State Child Wellness Coordinator Interview Guide

Appendix D. State Child Wellness Coordinator Interview Guide

We have revised the interview guides to tailor them to each respondent type, to eliminate questions deemed unnecessary for the evaluation based on earlier data collection, and to add questions as a result of what we learned about the Project LAUNCH program in the earlier data collection and address emerging issues such as health reform and new federal programs and initiatives.  All new questions fall within the domains covered in previous interview guides.  Overall, the revisions made to the interview guides reduce the burden on respondents, because both the number of questions in each interview guide is reduced and questions are more specific. Table 1 below outlines the new questions we have added by domain.

Table 1

New Questions by Domain

Domain	Questions
State Context	2) Has health care reform or major changes in the States’ approach to health care for low-income families with children affected the state-level implementation of LAUNCH? If yes, how? 3) Has the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative affected the state-level implementation of LAUNCH? If yes, how? 4) Has the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative affected the state-level implementation of LAUNCH? If yes, how?
Child Wellness Council	8) Are there other major advisory groups at the state level with a similar charge as that of the Child Wellness Council? 9) [Ask if the respondent said yes to question 8] What is the relationship between the State Child Wellness Council and this/these group(s)? 13) How does the Child Wellness Council ensure that the voices of parents/needs of families are taken into consideration? What have been the successes and challenges related to this? 14) How does the Child Wellness Council ensure that the needs of local communities are taken into consideration? What are the successes and challenges related to this? 17) Has the state council worked on any special initiatives in the last year? If yes, please describe the most important initiatives (up to three) 25) Over the past year, what has been you level of involvement in the local LAUNCH activities? 26) From your perspective, what value does your participation bring to the local LAUNCH project?
Sustainability	33) What aspects of LAUNCH do you think run the highest probability of being sustained? What are the reasons that they are likely to be sustainable?
Final Thoughts	36) From your perspective, what has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of being involved in LAUNCH? 37) Is there anything that I did not ask you about but think I should know to understand how LAUNCH is being implemented at the state level?

Project Launch

State Child Wellness Coordinator Interview Guide

Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) is a Federal grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The program’s goal is to promote the social, emotional, behavioral, and physical health and cognitive development of young children from birth to 8 years of age. We are conducting a national evaluation of Project LAUNCH on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and SAMHSA, which are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the evaluation is to collect information related to state, tribal, and community systems development; implementation of evidence-based services in local communities; and service and system outcomes for children, families, and providers. Findings from the national evaluation will be used by ACF and SAMHSA to guide future program directions and to report on program implementation and outcomes.

Participation in this interview is voluntary and any information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. The interview will require approximately 75 minutes of your time. Any questions you may have about this burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing this burden should be directed to Laura Hoard (202-401-4561) at ACF.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 0970-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Site:

Respondent(s) (Name, Organization, role):

Abt Interviewer(s):

Date:

1. State Context

1. What external factors, if any, have affected the direction of state-level LAUNCH activities? [Probe for: the recession, political factors, state and/or local budget cuts, new federal or state legislation, new funding streams, staff turnover, changing needs of families, etc.]

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, how have these factors affected state-level LAUNCH implementation?

2. Has health care reform or major changes in the States’ approach to health care for low-income families with children affected the state-level implementation of LAUNCH?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, how? [Ask this question if not previously covered in the response above about external factors. If covered, after interview write response here as well.]

3. Has the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative affected the state-level implementation of LAUNCH?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, how?

4. On balance, looking across all of the state-level LAUNCH efforts, is your project’s overall focus on prevention or promotion systems?

Has this focus shifted since the beginning of LAUNCH? If so, how

2. State Child Wellness Council

5. Was the State Child Wellness Council newly formed for Project LAUNCH?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, What has been the advantage of starting your own council rather than having an existing advisory group [provide name of other advisory group, if known] assume this role for Project LAUNCH?

6. Does your State Child Wellness Council served as an advisory body for any state initiatives, either now or in the past, for instance ECCE or Head Start?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, please describe and explain.

7. Has the Council’s involvement in other (non-LAUNCH) initiatives changed since the beginning of LAUNCH?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, please describe and explain

8. Are there other major advisory groups at the state level with a similar charge as that of the Child Wellness Council?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, please describe and explain.

9. [Ask if the respondent said yes to question 8] What is the relationship between the State Child Wellness Council and this/these group(s)?

10. On a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being having relatively no influence, and 4 being having a lot of influence, how would you rate the council’s current level of influence on initiatives that promote young children’s socio-emotional health?

☐ 1 – Relatively no influence

☐ 2 – Influence on a few important decisions

☐ 3 – Influence on a moderate number of important decisions

☐ 4 – Influence on a fairly large number of important decisions

Has this changed since LAUNCH was first funded? If so, how?

11. Are there particular topics or areas where your State Child Wellness Council has more influence than others (e.g., home visiting programs, universal screening programs, early care and education systems, etc.)?

12. Have there been major changes to the composition of your state council in the last year?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, please describe and explain.

13. How does the Child Wellness Council ensure that the voices of parents/needs of families are taken into consideration? What have been the successes and challenges related to this?

14. How does the Child Wellness Council ensure that the needs of local communities are taken into consideration? What are the successes and challenges related to this?

15. Is there representation of the local LAUNCH community on the State Child Wellness Council?

☐ Yes

☐ No

16. [Ask if respondent answered “yes” to question 15 ] Has he/she attended meetings in the last year? What role has he/she played?

17. Has the state council worked on any special initiatives in the last year?

☐ Yes

☐ No

If yes, please describe the most important initiatives (up to three)

Initiative 1:

1. What was the issue that was to be addressed

2. How was it addressed

3. What was the progress made toward addressing it

4. What were the notable successes and challenges

Initiative 2:

1. What was the issue that was to be addressed

2. How was it addressed

3. What was the progress made toward addressing it

4. What were the notable successes and challenges

Initiative 3:

1. What was the issue that was to be addressed

2. How was it addressed

3. What was the progress made toward addressing it

4. What were the notable successes and challenges

18. In addition to what you just described, what have been the major successes of the Child Wellness Council?

19. What have been its major challenges and how have you worked to overcome them?

3. Systems Change Activities

20. In terms of systems change or replication of LAUNCH programs in other communities in the State, what have been your major areas of focus in the last year at the state level? [Check all that apply.] [These may have come up in the prior discussion, don’t ask again about these but fill in details if you didn’t collect them before.]

1. Improving the quality of direct service programs (e.g., ensuring that programs are evidence-based, are implemented with fidelity)

2. System-wide implementation of LAUNCH-supported program enhancements (e.g., cultural enhancements such as addition of staff who speak the language of targeted families, materials in other languages, conducting screening/assessment in Spanish, family partners/case management)

3. Expanded implementation of developmental screening/assessments

   • Across programs within a single setting (e.g., home visiting, family strengthening, etc.)

   • Across settings and programs

4. Creating data systems to support care coordination, referral systems, evaluation

5. Implementing standardized training/accreditation for providers community-wide (beyond what LAUNCH is doing related to training/supporting providers for specific direct services)

6. Enhancing 211 and other information and referral systems

7. Increasing collaboration/linkages among systems/service providers/stakeholders

8. Other [specify] [Ask whether the activities you’ve asked about capture all of the systems change activities that LAUNCH is involved in within the community, or if there are other activities. If you are in doubt if it’s really a systems change, document it anyway.]

For each box checked

Indicate Topic Area________________________

2. What is the ultimate goal of this systems change? (Probe for: to implement the systems change across programs within a setting, to implement the systems change across programs throughout the entire county, other)

2. What has been accomplished to date?

2. Are you on schedule, ahead of schedule or behind schedule?

2. If ahead or behind, probe for why (e.g., changes in leadership at the state or local level, changes in available funding, new program opportunities)

2. To what extent has LAUNCH been responsible for the systems change (check one):

☐ LAUNCH initiated and leads the systems change activity

☐ Systems change activity began prior to LAUNCH and LAUNCH is a participant along with other agencies/stakeholders

☐ Systems change activity began after LAUNCH and LAUNCH is a participant along with other agencies/stakeholders

2. On a scale from 1 to 4, what has been LAUNCH’s role in the systems change activity:

☐ 1 (minor role)

☐ 2 (more than a minor role, but not a significant role)

☐ 3 (significant role, but not the lead)

☐ 4 (lead role)

[Important note: Prior to the interview, format your guide by copying and pasting question 20(b)-(g) for all of the systems changes you know about, with at least two more blank sets. Label each of the changes according to the bolded words in 20(a)]

4. Media Campaign /Statewide Outreach

21. In the last year, have there been statewide media campaigns or other outreach activities supported by LAUNCH?

21. What is the purpose of the campaign/outreach activity?

21. Who is the target audience?

21. What types of media and/or products are parts of the campaign/outreach activity?

☐ Brochures and other paper materials

☐ Radio PSAs

☐ Television PSAs

☐ Social media

☐ Public meetings/forums

☐ Web site (Name: _______________)

☐ Other

5. Involvement in Local LAUNCH Activities

25. Over the past year, what has been you level of involvement in the local LAUNCH activities?

☐ Not involved at all

☐ Informed of major local LAUNCH activities

☐ Provided advice to LAUNCH activities

☐ Actively participated in decision-making about LAUNCH activities

25. From your perspective, what value does your participation bring to the local LAUNCH project?

25. In the past year, have you attended meetings of the Local Child Wellness Council?

☐ Yes

☐ No

25. [If yes to Question 27] In your opinion, what have been the major accomplishments of the Council?

25. [If yes to Question 27] What have been its challenges?

On a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being having relatively no influence, and 4 being having a lot of influence, how would you rate the local council’s current level of influence on the direction of the local LAUNCH project?

☐ 1 – Relatively no influence

☐ 2 – Influence on a few important decisions

☐ 3 – Influence on a moderate number of important decisions

☐ 4 – Influence on a fairly large number of important decisions

F. Sustainability

30. Do you have a sustainability plan?

☐ Yes

☐ No

30. At the state level, have there been changes in your approach to sustainability from last year in each of the following areas? [Indicate state level or community level for each.]

☐ Funding

☐ Workforce development

☐ Infrastructure development

☐ Promotion

☐ Other

Please describe each change indicated

30. What have been your accomplishments to date in terms of meeting your strategies to achieve LAUNCH sustainability at the State level?

30. What aspects of LAUNCH do you think run the highest probability of being sustained? What are the reasons that they are likely to be sustainable?

30. What aspects of LAUNCH are at risk of not being sustained? Have you made special plans/taken particular approaches in regard to these?

G. Final Thoughts

35. [Ask inly if SAMHSA has plans to fund a new cohort] As you may know, SAMHSA is funding an additional cohort of grantees. From your experience, what are the top three lessons that you have learned that you would want to share with them to enhance their prospects for being successful in meeting their goals?

35. From your perspective, what has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of being involved in LAUNCH?

35. Is there anything that I did not ask you about but think I should know to understand how LAUNCH is being implemented at the state level? (If yes probe for what it is and why.)