Key Informant Case Key Informant Case Study Protocol Cost Sub Study

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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Crisis Services Program Evaluation

Key Informant Interview – Case Study Protocol – Cost Sub-study

(KII-CSP-CSS)

Introduction: Thank you for joining me today. The focus of our conversation is to understand the experience of providing mental health, substance use, and emotional crisis services. Your role and experiences as a professional in this field are invaluable to our understanding. We are eager to hear about your journey and the strategies you use, the obstacles you've faced, and your perspectives on what works and what doesn’t work in crisis intervention and support services. 

  

Your insights are crucial in helping us improve and ensure equitable access to effective crisis services. We recognize that the topics we will discuss are complex and sensitive. My goal is to create an environment where you can comfortably and openly share your professional experiences and opinions. 

  

Please remember, your participation in this interview is entirely voluntary. We expect that this interview will last approximately 90 minutes. If you wish to take a break, pause, or stop the interview, let us know. Your comfort and well-being during this conversation are of the utmost importance to us. 

  

Thank you for your time and for sharing your valuable expertise, which will contribute to enhancing crisis services. 

1. To get us started, please tell me a bit about yourself (probes: such as your first name and the organization where you work).

   1. What role do you play in your organization?

   2. How does your role connect to crisis intervention and support services?

[Directions for moderator:

• If Provider Organization or Organization with full continuum of crisis services, ask all questions in all sections of the guide below.

• If State-level respondent organization, ask questions in sections 4 (Communication and Collaboration), 5 (Tribal Community Practices), and 6 (Financing Needs) below.]

Section 1: Implementation Facilitators and Barriers  

2. What key factors have helped you and your organization implement the 988 Lifeline effectively?

3. What barriers have you and your organization encountered in the implementation of the 988 Lifeline? (Probe for specific examples)

   1. What barriers have you and your organization encountered in the operation of the 988 Lifeline? (Probe for specific examples)

4. How have you and your organization worked to address these barriers?

   1. What strategies or resources have been most effective in overcoming the barriers? 

5. Which barriers are your organization still working to address?

   1. What makes these barriers especially difficult to address?

6. What do you consider your biggest successes in the operation of the 988 Lifeline within your organization?

   1. What are your proudest moments, so to speak? (Probe for specific examples)

7. What do you consider your biggest challenges in the operation of the 988 Lifeline within your organization?

   1. What aspects of operating the 988 Lifeline are you hoping to improve? (Probe for specific examples)

   2. What specific metrics indicate these challenges need improvement?

Section 2: Workforce Development 

I’d like to shift gears a little and ask how your organization approaches training and developing its workforce.

8. How do you and your organization approach workforce development, such as recruiting, training, and retaining qualified staff?

   1. What specific programs or protocols are in place at your organization for workforce development?

9. How useful are your organization’s current workforce development programs and protocols in meeting the current needs of your crisis response teams?

10. What training protocols and technology are used by your organization to support staff capacity?

    1. How useful have these trainings or protocols been in preparing the workforce for crisis interventions?

11. What gaps, if any, do you see in current recruitment, training, and staff retention efforts at your organization?

12. What feedback or resources, if any, have you heard from your team about these programs and protocols? 

Section 3: Communication and Collaboration

13. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of communication between agencies in handling calls that present an imminent risk?

    1. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of collaboration between agencies in handling calls that present an imminent risk?

14. What are your organization’s current practices or protocols for call diversion, information sharing, and joint decision-making? 

15. Can you describe instances where these collaborative strategies affected the crisis situation's outcome? 

Section 4: Tribal Community Practices – Ask only if the provider/organization serves tribal communities; this applies to ANY provider at any level.

16. How have Tribal communities been involved in the 988 Lifeline or other crisis continuum activities?

Section 5: Financing needs, funding mechanisms, and financing strategies

(This section is only for selected participants for Cost Sub-study) 

17. What funding sources are currently utilized for crisis services in your system? 

18. How do these sources complement your financial strategy? 

    1. How, if at all, do they complicate your financial strategy?

19. How does the current funding structure impact the range and quality of crisis services provided?

20. Can you provide examples of how changes in funding have directly affected service delivery? 

21. What are the most significant challenges you face in financing crisis services? 

22. How have you addressed these challenges?

1. What solutions have proven most effective?

23. What strategies have been most useful in ensuring the long-term sustainability of funding for crisis services? 

24. What innovative approaches or models for long-term sustainability have you used or considered?

25. Looking ahead, what changes or improvements in funding mechanisms would better support crisis services? 

    1. What are your greatest successes related to funding?

    2. What challenges do you anticipate in the future related to funding?

Closing

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us today. Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share today about your experiences in the crisis services? 

Thank you again for your time and invaluable insights. This has been so helpful.