Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services (STREAMS)

OMB # 0970-0356

Expiration Date: 03/31/2018

Appendix F

Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services (STREAMS)

Semi-Structured Protocol for Teleconference or Visit with HMRE Program

Thank you for taking time to meet with the STREAMS study team. As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has contracted with Mathematica and its partner Public Strategies to conduct STREAMS. The study aims to identify and test strategies for improving the delivery and effectiveness of healthy marriage and relationship education, or HMRE, programs. This meeting and similar meetings we are having with other HMRE programs have two main purposes. The first is for the evaluation team to learn from programs. To that end, we would like to hear more about your program as an example of a quality HMRE program, including strategies you use to serve youth, young adults, and adult couples and how you administer your program. The second is to let programs know more about STREAMS, what it will be studying, and what the evaluation will entail. We would also like to get your input and reactions to the planned study design. We estimate that this visit will take 180 minutes. All the information provided in these discussions will be kept private to the extent permitted by law, and your participation in these discussions is voluntary.

Topics for Discussion of Program Features

Organization Structure

• Review information obtained about the organization during previous conversations including type, governing structure, years in operation, main services, and funders

Program Features

• Review the components of the HMRE program. Have any new components been added since we spoke? Any eliminated?

• Any curricula used and do you have affiliations with particular program models?

• What are program goals overall and for each component?

• What is your target population and program capacity?

• Any key referral sources or partners in the community?

Program Administration

• Review program funding. Any changes?

• Describe the roles of program staff. How many and what are the backgrounds? Any special training or certification needed for the services they provide?

Program flow

• How does your program recruit youth, single adults, and/or adult couples into the program?

• Walk through how a participant flows through the services. Are there any eligibility requirements for particular components? How are the components sequenced? Are they concurrent or one after the other?

• What is the intended length of the service components? How long do participants tend to stay involved? What are the primary reasons for departures prior to the intended end of the program or service components?

• Does your program have a waitlist for any components?

Data Systems

• What systems does your HMRE program have in place to track applications and program participation?

• Who is responsible for data entry?

General

• What are the main challenges your program faces?

• Do you have future goals for your program? Any new strategies you want to implement?

Topics for Discussion about Study Design

• Is your organization currently involved with another evaluation(s)? Has your organization participated in an evaluation previously?

• Review the list of questions they indicated being interested in during the initial phone call. Would you add or prioritize the questions differently after hearing more detail about the study?

• What do you think about the interventions that are of interest? Are they feasible? Are they relevant? Would you change or add anything?

• Do you have any other comments or advice for the study team?

NOTE: The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to gather preliminary information about the healthy marriage-relationship education (HMRE) field and explore with HMRE programs the research questions that are of interest and the design options that are feasible. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 180 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. 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 Diane Paulsell; DPaulsell@mathematica-mpr.com; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0356).