Appendix A

Appendix A. Study Notification and Reminder Materials

EMAIL 1: SRAE grant recipient and provider interview advance email

Subject: Virtual Interview, Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation

Dear [Contact_FirstName1 and Contact_FirstName2],

We are contacting you on behalf of the Family and Youth Services Bureau in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We want to let you know about an upcoming opportunity that is part of the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation (SRAENE). ACF has contracted with Mathematica to conduct a nationwide descriptive study of SRAE grant recipients and providers.

We are interested in learning from providers serving youth in juvenile justice detention centers and foster care group homes.

• We would like to gather information specifically about the experiences of SRAE grant recipients and providers serving youth in juvenile justice detention centers and foster care group homes.

• Data will be collected through a web-based platform, similar to a survey.

Why was I selected for this study?

• We are inviting grant recipients and providers serving youth in juvenile justice detention centers, foster care group homes, or both to participate in an online interview.

• Based on responses to survey questions you provided earlier this year, we believe your SRAE program delivers programming to youth in [juvenile justice detention centers or foster care group homes]. If that information is incorrect, please let us know.

What kinds of questions will be asked? The interview will ask for information about your experiences providing SRAE programming to youth in these settings, incuding successes, challenges, and lessons learned. We are interested in learning about your experiences identifying a curriculum and customizing your SRAE programming for youth in these settings; recruiting, enrolling, and engaging youth; training and supporting staff delivering the program; and building and maintaining partnerships.

Why are you collecting this information? The information collected will help ACF identify successful practices and inform future training and technical assistance for grant recipients who serve youth in these settings. Unlike other kinds of data collection from SRAE grant recipients, such as performance measures, this information will only be used to describe SRAE programming in these two settings and will not be used to assess individual grant recipients’ performance.

Who should complete the interview? The person most familiar with the SRAE programming provided to youth in [juvenile justice detention centers/foster care group homes]. This may be your grant administrator, program director, or another staff member most familiar with your SRAE programming in this setting.

How is the interview conducted? The interview will be virtual, similar to a web survey. It will be conducted through an online interview site called QualBoard, where you can log in and answer questions at your convenience. It takes about 60 minutes to complete. Your responses are saved automatically, and you can complete it in multiple sessions if that is more convenient.

When will the interview take place? We will begin reaching out to grant recipients and providers on a rolling basis to complete their interviews over the next few weeks. You will receive an email from Mathematica and an invitation from Qualboard.

Questions? Contact us at SRAETA@mathematica-mpr.com or 844-919-0173.

Sincerely,

Susan Goerlich Zief

Project Director

**OMB Control #: 0970 – 0356; Expiration Date XX/XX/XXX**

EMAIL 2: SRAE grant recipient and provider interview invitation email

Dear [Contact_FirstName1 and Contact_FirstName2],

Thank you in advance for participating in the interview on your experience delivering SRAE programming to youth in [juvenile justice detention centers/foster care group homes]. [For grant recipients or providers serving youth in both settings, we will add: “We know you serve youth in both juvenile justice detention centers and foster care group homes, but in the interview, we would like to hear focus on your experiences implementing SRAE programs in [insert selected setting, based on sample composition, setting in which the grant recipient or provider served the most youth, or ACF preference].”]

You should have received an email from Qualboard today with a link to begin your interview. The interview has questions about the successes, challenges, and lessons learned related to serving youth in [juvenile justice detention centers/foster care group homes].

The interview will take about 60-minutes, and you can complete it in multiple sessions if that is more convenient for you. You may receive additional email notifications from Qualboard if we have any follow-up questions.

As a reminder, your responses will only be used to describe SRAE programming for youth in [juvenile justice detention centers/foster care group homes] and will not be used to assess individual grant recipient’s performance.

Please contact us as soon as possible if you have any questions, or if you did not receive your interview invitation from Qualboard. We can be reached at SRAETA@mathematica-mpr.com or at 844-919-0173. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Susan Goerlich Zief

Project Director

**OMB Control #: 0970 – 0356; Expiration Date XX/XX/XXXX**

QualBoard Invitation Email