
contributions
involves tracking inputs, outputs, and processes. Those who oversee
the program must monitor it. Governments, donors, local populations,
and clients themselves as well as other stakeholders use evaluation to
determine whether a program has achieved its intended aims. Impact
evaluation answers questions such as: Is the program better at helping
some kinds of clients than others? Does it have any unintended effects,
positive or negative? Evaluation shows the effectiveness and efficiency
of your program, and can build evidence on what works, and in what
contexts. This can not only help streamline services and demonstrate
benefits to the community at large—it can also document evidence for
donors and potentially secure additional funding.
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A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y