Semi-structured interview (Program director/Administrator)

Placeholder for OMB # and Expiration Date (OMB Control # 0970 – XXXX and Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX)

Youth Education and Relationship Services

Semi-Structured In-Person Staff Interview Protocol

Respondent Type
Program Facilitator
Program Director/Administrator
Partner Organization/Provider
Interview Info
Participant ID
Date
Start Time
End Time
Interviewer Initials
CONSENT
Verbal Consent Obtained	YES NO
R Given Copy of Consent Form	YES NO
Permission to Audio Record	YES NO
Permission to Use Quotes	YES NO

P

D

F

IF CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN STUDY HAS NOT BEEN PROVIDED, INTERVIEW CANNOT TAKE PLACE

Do you have any questions before we begin?

IF CONSENT TO AUDIO RECORD OBTAINED, START TAPE

How to use the protocol

This protocol is designed to be used with multiple types of respondents. Colored boxes with the letters F, D, and P are included at the top of each section and to the left of each question. These boxes indicate whether the section and whether the question should be asked to the three different types of respondents:

F

• F: Program Facilitators (e.g., frontline staff)

  

  D

• D: Program Directors/Administrators

  

  P

• P: Partner Organizations/Providers

UPPERCASE TEXT IS AN INSTRUCTION TO YOU, THE INTERVIEWER. DO NOT READ THIS TO THE RESPONDENT.

• IF NEEDED: should be treated like a regular probe. If the respondent gives an answer that does not provide the type of information we wanted from the main question, ask the probe.

• IF NOT COVERED YET: should be treated like a high-priority probe. We want answers to all of these specific questions, so if the respondent does not answer these questions after the main question is asked, please make a point of asking each specific follow-up question.

[TEXT in brackets] should be replaced with language that the respondent uses for specific terms, like the program name. This should be a habit you pick up throughout the interview, even when brackets are not explicitly noted.

The interview protocol is a guide. Do not ask questions if the respondent has already answered them in a prior question just to make a point of asking every question in the protocol. This breaks the “norms of conversation” and may make the respondent feel as though you are not listening.

Similarly, if it makes sense to break the order of the protocol because of how the conversation is going, that is okay. If you do this, be sure to go back through the protocol before ending to make sure you did not miss any critical sections or questions.

Section 1: Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. I’d like to start by telling you a little bit about our study and what we are going to do today. We are working with the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) to understand how the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) grantees’ programs are provided to youth aged 14-24. As part of this study, we are conducting interviews with facilitators, program directors/administrators or other similar staff, and staff at partner organizations. As we’re talking today, please keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers to the questions we ask. Also, please remember that if we come to a question you do not want to answer, you can let me know and I’ll move onto the next question.

This collection of information is voluntary and information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 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 [Contact Name]; [Contact Address]; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-XXXX).

I’d like to start by asking you some questions about you and your role at [GRANTEE/PARTNER ORGANIZATION], and how it relates to [HMRE PROGRAM].

1. I want to make sure I am calling the program the right name. Is [NAME OF PROGRAM] the HMRE program for youth that you work with?

P

2. I want to make sure I am calling your organization the right name. Is [NAME OF PARTNER ORGANIZATION] the organization that you work with?

D

3. Are you currently implementing any other OFA-funded HMRE programs for youth aged 14-24?

IF YES: What are they?

4. What is your official title at [GRANTEE/PARTNER ORGANIZATION or HMRE PROGRAM]?

5. How long have you been working in this position?

6. Have you done similar work with youth prior to working with [GRANTEE/PARTNER ORGANIZATION or HMRE PROGRAM]?

IF YES: For how long?

P

7. Would you briefly describe what your organization does, especially in relation to youth?

7. What does a typical day look like for you?

IF NEEDED: What are your roles and responsibilities at [HMRE PROGRAM or GRANTEE/PARTNER ORGANIZATION]?

P

8. I want to make sure I am calling the HMRE program that you partner with by the right name. Is [NAME OF PROGRAM] the HMRE program for youth that you partner with?

Section 2. Youth Characteristics:

Next, I’d like to ask you some questions about your HMRE program and the youth that you serve.

(FOR DIRECTOR INTERVIEW, REPEAT AS NEEDED FOR UP TO TWO OFA- FUNDED PROGRAMS, INCLUDE SITE OBSERVATION PROGRAM. “We are going to start with [PROGRAM 1], and then I will ask you the same questions about [PROGRAM 2].”)

D

1. When you began implementing [HMRE program], what populations did you intend to serve?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• What age group did you intend to serve?

• What race/ethnic group did you intend to serve?

• Did you plan to serve males, females or both?

• Did you plan to serve youth from any particular population, for example foster youth, pregnant and parenting youth, disconnected youth (by that I mean youth who are school age but are neither in school or working), youth exposed to violence (by that I mean domestic violence, dating violence, neighborhood violence or gang affiliated youth) or something else?

• Why did you intend to serve this population?

Sometimes the population you intend to serve is not the population you actually end up recruiting and retaining.

D

F

2. Would you briefly describe the youth population (aged 14-24) actually served by [HMRE PROGRAM]?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• What age groups are served by your program?

• What is the racial/ethnic breakdown of the group? Your best guess is fine.

• Does this program serve mostly males, mostly females, a combination, or something else?

• Are the teens mostly heterosexual, mostly LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual), a combination, or something else?

• Are the teens in your program mostly low-income, middle-income, upper-income, or something else?

• Are most of the teens in the program attending school, out of school but working, out of school and not working, or something else?

• Would you say that most of the teens live at home with both parents, one parent, other relatives, in a foster care situation, or something else?

IF DIFFERENCE IN TARGET POPULATION AND ACTUAL POPULATION SERVED

3. What are some of the reasons for the difference or change from your target or intended population served and your actual population served?

D

F

4. Can you think of major challenges facing teens in your program such as teen pregnancy or parenting, youth exposed to violence, involvement in the child welfare system, homelessness, relationship or domestic violence, human trafficking, or something else?

REPEAT QUESTIONS FOR PROGRAM 2 WITH PROGRAM DIRECTOR IF NEEDED

Section 3. Implementation Characteristics:

Now I’d like to talk about the implementation of your HMRE program for youth.

F

1. What strategies do you use to recruit your target population(s)? By target population(s) we mean the group or groups of people you intend to serve currently.

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• Do you have to use any special strategies to recruit your target population(s) of youth (RESTATE ABOVE MENTIONED CHARACTERSITICS)?

• Which strategies have you found are most effective for recruiting these groups of youth?

• In what ways, if any, do you incorporate technology into recruitment of youth?

• What incentives, if any, do you use to recruit youth?

2. What strategies do you use to retain youth in your program? That is, what do you do to make sure that youth keep coming to your program?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• What are some of the barriers, if any, to retaining youth participants?

• What strategies have you employed to keep this group coming to the program for its duration?

• In what ways, if any, do you incorporate technology into retention of youth in your HMRE program(s)?

• What incentives, if any, do you use to retain youth?

INTERVIEWER: ASK PROGRAM DIRECTOR ABOUT UP TO TWO OFA-FUNDED PROGRAMS WHEN APPLICABLE FOR QUESTIONS THREE AND FOUR BELOW.

“We are going to talk about [PROGRAM 1] and [PROGRAM 2] separately again for the next couple of questions.”

D

F

3. What are the primary goals for youth in [HMRE PROGRAM]?

D

F

4. How, if at all, do these goals reflect needs specific to the youth you serve, that is (RESTATE DESCRIPTION OF TARGET POPULATION)?

IF NEEDED:

• What do you hope youth will have learned when they leave your program?

• What skills do you hope youth will have gained during the program?

• What attitudes do you hope to change during the program?

REPEAT QUESTIONS TWO AND THREE ABOVE FOR PROGRAM 2 DURING PROGRAM DIRECTOR INTERVIEW.

F

5. What curriculum/curricula, if any, does [HMRE PROGRAM] use?

IF NO CURRICULUM/CURRICULA: How are daily lessons structured and what overall content do you include in the program?

F

6. In general, how well do you think this [curriculum/curricula or program content and structure] meets the needs of the youth population(s) [HMRE PROGRAM] served?

IF NEEDED: Can you say more about that? How, if at all, does this [curriculum/curricula or program content and structure] cover youth violence or relationship violence?

F

7. Were the curriculum/curricula or program content and structure developed with youth in mind, adults in mind, or something else?

IF NEEDED: Can you say more about that?

F

8. What age group in particular was this program developed for?

IF DEVELOPED FOR YOUTH SKIP TO QUESTION 12

F

9. IF DEVELOPED FOR ADULTS: What are the primary reasons you chose this curriculum/curricula or program content and structure?

F

10. IF DEVELOPED FOR ADULTS: What are the benefits of using this curriculum/curricula or program content and structure for your target population?

F

11. IF DEVELOPED FOR ADULTS: What are some of the challenges of using this curriculum/curricula or program content and structure for your target population?

D

F

12. In what ways, if any, do youth contribute to program development?

IF NEEDED:

• Would you say youth play a large role, small role, no role, or something else in program-related decisions?

• Could you tell me more about that?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• Were youth involved in creating ground rules for the program?

REPEAT QUESTION 11 ABOVE FOR PROGRAMS 1 AND 2 IN PROGRAM DIRECTOR INTERVIEW WHEN APPLICABLE.

IF NO CURRICULUM/CURRICULA SKIP TO QUESTION 16

F

13. Have you made any adaptations to the curriculum/curricula being used to serve youth?

IF YES:

• What adaptations have you made?

IF NO ADAPTATIONS SKIP TO QUESTION 16

F

14. What motivated you to make these adaptations?

F

15. Who was involved in making adaptations?

IF NOT COVERED YET: Was the program developer involved?

F

16. What differences have you noticed, if any, in the program since adapting the curricula?

• Are youth achieving program goals more often, less often, or something else?

• Is it easier to facilitate the lessons, harder to facilitate the lessons, or something else?

• Are there any other changes we haven’t discussed?

IF NEEDED: Can you say more about that?

F

17. Now let’s discuss program delivery. What do you do that keeps your population engaged during a typical session?

F

18. Now how about over the duration of the program: what do you do to keep your population engaged throughout the whole program?

F

19. What leadership opportunities, if any, does [HMRE PROGRAM] provide to youth participants?

F

20. What types of procedures, if any, are in place to help youth in your program feel physically and emotionally safe?

IF NEEDED: do you have any procedures or protocols in place for youth who disclose exposure to violence? If yes, do you think these procedures are sufficient?

F

21. What is the role of parents, family members, and other caregivers in your program?

IF NEEDED: What kinds of things does your HMRE program do specifically to engage family members?

F

22. Are there specific opportunities for youth to connect the program content to their own lives?

F

23. Do you incorporate technology and/or social media into program delivery?

• Can you tell me more about that?

Section 4. Staff Characteristics

Now I’d like to talk about the staff who implement [HMRE PROGRAM] at [ORGANIZATION].

DO NOT REPEAT THIS SECTION DURING THE DIRECTOR INTERVIEW EVEN IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM.

1. What qualifications do staff who implement [HMRE PROGRAM] have?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• What level of education do staff have?

• What, if any, prior experience do staff have with youth-serving programs?

• What, if any, prior experience do staff have with your target population?

• What, if any, prior experience do staff have with group facilitation?

D

2. How is staff performance measured and monitored?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• Are there specific requirements around program fidelity? By program fidelity we mean monitoring whether the program is implemented the way it was designed and intended to be implemented.

• Would you tell me more about that?

• Are there any other staff performance metrics that you track uniquely for staff who are implementing a program for youth (versus other staff)?

• Does the specific curriculum/curricula you are implementing have any recommendations around staff performance monitoring?

D

F

3. Does your program use “near-peers” or peer facilitators?

IF NEEDED: Can you tell me more about that experience?

D

F

4. What specific facilitation styles, if any, do you look for or train staff in?

D

F

5. What training, if any, do staff receive prior to implementing [HMRE PROGRAM]?

IF NEEDED: Do staff receive any training on how to address issues of violence (and by violence I mean domestic violence, dating violence, peer violence, gang violence, child maltreatment and neighborhood violence)?

IF DOESN’T KNOW: What training, if any, did you receive prior to beginning your role as a facilitator for [HMRE PROGRAM]?

F

D

6. Do staff receive any training specific to working with your particular youth population?

D

7. Does your budget cover training and professional development for staff?

F

D

8. What personal characteristics and qualities do your HRME program staff members have?

Section 5. Grantee Characteristics:

Now, I’d like to talk about [HMRE PROGRAM] and its relationship with [ORGANIZATION].

P

D

INTERVIEWER: IF GRANTEE IS THE PROVIDER (NO PARTNER ORGANIZATION) SKIP TO QUESTION 2.

1. Can you describe the partnership between [ORGANIZATION] and [HMRE PROGRAM]?

IF NEEDED: In what ways do you work with [HMRE PROGRAM or PARTNER ORGANIZATION] to provide healthy relationship services?

P

D

2. How did the partnership between [ORGANIZATION] and [HMRE PROGRAM] begin?

IF NEEDED: How did you first learn about [HMRE PROGRAM or PARTNER ORGANIZATION]?

IF NOT COVERED YET: Who was involved in the decision to offer an HMRE program for youth at [PARTNER ORGANIZATION]?

P

D

3. What are some of the benefits of the partnership

IF NEEDED: What are some of the benefits that [PARTNER ORGANIZATION] receives as part of this partnership? What are some of the benefits that [HMRE PROGRAM] receives as part of this partnership?

D

4. What non-OFA funding, if any, do you receive to provide HMRE programs for youth?

D

P

5. HMRE programs serving youth operate in multiple settings. How would you describe the setting where [HMRE PROGRAM] takes place?

IF NEEDED: Does the program take place in a school or somewhere else?

D

6. IF IN A SCHOOL SETTING: What time or times is the program delivered?

IF DURING SCHOOL DAY: During what class or classes is the program offered?

D

7. IF NON-SCHOOL SETTING: What time or times is the program offered?

8. Sometimes the setting of an HMRE program can help with program delivery and sometimes it can cause challenges. I’d like to discuss how, if at all, the setting of [HMRE PROGRAM] influences various aspects of your program, starting with your target population. How, if at all, does the setting help you reach your target population(s)?

9. How, if at all, does it limit the youth you can reach?

D

P

10. How, if at all, does the setting influence the services that can be provided to youth?

IF NEEDED:

• Have you ever had to stop offering services due to the setting in which the HMRE program takes place?

• Have you ever been able to expand services because of the setting in which the HMRE program takes place?

D

11. What other programs and wraparound services for youth are provided onsite at [HMRE PROGRAM]?

IF NEEDED: Does your organization offer any other youth development-focused programs (non-HMRE programs)?

D

12. What other programs for youth are provided in your community?

IF NOT COVERED YET:

• Are these programs available to the youth enrolled in your HMRE program?

• Does your community offer any other youth development-focused programs?

D

13. Do you partner with other youth-serving organizations? For example, violence prevention programs, teen pregnancy prevention programs.

1. Can you tell me more about that?

IF NOT COVERED YET: Who do you consider your key partners?

• Can you tell me more about that?

D

14. Is there ever competition among youth-serving organizations?

IF NEEDED: In what ways? Can you say more about that?

D

15. What makes your program distinct in the community?

Section 6. Conclusion

INTERVIEWER: REVIEW THE GUIDE TO INSURE THAT NO RELEVANT QUESTIONS WERE OVERLOOKED OR WERE NOT ASKED

Before we end, I have a few more questions.

1. Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your organization or program, or that you think we should have covered but didn’t?

2. Now that the interview is complete, I would like to ask you again about giving us permission to use specific quotes from your interview. Please remember that no identifying information will be reported if you consent to having quotes from your interview used.

Do we have your permission to use specific quotes from your interview in summaries, reports, and presentations of our study findings?

PERMISSION TO USE QUOTES YES NO

INTERVIEWER TURN OFF TAPE

We’d like to thank you for your time and important contribution to our study.

RECORD END TIME________

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