10 Steps to Set up Your Constituent Service Operation
BY ANNE MEEKER
Congratulations on your new role! We know that it is probably a little bit chaotic as your team continues to hire and train new staff, open your district office to constituents, introduce yourselves to stakeholders, and answer the many, many questions and requests you already have piling up.
We’ve been in your shoes: our nonpartisan team at the 501(c)(3) POPVOX Foundation is made up of former staffers from both sides of the aisle dedicated to helping Congress keep pace with rapid changes in technology and society — including former district staff and senior staff who are familiar with setting up and running a new office.
To help you start your casework operation on the right foot, we wanted to share some of the resources from our free Casework Navigator program that we thought would be most helpful to you as you are setting up your new team. From our experience, here’s where we would start:
1. Inventory any transferred cases.
If your team received casework from the outgoing Member, make sure you are up to date on those cases, including any time-sensitive next steps. Don’t forget to get a new Privacy Act Release Form from constituents with open cases! Page 10 from our guide to redistricting has tips on how to handle transferred cases.
2. Decide how you will structure your casework team.
Do you want your caseworkers to be specialists in certain agencies, or generalists who can handle anything? There are some tradeoffs to both models. Our guide to structuring a casework operation can help you make these foundational decisions. If you’re brand new to congressional service, we’d also recommend starting with our guide to casework definitions and rules!
3. Ensure your physical space is safe for constituents, staff, and can handle unprompted walk-ins.
Our guide to safety for caseworkers (written in partnership with the National Association of Social Workers) has a checklist for new offices on making sure that your physical space is safe for your team and your constituents. The US Capitol Police will also provide a district office safety assessment on request, and your local police department may have advice and resources for handling mental health crises or other difficult casework situations. Remember, safety also means keeping sensitive information secure: we have a guide to safeguarding constituent information from loss or misuse.
4. Get your team trained up.
There are more resources for caseworker training than ever before. Consider asking your CRM vendor for a casework-specific training, and have your team browse on-demand resources from the Congressional Staff Academy and CAO’s Coach program in the House, and SAA Education and Learning in the Senate. Your team should also reach out to the agencies in their portfolios (using the agency liaison list from CRS) to see if they have any specific manuals or trainings on agency procedures for casework staff.
5. Establish your standard operating procedures.
Once your team has some basic training under their belts, put your heads together to establish your standard procedures for intake, agency correspondence, data maintenance, and closing cases.
Take a deep breath. You’ve done everything that needs to happen RIGHT NOW — the following steps can happen continuously over the next few months.
6. Introduce your team in your community.
Meeting the people in your district or state who will help by referring cases (or taking your referrals) will be critical for your team’s success. This includes your state and local counterparts, as well as local service providers like Veterans Service Officers, senior centers, VITA tax prep centers, legal aid clinics, refugee and immigrant assistance organizations, tribal governments and organizations, disability support organizations, food pantries, homeless shelters, and more. Review guidance on partnering with other organizations to host constituent service events, tips on hosting mobile office hours, and guidance for partnering with your comms team to spread the word about your work.
7. Plan for long-term resilience.
Casework is a high-stress job that can easily lead to burnout. Think critically about how to maximize time for your caseworkers, including how to responsibly integrate interns and experiment with AI tools, and think about how to support your team’s mental health.
8. Plan for disasters.
Every casework team will experience some intense periods of high demand, whether related to a man-made or natural disaster. Planning ahead for challenging casework like overseas crises, government shutdowns, or natural disasters will help your team respond effectively.
9. Build your casework-to-legislation pipeline.
Part of casework is surfacing places where the law needs to be changed to improve constituent experience. Have a proactive conversation (or many!) with your policy colleagues to talk about how your team can flag these issues when they arise.
10. Stay in touch.
Make sure that your team is connected to the Caseworkers Assistance Teams chats for your chamber! Colleagues in your state or regional delegation will be able to add you. These forums are great places to ask questions, find contact information, and collaborate on casework-related oversight. Other groups to join include the Senate EAP’s caseworker roundtable, and the House CAO’s regular caseworker meetup. And don’t forget to subscribe your casework team to our Casework Navigator newsletter! Every other week, we send out a roundup of agency news that will impact casework. Our newsletter is always free, and open for any Congressional staffer to subscribe.
