Staff Recruitment Script

SUHMRE Script for Staff Recruitment of Adult and Youth Participants

We will provide program staff with a draft script to recruit participants. The amount of time estimated for this script is no more than 15 minutes. Staff will administer the below script in order to effectively recruit adult and youth participants for the SUHMRE project. This script will include the following components:

Staff Instructions:

• Use the below script in order to introduce the study and gauge the interest of youth and adults who may be interested in and applicable to join the project. The below script covers introduction to the project, data collection efforts, the voluntary nature of the study, and provides a sign up.

• Keep conversations under 15 minutes

• Follow up as appropriate to conduct the interviews with appropriate individuals

• Introduction:

  • Hello, my name is ______ and I’m with _______. I hope to chat with you briefly about an exciting new study that we’re conducting. Do you have a few minutes to talk?

• The program staff will give a description of the study.

  • For example, “The Urban Institute is conducting a study to better understand healthy marriage and relationship programs, such as those offered by [PROGRAM NAME], and how these programs address the needs of same-sex couples and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual individuals.”

  • They will also describe the Urban Institute. For example, “The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to elevating the debate on social policy by bringing hard evidence and data to decision makers.”

  • They will also describe how the study is being conducted. For example, “This study is being conducted by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation.”

• The program staff will describe data collection efforts.

  • For example, “The Urban Institute will be conducting focus groups to answer questions like, ‘How do healthy marriage and relationship curricula address same-sex couples and youth? Have you ever addressed Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual issues or same-sex couple issues in a program or classroom setting?’”

  • For example, “A focus group is a lively discussion with 5-6 people about their views and experiences on a topic. Staff from the Urban Institute will facilitate and introduce questions for discussion. The discussion will last about 90 minutes.”

  • Staff will describe the target populations. For example, “The Urban Institute will be conducting three focus groups. One will include adults over the age of 18 who have applied to participate in a healthy marriage and relationship program from [PROGRAM NAME]. One will include adults over the age of 18 who have participated in a healthy marriage and relationship program from [PROGRAM NAME]. One will include youth under the age of 18 who have participated in a healthy relationship program from [PROGRAM NAME].”

  • If potential participants are youth, the staff will further explain that parent consent is needed. For example, “Your parent or legal guardian will also need to consent to your participation.”

  • The staff will explain about the voluntary nature and privacy of the focus groups. For example, “Participation in this study is completely voluntary and will not affect any services you may be receiving. You may choose not to answer any question and may leave the focus group at any time. There are no consequences for choosing not to participate or to not answer any question. Your name or other identifying information will be removed from the data to protect your privacy. Everyone who works on this study has signed a Staff Confidentiality Pledge prohibiting disclosure of anything you say during the focus group that would allow someone outside the research team to identify you.”

  • Staff will invite them to come to one of several focus groups.

  • Staff will inform them that light refreshments will be provided and each participant will be offered $25 (if youth) or $40 (if adult) in cash as a token of appreciation.

• If they are interested and in the target population, staff will gather names and information on a sign-up sheet (provided by the study team).

  • Staff will collect contact information so that we can follow-up by phone, address questions, confirm participation, and schedule the focus group.

The Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: This collection of information is voluntary. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information**. 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. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to [Contact Name]; [Contact Address]; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-[XXXX])