Crime news: AGFS billing online tests to expand and launch of survey
Help shape new crime billing system by contributing to survey.
An Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) survey has opened to help support the development of a new online system for crime billing work.
You can find a link to the survey below, which has been designed to gather your views on current AGFS billing practices.
All views are useful but it would be particularly useful to hear from anyone who submits handwritten AGFS bills.
Crime Billing Online
The information will feed into the work of the Crime Billing Online (CBO) project team.
This is now moving into the next phase of development for the new Advocate Defence Payments application.
The CBO team has successfully established a working prototype for the application and have just been given the green light to expand their work and carry out billing tests with users.
Assessment tests
Approval was only given after extensive assessment tests against the Government Digital Service (GDS) Service Framework.
‘User needs’ has been the main focus and the team has already been working with a pilot group.
This has included chambers’ billing clerks, solicitor advocates, software vendors and legal aid caseworkers.
Further testing will involve rolling out the billing application to this group and then on to other users over the summer.
Crime Change Programme
The CBO project is a part of the Crime Change Programme, which is working to move crime applications and billing online.
Further information
Criminal legal aid processing: applications and digital systems