B6

OMB NO: 0970-0355
EXPIRATION DATE: 01/31/2015

B6. ADES Caseworker Introduction Email For Decision-Making Interview

Janice K. Brewer Governor

Clarence H. Carter Director

INTEROFFICE MEMO

TO: CPS Specialists, Central Region

CPS Specialists, Adoptions, Southwest Region

FROM: Karen Bulkeley, MSW

Project Director, Fostering Readiness & Permanency Project

DATE:

SUBJECT: Evaluation Information

As many of you know, the State of Arizona is participating in a federal initiative to identify new ways to address the permanency planning needs of children and youth in foster care. The Children’s Bureau created the Permanency Innovations Initiative to provide six grants to CPS agencies across the country so they can build the evidence base for innovative interventions to enhance well-being and improve permanency outcomes for children who are in or at risk for long-term foster care.

Arizona’s project is called the Fostering Readiness and Permanency (FRP) Project. As part of the FRP Project our agency will be participating in an evaluation of the program. One part of the evaluation includes interviews with CPS Specialists to get a better understanding of decision making.

Westat, a research company, will be leading the evaluation. You will be contacted by a Westat interviewer to explore your interest in participating in a voluntary telephone interview about two of your cases. Cases will be randomly selected. I am attaching a letter from Westat that gives you further details about the study.

If you have any questions or need any clarification, please contact Jacob Schmitt, FRP Evaluation Liaison at 602-364-3376 x. 3332, or by email at JSchmitt@azdes.gov.

Decision-Making Consent

Introduction and PURPOSE OF STUDY

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services has hired Westat, a research company, to study the Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES), Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), Fostering Readiness and Permanency Project (FRP). The FRP Project is a program supported by the Permanency Innovations Initiative (PII), a federal initiative that seeks to build the evidence base for innovative interventions to enhance well-being and improve permanency outcomes for children who are in or at risk for long-term foster care.

One part of the study will help us learn which services help children stay out of foster care or leave foster care sooner. Another part of the study will help us learn about the decision making for youth in foster care. We are asking for your help with the second part of the study now.

Procedures

We invite you to participate in a voluntary telephone interview. The interview will focus on a case on your caseload. The interviewer will ask you about the activities and people involved in making permanency decisions about one of your cases. The interview will take no more than one-half hour to complete.

RISKS

We do not expect any risks to you in participating in the interviews. You can skip questions that you do not want to answer.

BENEFITS

There are no direct benefits to you. However, your participation will help your organization and others come up with better ways to serve families and children.

Participant and Data PRIVACY

We will keep your information private to the extent permitted by law. Your interview responses will be kept private and labeled only by a unique study identification number. We will use your information for research purposes only. We will not include information that identifies you in any reports.

To help us protect your information, we received a Certificate of Confidentiality from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. With this Certificate, no one can force us to share information that could identify you, even in any court or legal proceeding, under a court order or subpoena.

participation decision

To ensure that your responses remain private, you will not sign a consent form to indicate your decision to complete the survey interview. You agree to participate in the survey interviews by providing verbal consent, which will be recorded. Please keep one copy of the consent information form for your records.

A Westat researcher will be contacting you soon to explore your interest in participating in the telephone interviews. If you agree to participate, the researcher will schedule times that are convenient for you.

You can indicate that you do not want to participate once the Westat researcher calls you about the interview.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions about the interview, you may contact the individuals below.

For questions about the study, please contact: Karla Eisen, Westat Study Contact 1-800-WESTAT1 (937-8281), x5927 KarlaEisen@westat.com

For questions about your rights as a participant in this study, contact: The Westat Institutional Review Board (IRB) Administrator, 1-800-WESTAT1 (937-8281), x8828

1789 W. Jefferson, S/C 750A, Phoenix, AZ 85007  P.O. Box 6123, Phoenix, AZ 85005

Telephone (602) 542-3598  Fax (602) 542-3330  www.azdes.gov