START UP • Is it possible to track changes in information over a long period of time? If, for example, a client returns four times in two years, baseline information may change. Is it possible to make these changes, or is it only possible to log case actions? RELATED RESOURCE The Open Society Justice Initiative and The Engine Room: Technology in case management for legal empowerment work (March 2018). BANGLADESH: HOW CLIENTS LEARNED ABOUT PARALEGALS How Clients in Bangladesh learned about Namati and Council of Minorities’ Paralegal Program Using data for case management Database dashboards or statistical reports can provide easy-to-digest visual representations of client numbers and profiles, case types, and status of casework. This is useful both for program managers for oversight and for paralegals to organize their work. Some databases can generate notifications to paralegals’ inboxes, reminding them of those cases due for follow-up or nearing time limits, which often apply to birth registration. This allows supervisors to spend their time and energy on higher impact interventions rather than reminding paralegals of routine actions, or tracking each case manually. Using data for program learning Data can provide the basis for a conversation about what is or is not working, and can stimulate adjustments in program implementation. Analysis of the records generated can serve to orient program strategies. The pictured example, from the work of Namati and Council of Minorities in Bangladesh, captures clients’ responses from intake interviews. This graphic provided information about which outreach strategies are working best (door-to-door), allowing the groups to modify their approach to increase impact. Statistical analysis may also allow for prediction of trends, and consequent program focus, through targeting of services or advocacy messages. For example, areas where many clients report low rates of birth registration, large family sizes, and low literacy levels may indicate the likelihood of unregistered children, and lead programs to organize corresponding outreach strategies, such as mobile clinics for late birth registration. nnnn Group Meeting nnnn Door-to-door nnnn From Former Client nnnn Repeat Client nnnn Contacted at Government Office 66 | Using data for evidence-based advocacy for systemic change Data gathering will allow you to identify patterns in access to documentation, nationality, and rights, and constitute the basis for advocacy messages to justify why legal or policy reforms are needed. For example, Namati and Council of Minorities used this approach to demonstrate that the Bangladesh state was discriminating against Urduspeaking birth certificate applicants, which aided advocacy efforts. Data on patterns of discrimination and other rights violations will also feed into any strategic litigation activities a paralegal program is supporting. Data collection can also be used to make sure that change is happening as part of a wider effort to shift state practices. The Open Society Justice Initiative draws on data from its collaboration with Namati and Nubian Rights Forum in Kenya to prepare submissions to African human rights institutions on 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