Appendix A - TDI Outreach Email for Stakeholder Interviews

Appendix A

TDI Outreach Email for Stakeholder Interviews

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Hello _______________________

We are part of a team implementing a new project supported by ACF/HHS called TANF Data Innovation (TDI), which aims to support state and local TANF agencies as they use data for decision-making to improve the lives of low-income families.

In order to ensure that TDI’s Technical Assistance makes a meaningful contribution to the field, we plan to survey TANF staff about their current practices, priorities, challenges, and perceived areas of need. We are also conducting interviews with a broader set of stakeholders to document the national context shaping how TANF and other human services data are used in program administration. Given your background and expertise, we think you could provide a valuable perspective.  

  

In particular, we would like to ask you about: (select all that apply for interviewee)

• your perceptions of states’ current capacities and needs with regard to the use of administrative data to improve TANF program outcomes and payment integrity

• notable uses of TANF data to understand/improve TANF program outcomes and payment integrity

• common barriers faced by stakeholders in using administrative data to understand and/or improve TANF

• current policy or programmatic challenges facing the TANF program

About the broader TTA project: The TANF Data Innovation (TDI) project is an investment to expand the integration, analysis, and use of TANF data to improve program administration, payment integrity, and outcomes for participants. Launched in 2017, TDI is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in collaboration with the Office of Family Assistance (OFA), in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The project will build long-term staff capacity at the state and federal levels, while also making immediate contributions to the quality of TANF data. By institutionalizing modern data integration strategies and supporting efforts in the human services community to use data analysis for program improvement, the project will provide a lasting benefit to the TANF evidence base. For more detail, please see the attached project description.

Participation in the interview is completely voluntary and will require a time commitment of approximately one hour. The information you provide will be private. If you are interested, I will follow-up to schedule a time with you that is convenient to your schedule.

 

Thank you for your consideration and please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

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 the described information collection is 0970-0356 and the expiration date is 06/30/2021.