Client Interview Guide (A-5)

Appendix A-5
Client Interview Guide

OMB No. 0970-XXXX
Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Client Interview Guide

Thanks for agreeing to talk with me today. My name is [use first name], and this is [introduce note taker; use first name].

I want to review some key points on this form. We’re interested in learning more about [PROGRAM NAME] and your experiences here. I’ll be asking you questions about the services you’ve used, what things you like about [PROGRAM NAME], and what things you would like to see them do differently. We’ll use this information to help make programs like [PROGRAM NAME] better and information from the overall evaluation will inform future program development and evaluation and provide information for ongoing program improvement to Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) grantees.

This is your interview—we’re here to learn from you. I’ll be asking questions, but mostly I’m the listener. There are no right or wrong answers, and you can choose not to answer any of the questions. We want to know about your experiences with [PROGRAM]. It is your decision how much you want to share about yourself and your life.

Whether you decide to participate in this interview is up to you. This is completely voluntary. Nothing about the services you get from [PROGRAM] will change based on you talking with us or not talking with us. If there are any questions that you do not want to answer, or if you would like to end the interview, that is okay. The interview should last about 1 hour. As a token of appreciation for your time, you will receive a $25 gift card.

You do not have to tell us your real name, and we do not want you to tell us the real names of others. You can make up first names for others if you want to.

Any comments you make here will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Your name will never be connected to what you tell us today, and we will not tell anyone who works at [PROGRAM NAME] what you share with us in a way that can identify you.

[Name of note taker] will be taking notes on the laptop while I ask the questions. If it is okay with you, we would like to record this interview so we don’t miss anything in our notes. We will not include your name in the recording. The recording will be used only by us and not shared with anyone. After we review our written notes, we will delete the audio recording. Are you okay with us recording the interview? [If participant agrees to audio recording, say: We appreciate your willingness to let us record the discussion.]

I feel it is important for you to know that if you tell us that you intend to seriously harm yourself or another person or if we have reason to believe that a child, elder, or dependent adult will be abused or a crime committed, I may need to tell [PROGRAM] staff or the local authorities. If you tell us about current or past abuse, we will not tell anyone unless you ask us to.

I’m also required to let you know that, “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. The OMB number for this information collection is 0970-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/20XX.”

Before we begin, I want to give you the opportunity to ask questions you might have about this interview. Is there anything you would like to know?

OK, let’s get started.

[If participants seem nervous or resistant, ask about questions they may have about you and why you are doing this interview.]

[If participants agreed to audio recording, TURN ON RECORDER NOW. Let them know that you have turned on the recorder. Remind them that they can ask you to turn it off at any point during the interview.]

Program Entry

• Can we start by talking about when you first came to [PROGRAM]? How did that happen (how did you hear about the program)? Was it difficult to come to the program, in what way)?

[NOTE: client may talk about sex trade/labor trafficking circumstances that led to program entry; be open to but don’t ask directly.]

Program Engagement

• What was your first impression of [PROGRAM]?

• If you had a choice as to whether or not to keep coming here, what kinds of things made you decide to do this?

• What did you find to be the most helpful things that the program staff did or provided to encourage you to keep coming here, or to make it easier to keep coming here?

• Did you have any concerns about coming here? What do you think about those concerns now—did they turn out to be problems?

Service Needs

• What kinds of help did you want when you first came to [PROGRAM]?

• Have your ideas about what you need changed since you first came here?

Services Utilized

• What are some of the services that you have used here at [PROGRAM]?

• Has [PROGRAM] helped you get help from other places? How did they do this?

Comprehensive, Victim-Centered Services

Case Management

• What is it like when you come here? [PROBE: What kinds of things do you do when you are with your case manager? How often do you meet with your case manager?]

Victim-Centered Services

• Do you feel like your privacy and confidentiality are protected when you are here? What kinds of things make you feel that way?

• Do you feel safe when you come here? What kinds of things make you feel that way?

• Do you feel like you have choices about what services you receive and how they are provided? What kinds of things make you feel that way? If yes, what are those services? If no, who decides what services you get or what activities you participate in? Can you give me some examples?

• Do you feel comfortable and “at home” here, like [PROGRAM] is a good place for people like you?

• Are there any services or kinds of help that [PROGRAM] has not been able to provide or help you get?

• Are there any services or kinds of help that have been difficult to get, or that you’re not happy with?

Progress Toward Outcomes

• Has [PROGRAM] helped you make changes you wanted to make in your life? What kinds of changes, and what helped you make them?

• Are there changes that you have wanted to make but haven’t been able to? Could [PROGRAM] be of more help for you in reaching those goals?

Program Strengths and Weaknesses

• Thinking about all the things we’ve discussed, what would you say has worked well for you at [PROGRAM]?

• Is there anything that you wish [PROGRAM] could do or had done differently or better?

Demographics

• Before we finish, can you please tell me a little bit about yourself?

• How old are you?

• Where are you living, or where do you usually stay?

• What race and ethnicity do you identify with?

• If you don’t mind telling me, what gender and sexual orientation do you identify with?

Wrap-Up

• That’s all the questions I have to ask. Is there anything else about [PROGRAM] or about your experiences that I should know?

• Is there anything you want to ask me?

Thank you for sharing your ideas today. What you have told us will help other programs like [PROGRAM] do better. I wish you well.