Form Key Informant Inte Key Informant Inte Key Informant Interview

OMB No 0930-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Public Burden Statement: 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 project is 0930-xxxx.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per respondent, per year, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 2-1057, Rockville, Maryland, 20857.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Multi-Site Evaluation of the Safe Schools Healthy Students State Program

Implementation Key Informant Interview

Verbal Consent Script and Interview Guide

Interviewer:	Date:	Start Time:	End Time:
Participant ID:
Participant’s Title / Role:

Introduction

The U.S. Substance and Mental Health Services Administration is sponsoring a multi-site evaluation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) State Program in seven states. The Program funds participating states to disseminate and support planning and implementation of the SS/HS Framework for early childhood development, violence and substance abuse prevention, mental health services, and school safety in three select school districts in each state. The purpose of the multi-site evaluation is to gather and assess information on state and district implementation, collaboration and delivery of evidence-based services for children and youth. Evaluation findings will identify challenges and successes experienced by states and districts in implementing the SS/HS program, and may improve guidance for broad dissemination of the SS/HS framework nationwide.

This interview asks questions about the planning, organization and provision of services as part of the Safe School Healthy Students Initiative in your state. It is part of a federally funded grant to improve the implementation and provision of mental health services in schools and communities. The interview includes questions about developing and implementing evidence based services for children and youth as part of the federal grant, as well as any successes and challenges to the effective provision of services, and recent efforts to improve the coordination of services and collaborations among schools, communities and families. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes to complete. With your permission, this interview will be recorded to help in data analysis.  

 

Risks/Benefits

This study is considered to be low or minimal risk.  However, if any question makes you uneasy you are free to stop the interview or skip that question. There are no direct benefits for you as a participant. However, it is hoped that through your participation, your state and local communities, including schools and community agencies, will be better able to provide mental health services for all students. Lessons learned in your state may also benefit programs in other parts of the country.

 Confidentiality

All data obtained from this interview will be kept confidential and will only be reported in an aggregate format.  No names or any identifying information will be associated with your responses.   Your privacy and research records will be kept confidential to the extent of the law. Authorized research personnel, employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the USF Institutional Review Board and its staff, and any other individuals acting on behalf of USF, may inspect the records from this study. The results of this study may be published. However, the data obtained from you will be combined with data from others in the publication. The published results will not include your name or any other information that would personally identify you in any way. With your permission this interview will be audio recorded.

Participation

Participation in this research study is completely voluntary. You have the right to stop the interview at any time or refuse to participate entirely.   If you desire to withdraw, you may simply end the interview.   There is no compensation for your participation. Refusal to participate or withdrawing from participation will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

  

Questions about the Research

If you have questions regarding this study, you may contact Dr. Tom Massey, (the principal investigator), at 813-974-6403, massey@usf.edu,  

Questions about your Rights as Research Participants

If you have questions about your rights as a participant in this study, general questions, or have complaints, concerns or issues you want to discuss with someone outside the research, call the USF IRB at (813) 974-5638.

Do you understand the nature of the interview and are you willing to participate? May we record the interview?

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview.

Let’s begin by talking generally about the SS/HS program and its implementation.

(Potential prompts are italicized.)

1. Can you briefly describe the Safe Schools / Healthy Students Initiative at your school and how it works?

2. What services and supports have been developed and implemented as a result of the implementation of the comprehensive plan?

What factors at the local level facilitated the development and implementation of the comprehensive plan?

What barriers at the local level hindered the development and implementation of the comprehensive plan?

3. What adaptations have been made to the comprehensive plan, if any? What led to these changes?

What impact have such changes had on the operations and success of the SS/HS program?

4. In what ways did members of target groups (families and youth) contribute to the development of services and supports?

What role did they play in implementation?

I’d like to ask a little more about how the system is set up to develop, implement, and coordinate services.

5. In your opinion has everything necessary been done (tasks, activities) to fully achieve coordination across service systems?

If not, what else needs to happen?

6. What lessons do you think your State can learn from the local coordination of services?

What do you think schools and local service providers can offer the State with regard to how services are arranged and coordinated?

Let’s talk now about access to services.

7. What efforts have been directed toward improving access to services?

What efforts have been made to build the capacity of the workforce to offer the proposed services?

What factors related to the workforce may be facilitating access to services?

What factors related to the workforce may be hindering access to services?

8. To what extent has the program been able to address behavioral health disparities?

Have disparities been effectively reduced? Please explain your answer.

What else should be done to reduce disparities?

To what extent do mental health professionals demonstrate increased awareness of health disparities?

In what ways do they demonstrate improved cultural competence in serving families and youth?

9. What factors related to the mental health workforce hindered implementation of the comprehensive plan?

10. What training programs for the mental health workforce have been initiated as a result of the implementation of the comprehensive plan?

11. What new technologies, if any have been put into place to assist professionals in the development and implementation of the comprehensive plan?

Has there been adequate training on new technologies? Do professionals have enough access to new or existing technologies to help with program implementation?

12. Have I overlooked any relevant information that you would like to add?

Note: After the interview is completed, the interviewer will record the participant’s email address and immediately send them a copy of the complete informed consent and more detailed study information.

SS/HS Evaluation – Key Informant Interview, Version 1 - 02/04/14