NonSub Change - LifeSet Eval Bio Parent Qs

To:	Jordan Cohen Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
From:	Kathleen Dwyer and Alysia Blandon Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Date:	January 12, 2022
Subject:	Non-Substantive Change Request – Evaluation of LifeSet (OMB #0970-0577)

This memo requests approval of non-substantive changes to the approved information collection, Evaluation of LifeSet (OMB #0970-0577).

Background

LifeSet is a therapeutic case management program that provides youth and young adults leaving foster care, juvenile justice, and mental health systems with the intensive in-home support and guidance they need in the transition to adulthood. The current LifeSet evaluation has two main components: an impact study to assess the effects of program participation on outcomes of interest and an implementation study to describe and document how LifeSet is implemented in New Jersey. The study is intended to contribute to the evidence base on program models that support young adults in the transition out of foster care.

Project activities for the impact study include three waves of youth surveys and collection of administrative and program data. Project activities for the implementation study include interviews and focus groups with key staff and study youth. To date, 258 youth have been randomized and 25 youth have completed the baseline youth survey (Instrument 1).

We are requesting non-substantive changes to the baseline youth survey (Instrument 1). In early data collection, one youth experienced mild emotional distress when asked for their biological parents’ contact information (items CON2_W1 through CON13_W1) and discontinued the survey. Thus, the interviewer was unable to collect contact information for other relatives of the respondent, possibly compromising the project team’s ability to reach them for follow-up data collection, and the interviewer was unable to request administrative data collection (AGREE2), leading to a loss of additional data collection. The proposed changes are designed to prevent future participant distress and minimize burden while allowing them to complete the survey. Information about these items has been added to Supporting Statement A, A11. Sensitive Information.

Overview of Requested Changes

Two changes to the baseline youth survey (Instrument 1) are requested.

1. Move items CON2_W1 through CON13_W1 to after current item CON33_W1. Thus, items asking for biological parents’ contact information would be asked after items asking for other relatives’ contact information.

2. Addition of the following transition statement for interviewers to read before asking about biological parents: The next set of items ask about your bio-parents’ contact information. Some people find it upsetting to talk about their bio-parents. If you would prefer not to talk about one or both of your bio-parents, just let me know and we can skip those items.

These changes are intended to prevent participant distress by allowing more time to build rapport, alerting participants that the next set of items may be upsetting, and allowing participants to easily skip the entire section if they so choose.

Time Sensitivities

This work is time sensitive. Participant responses to the baseline youth survey (Instrument 1) are currently being collected. Timely approval of the proposed changes will allow data collection to continue while minimizing the risk of undue participant distress.