Telephone Recruitment Script and Screener - Los Angeles Site

OMB Control No.: 0970-xxxx

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx

Appendix A-2: Telephone Recruitment Script and Screener—Los Angeles site

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing the instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. This information collection is voluntary. 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. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Reports Clearance Officer (Attn: OMB/PRA 0970-XXXX), Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20447.

Hello, may I speak with________?

Hi! My name is __________ and I’m a researcher at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. You may have heard about a study we are conducting about mothers who are unemployed or have experienced unemployment, called Family Coping Strategies. [IF CONTACT INFORMATION WAS RECEIVED FROM UCLA: My colleagues from the Best Start LA study at UCLA shared your name and number with me so I could call you and provide more details, and see if you are eligible to participate.]

In our new study, we are interviewing mothers that are currently not working or have experienced unemployment for at least 6 months total within the past two years and did not receive temporary cash assistance during the period of unemployment. Mothers will receive $40 as a token of appreciation for participating in a 90-minute interview.

Before I continue telling you about the study, I would like to ask you a few questions to see if you are eligible to participate. Can we do that now?

NO  Arrange other date/time

YES  Continue

The information you provide will remain private and will not be used for any purpose but determining your eligibility for this study.

1. Are you currently married?

Yes  NOT ELIGIBLE

No  CONTINUE

2. How many children do you have?

0  NOT ELIGIBLE

1+  CONTINUE

3. Do your children live with you?

Yes (at least one)  CONTINUE

No  NOT ELIGIBLE

4. Are you currently receiving disability payments for yourself, such as through the Supplemental Security Income- SSI- program or Social Security Disability program?

Yes  NOT ELIGIBLE

No  CONTINUE

5. Are you currently unemployed, meaning you are not working for pay?

Yes  CONTINUE

No  Were you ever unemployed in the past 2 years?

Yes  CONTINUE

No  NOT ELIGIBLE

6. For how many months total [have you been/ were you] unemployed in the past 2 years?

6 or more months cumulatively  CONTINUE

Less than 6 months cumulatively  NOT ELIGIBLE

7. Do you currently receive temporary cash assistance from the government, such as California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS)?

Yes  For how long have you been receiving CalWorks?

Fewer than 2 years and not when unemployed  ELIGIBLE

Continuously during past 2 years or when unemployed  NOT ELIGIBLE

No  Within the past two years, did you ever receive temporary cash assistance from the government, such as CalWORKS? <If yes> When did you receive it? For how long?

Never, or fewer than 2 years and not when unemployed  ELIGIBLE

Continuously during past 2 years or when unemployed  NOT ELIGIBLE

[IF ELIGIBLE, PROCEED TO IMMIGRATION QUESTION.]

8. Were you born in the United States?

YES  ELIGIBLE NON-IMMIGRANT

NO  For how many years have you lived in the United States?

< 5 years  ELIGIBLE RECENT IMMIGRANT

5+ years  ELIGIBLE NON-RECENT IMMIGRANT

NOT ELIGIBLE: Thank you for answering my questions. Unfortunately, you do not meet the criteria we are looking for in this study, but I really appreciate your taking the time to speak with me today. Thank you. I hope you have a nice day.

IF ELIGIBLE: Thank you. You are eligible to participate in the study. Now let me tell you a little more about the study and what we would need from you should you choose to participate.

The purpose of this research study is to learn about how individuals and families are managing during an economic downturn in terms of employment, finances, housing, and relationships. The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Participating in this study involves completing an in-person interview in your home or other convenient place within the next few months. Based on other interviews we’ve done, the interview will last about 90 minutes on average, depending on your responses. The interview will be scheduled at a time convenient for you.

If you agree to participate, you will be interviewed once and asked detailed questions about your current and previous jobs, your use of government programs, your living arrangements and household finances, your mental health, and your personal relationships. As a token of appreciation, we will offer you $40 cash.

Participation in the survey is completely voluntary. It is your choice whether to participate or not. Some questions may seem personal and sensitive, but the information you provide will remain private to the fullest extent of the law. We will audio-record the interview so that we can later check our notes, but your name will never be included in any reports or other products that come out of this study. No one who works for the state or federal government will know whether or not you have chosen to participate in the study, and your future participation in any government programs will not be affected in any way by whether or not you choose to participate.

Interviews will be conducted in [time frame]. We are contacting you in advance to make sure that we have your most up-to-date contact information and to make sure we can reach you at the time of scheduling the interviews.

Do you agree to participate in an interview? [Record Yes/No]

<IF NO>

That’s okay. May I know the reason why so I can record it in my notes? Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a nice day.

<IF YES>

That’s great. Now, I would like to make sure I have the correct contact information for you.

[Read name, address, and phone number, and any back-up contact information. Record any changes.]

Is there any other way I can reach you in case this information changes, such as a different cell phone number or an e-mail address?

Thank you. We will go over the details again when we call you to schedule the interview.

Do you have any questions for me at this time?

Thanks so much for speaking with me today. We will be in touch again soon. Have a nice day.

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