Formative Data Collection (OMB Number 0970-0356)
Supporting Statement Part B for OMB Approval
TANF Research Synthesis
September 9, 2009
In order to understand what research questions will be most useful to TANF and CCDF stakeholders it will be important to engage experts from a variety of disciplines, organizations, and institutions that represent key perspectives on the TANF and CCDF programs and are able to contribute unique insights as to research questions that are most likely to be relevant.
Respondents will be identified through several means. A review of articles and reports on TANF and CCDF will identify individuals involved in relevant research. Members of national organizations, including the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), National Governor’s Association (NGA), and National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will be important for identifying stakeholders from the practitioner and policy community. We will also use a “snowball” technique that relies on referrals from initial respondents to generate additional respondents. Care will be taken to ensure that respondents are representative of various types of organizations and experiences.
B.2. Procedures for the Collection of Information
Stakeholder consultations will be conducted by telephone and in-person in the form of semi-structured conversations and focus groups. Consultations will be conducted commencing with the receipt of OMB Clearance (expected early October 2009) and will continue through February 2010. Interviews will be conducted by senior members of the Urban Institute team that has been awarded the contract for the TANF Research Synthesis. We anticipate that consultations will average one hour and that not more than 72 respondents will be interviewed.
We expect to obtain a very high response rate (95 percent) among stakeholders. Several factors will help ensure a high rate of cooperation among respondents. First, senior staff members of the study team who are familiar with the issues will conduct the interviews. Second, staff conducting the interviews will personally know many of the respondents through their professional connections. Finally, the stakeholders who will be interviewed are all heavily invested in the issues surrounding TANF and CCDF. We anticipate that respondents will be eager to participate in this information collection.
There are no plans to test the procedures. Similar consultations have been conducted in the past by the study team as well as by ACF for other projects and have been an effective strategy for gathering information. For example, the Innovative Strategies for Increasing Self-Sufficiency project conducted similar conversations (OMB Number 0970-0343) and it generated significant insight into the state of the field.
Brendan Kelly
Family Self-Sufficiency Research Team Leader
Senior Social Science Research Analyst
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Emily Schmitt
Research Fellow
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | jwest |
| Last Modified By | DHHS |
| File Modified | 2009-10-06 |
| File Created | 2009-10-06 |