Onsite Interviews and Focus Groups (Private Sector)

OMB Control Number (1290-0NEW)

Expiration Date (XX-XX-XX)

Appendix J:

Focus Group Moderator’s Guide: Direct Service Provider/Subcontractor

Focus Group Moderator’s Guide: Direct Service Provider/Subcontractor

Introduction – Thank you for coming here today/this evening. My name is [Moderator’s Name] and I will be leading the discussion. My colleague [Name of notetaker] will be taking notes during the discussion. I work for [Westat/Georgetown University] and we are doing a study for the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking(OCFT) of the United States Department of Labor to find out more about the situation of child labor in this area as well as your views of [Name of Project].

We are asking you to participate in a focus group, which is basically a group discussion about your experiences with [Name of Project.] This focus group is part of an evaluation of OCFT’s Child Labor Technical Cooperation Program. As part of the evaluation we conducted a survey of project directors, conducted six site visits, and interviewed representatives of U.S. Government agencies involved in combating child labor.

The Department of Labor will combine the information collected from the focus groups with information collected from other sources to find out how the technical cooperation program is doing to combat child labor by providing educational opportunities to children in your area.

The focus group discussion will take approximately 1 hour. Participation is voluntary and you may choose to skip any question asked during the discussion.

Your information will be kept confidential. Only a few researchers will see the notes/transcriptions of the focus group. The information from the focus group will be combined with information from other sources in the evaluation final report. We will not attribute any statements to you or to any individual that provides information in any reports or documents.

The most important thing to remember is that we are here to learn from you. You are the experts; there are not right or wrong answers. Please feel free to speak your mind. I also want to assure you that your answers will be kept confidential. The researchers working on this project are the only people who will know who said what. The report that will be written will bring together the views expressed by all the people participating in these discussions and no one will be identified by name. We will be tape recording the session so we can be sure to get the most accurate information. Are there any further questions about the study before I explain the procedures for (today’s/tonight’s) session?

Has anyone participated in a focus group before? The procedures are simple. Everyone has a name card in front of you, so I can call on you by name. First, we will go around the table and everyone will introduce himself or herself. Then I will start by asking a question. Whoever wants to can be first to answer. The first few times you answer please give your name before you talk. Once one person has finished, someone else can speak. If you have something to say, but someone else is still talking, please raise your hand, and wait until I call on you. Everyone will have a turn

We would like to audiotape the discussion in case the notetaker needs to verify her notes. Please tell me if you agree to have the session audiotaped. [IF ANY PERSON IN THE GROUP DECLINES, THE SESSION WILL NOT BE AUDIOTAPED.

The most important thing to remember is that we are here to learn from you. You are the experts; there are not right or wrong answers. Please feel free to speak your mind. I also want to assure you that your answers will be kept confidential. The researchers working on this project are the only people who will know who said what. The report that will be written will bring together the views expressed by all the people participating in these discussions and no one will be identified by name. We will be tape recording the session so we can be sure to get the most accurate information. Are there any further questions about the study before I explain the procedures for (today’s/tonight’s) session?

Has anyone participated in a focus group before? The procedures are simple. Everyone has a name card in front of you, so I can call on you by name. First, we will go around the table and everyone will introduce himself or herself. Then I will start by asking a question. Whoever wants to can be the first to answer. The first few times you answer please give your name before you talk. Once one person has finished, someone else can speak. If you have something to say, but someone else is still talking, please raise your hand, and wait until I call on you. Everyone will have a turn

TO BEGIN, LET’S GO AROUND THE TABLE. PLEASE GIVE US YOUR NAME AND YOUR ROLE IN THE [PROJECT NAME] AND HOW LONG YOU HAVE WORKED ON THE PROJECT.

I’D LIKE TO START THE CONVERSATION BY TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT.

I. Project Purpose and Design

A. History

1. When did you first become involved in the [project name]? (Probe for time in the life cycle of the project, number of months, years involved in the project, etc.).

2. When did your organization’s activity under the project actually get underway?

NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT CHILD LABOR IN YOUR AREA.

B. The Problem

1. How/when did you first become aware of the child labor situation in <NAME OF AREA, NAME OF COUNTRY>? >? What would you say is the most common form of child labor in the area? Has this changed in recent years? If so—how, since when? (Probe on which groups/industries are perpetrators, characteristics of victims, and whether this has changed) Do you think the problem has grown more or less serious in the past several years? Why?

2. What do people in this community seem most concerned about?

Probes:

• The sheer magnitude of the problem or recent increases?

• Lack of alternatives to child labor?

• Lack of data or MIS capability to track the problem?

• Lack of supports or resources?

• Lack of enforcement?

• Other

3. What efforts to combat exploitive child labor were already going on in this community, region or nation before the project began?

NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PROJECT PLANNING.

II. Strategic Planning

A. Project Plans

1. Please describe the plans, implementation status, and accomplishments to date for each of the major activities involved with the direct service you provide.

Probes:

- Developing mechanisms for capacity building.

- Developing materials and appropriate supports for the project.

- Setting up or enhancing systems to

• Assess the scope of the problem and determine needs (baseline status)

• Identify targets for prevention efforts

• Gather data about the number of children involved in child labor

• Track prevented/withdrawn children (and their families) in alternative projects (Probe for how children/families flow through the project, do they come in and out, do they “graduate”)

• Follow up on participants after they have completed projects

• Developing and collecting cost efficiency measures

• Measuring all outcomes

THE NEXT SECTION DEALS WITH SPECIFIC PROJECT ACTIVITIES.

B. Project Activities

1. Describe the services you provide (e.g., educational, awareness raising, etc.).

2. Describe the activities that were undertaken to set up your project(s) to identify, assess, refer, and assist (e.g., educate) victims of child labor and their families.

3. Describe targeting efforts for prevented/withdrawn/other. How are participants (prevention/withdrawn) recruited?

4. How do participants move through your project? (Probe for within and across educational, alternative, income generating, employment programs, differences for projects targeting withdrawn vs. prevented children.) Is training available for project providers? How long do projects last or are individual participants involved? How many children and families are involved annually? When did the project start accepting referrals or providing services?

III. Project Management

A. Resources

1. In addition to OCFT funding, what contributions, cash or in-kind, support the project?

2. What activities are used to support OCFT efforts, but are not paid by OCFT? (Probe for specific sources, amounts, and when funding started.)

3. Are there any special space or equipment requirements for the project? How are these requirements met?

B. Recordkeeping and Monitoring

1. What is/are the current record-keeping system(s) (Probe for type of system (electronic or paper), type of collection (by child, by family, numbers served, amount of service), reports developed)? How will it/they change under the project?

2. What are your measures of project impact or outcomes? (Probe for timing of data collection — baseline, ongoing, outcomes.) How were they derived?

3. What are your measures of cost efficiency? (Probe for different project costs — staff, buildings/space, supplies, incentives/supports/rations, other indirect costs and formulas for per unit costs — per child, per family, per outcome.) How were they derived?

4. How are the data (cost and project) used? (Probe for project improvement, reporting, leveraging funds)What do you see as the limitations in the data collected? Have there been changes in these measures since the project began?

5. Does/will the project followup on its participants? Can the project identify youth who return to exploitive labor? How? What time period?

IV. Project Results

A. Sustainability

THE NEXT QUESTION ALSO REQUIRES YOU TO ANSWER WITH A NUMBERED CARD. AFTER I ASK THE QUESTION, PLEASE HOLD UP THE NUMBERED CARD THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR ANSWER.

1. How likely do you think it is that some activities to address exploitive child labor will continue beyond OCFT funding?

5 4 3 2 1

Extremely likely Somewhat likely Not likely at all

2. What activities (or elements of different activities) will likely be maintained (Probe for ways efforts are being sustained such as leveraged funds and expanding efforts within the government)?

(For each activity maintained) Will the project be changed? How? What agencies will be responsible? What funding will be used to maintain the activity?

3. (For response 1 or 2) Why won’t these efforts be continued?

4. How likely do you think it is that results from project activities will be sustained?

5 4 3 2 1

Extremely likely Somewhat likely Not likely at all

5. (For response 5 through 3), What results will likely be maintained? (Probe for increased capacity, new laws, better enforcement, expanded efforts within the government)? What are the threats to maintaining this progress against exploitive child labor?

5. (For response 1 or 2) Why won’t these results be sustained?

5. Has the government developed new legislation on exploitive labor practices and/or policies to support existing legislation? Currently, are there government programs or government support of programs to educate children, help parents find work to support children, help orphans, or treat victims of trafficking?

B. Reflections on Project Achievements

1. What materials were provided to the project from <OCFT >?

2. Were these materials useful? Specify how. Would additional materials have been useful from <OCFT>? Specify.

3. Is there any need for additional technical assistance? If yes, what?

4. Which aspects or features of the <NAME OF PROJECT> do you think have been most successful in reaching the children, and why? Which components of the <NAME OF PROJECT> have been most effective at reducing child labor; at leading to the most sustainable improvements? What other strategies do you think could be effective in accomplishing these goals? (Probe on reasons for all these answers)

5. What do you consider to be the 2 or 3 most important achievements of the <NAME OF PROJECT>? Can you say a little bit about why you think these are the major achievements? In your view, what factors have helped the project reach these achievements? (Probe for the following changes):

• Identifying children involved in exploitive child labor

• Identifying children at risk of exploitive child labor

• Enforcement of child labor laws

• Services for children and families (probe for changes in number and types)

• Making referrals to other agencies

• Cultural competency or diversity issues

• Employment alternatives

• Legislation/policies against exploitive child labor

• Level of commitment by government personnel

• Other

6. What factors have stood in the way, and how were these addressed?

7. Is the emphasis on <LIST OF ACTIVITIES> the most effective method for reducing child labor in a sustainable manner? Would other emphases also be appropriate or important? Please describe.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE FOCUS GROUP. IT WAS A PLEASURE MEETING ALL OF YOU.

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