12 & 13 - Staff and management semi-structured interviews

OMB #: XXXX-XXXX

EXPIRATION: XX/XX/201X

13 – Staff and Management Semi-Structured Interviews for Sites Testing Employment Intervention

BUILDING BRIDGES AND BONDS (B3)

TOPIC GUIDE FOR PROCESS study site visit interviews

The Building Bridges and Bonds process study will include two multi-day site visits to each participating program. Visits will occur in 2017 and 2018. Administrative and supervisory personnel and staff who have direct interaction with study participants will be interviewed during both site visits. Interviews will be either one-on-one or small group, depending on staffing structure, roles, and the number of individuals in a role.

Introductory script:

Purpose and use of information: A key objective of the B3 study is to learn about the organizational context, design, and operations of responsible fatherhood programs awarded grants from the Office of Family Assistance within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and who are operating enhancements. The purpose is to provide information to practitioners and policymakers within multiple levels of government as well as in other sectors. The information collected will be used to document the actual operational experiences of agencies and participants over the course of the grant period.

Privacy: The information you provide will be combined with that of other respondents and discussed internally among the evaluation team and with federal staff at ACF. Descriptive information about programs may be included in reports, but no individuals’ identifying information will be disseminated publicly to the extent permitted by law.

Voluntary Participation: Providing information for the purposes described is voluntary.

Estimated time: This discussion is expected to take no more than 90 minutes.

THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995

This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to learn about the effects of parenting and employment services for fathers. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per interview, 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. The OMB number for this information collection is 0970-0XXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Erika Lundquist; 16 E 34^th St, MDRC, 19^th Floor, New York, NY 10016; (212) 340-8605; Attn: OMB-PRA (xxxx-xxxx).

Construct	Site Visit Interview Topic
Input: Program Logic Model
Local Context and Service Environment	Services available in this organization outside of fatherhood program and Employment intervention Similar programs and services available outside of the organization (parenting, co-parenting, employment, etc.) Effect of demographic, economic or social forces on program operations Linkages with and influences of public systems (e.g., criminal justice, child support, child welfare)
Fatherhood Business as Usual, Enhanced Parenting Model and Program Operations	Description of program services and activities offered by program and how they are offered (e.g. one on one services, group activities, etc.). Focus particularly on the services associated with enhanced employment model. With control group staff, these discussions will not have an emphasis on the interventions being tested by B3, but on their usual services. Description of staff role in delivering services and activities. Detailed description of delivery of specific program components associated with enhanced employment model.
Study Participant Outreach and Recruitment	Description of the strategies or methods used to recruit participants for the employment intervention and changes in strategies overtime. Description of any major challenges in recruiting and retaining participants. Description of the level of effort required by staff to recruit and retain participants. Reasons participants gave staff for refusing to participate. Reasons for leaving the program early. Description of assessment, intake, and early engagement processes Description of staff efforts to build rapport to maintain engagement Use review of specific cases to get better understanding of the study sample With staff working with the control group, these discussions will not have an emphasis on the interventions or enhancements being tested by B3, but on their usual approaches.
Employment Services Offered and Used	Description of the characteristics of the participants served. Discussion of how clients are assessed for appropriate services Discussion of client flow/funnel Structure of services and fidelity to intended model. Description of engagement and retention strategies and efforts. Discussion about the intervention enhancements or interventions and whether they were structured strategically. Use review of specific cases to walk through service delivery approaches With control group staff, these discussions will not have an emphasis on the interventions being tested by B3, but on their usual services.
Implementation Systems Supporting Employment intervention	Administrative procedures, information system infrastructure, staff selection and training, staff development, etc. Organizational climate and culture influence on enhanced employment model or operations Processes used to adopt or modify existing service components Challenges associated with the implementations systems Changes to implementation systems due to the demonstration
Employment model Implementation Challenges and Lessons	Discussion about enhanced Employment training (e.g., is it sufficient?) Best practices and lessons for replication. Program or operational components most valuable Challenges in operating program and meeting goals
Organizational Characteristics of B3 Programs	Description of organizational structure and management Influence of organizational characteristics in service delivery implementation History and mission of the organization. Organizational buy-in of fatherhood programming and demonstration Description of service delivery partners Historical experience with fatherhood programs and connections with the fatherhood field. Information about costs of running enhanced Employment model