A report on the Legal Aid Board (LAB) found its IT systems were at “critical risk of failure,” and that poor performance issues were tolerated, while staff worked in unsatisfactory offices without the necessary technology.
The Baker Tilly report said the board was somehow managing to function “almost in spite of its design” with exhausted employees, low morale, and a sense of burnout.
It said that LAB’s computer systems were so antiquated that they now represented a “critical risk factor to organisational delivery, resilience and capacity.”
The report said that without investment, their IT system could result in a “high level of organisational failure.”
It also detailed how some staff bought software out of their own pockets to complete cases.
Employees were sometimes left to find “workarounds” to help clients in the face of obsolete technology, vacant posts, and poor facilities.
The Legal Aid Board, which provides civil legal aid, family mediation, and asylum-related legal services, employs more than 500 staff nationwide.
Legal Aid Board CEO Joan Crawford said the report was undertaken to see where the organisation could make improvement.
She said: “The review has found that we are consistently delivering despite significant challenges. This is due to the dedication and professionalism of our staff who always go that extra mile.
“Notwithstanding these challenges, the Legal Aid Board continues to deliver vital services and remains committed to the continuous improvement of our services, and to ensuring that access to justice is upheld for those who need it most.”
Ms Crawford said that as the organisation had grown significantly, the structures in place were no longer suitable to support that growth. “We now need to change and grow too,” she said.