Semi-structured Interview

Supporting Statement

For the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: Approval for the Baseline Data Collection, Implementation Study Site Visits, and Staff Surveys for the Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation

Attachment B: Implementation Study Master Protocol and Topics by Respondent

OMB No. 0970-0440

August 11, 2014

Submitted by:

Office of Planning,
Research & Evaluation

Administration for Children & Families

U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services

Federal Project Officer

Erica Zielewski

JSA Implementation Study Master Protocol

Burden Disclosure Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this collection is 0970-0440; this number is valid through XX/XX/XXXX.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average one hour, including the time for reviewing instructions and collecting the requested information.

Introduction for the Respondent

As you may know, [name of TANF program] is participating in the Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study will assess a range of JSA approaches in multiple sites. ACF has contracted with Abt Associates and Mathematica Policy Research to conduct the evaluation.

As part of the JSA evaluation, we are interviewing program administrators, staff, and others who work with TANF recipients to help us better understand the types of services provided as part of [name of TANF program] and your experience with providing services. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes. Your participation in this study is important and will help us understand more about the job search services provided to TANF recipients and, as part of the broader evaluation, which services are most effective.

Your responses will be kept private and used only for research purposes. They will be combined with the responses of other staff and no individual names will be reported. Information you provide will not be shared with other program staff, including your supervisor. Only the evaluation team will have access to the information you provide during the interview.

Participation in the study is voluntary. You can choose not to answer a question and may stop the interview at any time.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Note to the researcher: This master protocol will be used to collect the information gathered during JSA Evaluation. The benefit of a standard template is that we will gather information on similar topics across interviewers. The red, bolded second level headers are considered qualitative codes used to label the data. The questions will be used to gather the information during the interviews. These questions help guide the interview and remind you of the content we are trying to collect under each main topic area. It’s also important to note that service systems available to beneficiaries vary across demonstration sites. As a result, some sections may include more detailed information than other sections.

TANF Applicant Job Search

• What JSA activities are required as part of the TANF eligibility process (e.g., types of activities, # of hours, length of time)?

• What is the goal of these activities?

• What percentage of TANF applicants complete these activities?

• What are some of the reasons TANF applicants fail to complete these activities?

Job Search Preparation Activities

Assessment to Support the Job Search Process

• What is the process for assessing TANF recipients? What assessment tools are used? What types of information is collected (for example, work experience and interests, level of education, skills assessment, job readiness)?

• How is the assessment information used?

Assignment to JSA Activities

• How are TANF recipients assigned to JSA activities?

• If TANF recipients receive different JSA services, how are decisions made about what services they will receive?

• Is there an employment plan? If yes, when is the employment plan developed? What information is included in a recipient’s employment plan?

• How do activities progress/change as recipients spend more time in JSA?

Service Delivery Pathway

• What is the process for serving TANF recipients beginning with the initial application through job placement/case closure?

• How do TANF recipients’ activities/services progress or change over time?

• Where are their possible gaps with engagement in JSA or other activities (e.g., getting supportive services such as child care in place, waiting for JSA activities to begin, transitioning between JSA activities)?

Components of Job Search Assistance Programs

Self-Directed Job Search

• When do individuals participate in self-directed job search?

• Of those in JSA, what proportion are assigned to self-directed job search? Why were they assigned to self-directed job search?

• How many hours are they required to participate? For how many weeks?

• How often and for what purposes do they meet with TANF staff?

Group Job Search Activities

• When in the TANF program do individuals participate in group job search activities?

• Of those in JSA, what proportion are assigned to group job search training? Under what circumstances would a recipient be assigned to group job search training? For what purposes?

• What is the format of the group job search activities (e.g., open entry, # of times per week, # of hours, # of weeks)?

• What type of training on basic job search skills do you (or a contractor) provide (e.g., preparing for resume, writing a cover letter, how to search for a job, etc.)?

• What type of training on communication and social skills, teamwork and problem solving, and workplace behaviors do you (or a contractor) provide?

One-On-One Job Search Support

• What is the process for working with a recipient who is assigned to one-on-one job search? Does the program have regularly scheduled meetings with the recipient to review job leads and provide guidance/feedback on activities? If so, please describe.

• How does one-on-one job search support and career counseling fit into the TANF program?

• Do TANF recipients have to seek out these activities on their own or are they provided in a structured way?

• How many hours are they required to participate? For how many weeks?

• How often do they meet with staff?

• What types of information/guidance do staff provide?

Job Development

• Is there job development where program staff make connections with employers to identify job openings for TANF recipients? If yes, …

• Who handles job development responsibilities?

• What types of contacts are made with employers?

• How do staff identify and engage with potential employers?

• How are job openings identified?

• How are TANF recipients matched to jobs?

• What resources or supports are available for job development?

Life Skills/Resilience Training

• To what extent are the following included in your job search curriculum:

  • Problem-solving

  • Planning

  • Communication skills

  • Other “life skills”

• What types of activities are provided to build life skills/resilience?

• What incentives/practices are used to motivate TANF recipients?

Supportive Services

• What work supports are available to TANF recipients in JSA activities (e.g., transportation, child care, work-related clothing or tools)?

• What personal supports are available (e.g., mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, intensive case management)?

• Who provides these services?

• What is the process of accessing these services?

• Do the resources available typically cover the service need?

Broader Program Structure

Organization(s) providing JSA to TANF recipients

• Who provides JSA services? Who administers and provides these services locally (e.g., TANF agency, workforce agency, nonprofit agency, for profit provider)?

• What types of services does the contractor provider offer? Which services are available to those assigned to JSA?

• How many TANF recipients does the agency serve per year? At any given point in time?

• What is the contracting arrangement (e.g., cost-reimbursement, performance-based)? What is the total amount of the contract(s)?

JSA Staffing and Deployment

• What types of staff provide JSA? What are their roles and responsibilities?

• What are the qualifications of staff for each position (e.g., education, experience, credentials)?

• What is the average caseload size for each different type of worker involved with JSA?

• What types of training and support are provided to JSA staff?

Accountability

• What information is tracked on TANF recipients assigned to JSA?

• Are recipients reassigned to JSA a second time, if they are still on TANF (e.g., a year later)?

• What is the process for monitoring TANF recipients’ participation and progress in JSA? How are data collected and stored?

• What is the process for identifying non-compliance?

• What types of sanctions are imposed in your program? Full or partial? Graduated?

• What are the procedures for imposing a sanction for non-compliance?

• How often do clients get through each of the steps? How often are their benefits actually cut?

• What is the maximum penalty for non-compliance? What does it take to get that maximum penalty?

• What are the steps to reengage TANF recipients/implement sanctions?

• How are staff monitored and evaluated?

Outcomes

• What is the overall job placement rate? What is the job placement rate for recipients assigned to JSA? What is the timing of job placements (i.e., how long does it typically take for a recipient to get a job)?

• What is the current work participation rate for the state?

• What other outcomes does the TANF agency collect?

• Overall, what are the programs’ strengths? What aspects of the program need improvement? How so?

Program and Community Context

• How has your TANF program or agency changed over the past three years (e.g., budget, organizational, staffing)?

• How have JSA policies, procedures, and practices changed in the past three years?

• How have changes influenced the types, amount, and quality of JSA services?

• What are the characteristics of the local labor market? What are the main industries in which TANF recipients in JSA are hired?

• To what extent does the service environment in the community offer resources and supports to help TANF recipients address barriers to employment? What are the service gaps?

JSA Implementation Study Protocol Topics by Respondent

	State program administrators	Local program administrators	Intake worker	Case manager	Job search workshop facilitator	Job developer	Data specialist
Pre-TANF Eligibility Job Search
Required JSA activities	X	X	X	X
JSA activity goals				X	X
Proportion complete				X	X
Reasons of failure to complete				X	X
Pre-Job Search Activities
Assessment to Support the Job Search Process	X	X	X	X	X	X
Assessment process		X	X	X
Use of assessment information		X	X	X	X	X
Assignment to JSA Activities		X	X	X
JSA activity assignments			X	X	X
Decisions on services received			X	X	X
Employment plan development			X	X	X
Activities changing over time				X	X
Service Delivery Pathway
Case flow		X	X	X	X	X
Activities changing over time				X	X
Engagement/service gaps		X	X	X	X	X
Components of Job Search Assistance Programs
Self-Directed Job Search			X	X	X
Participation in self-directed job search			X		X
Proportion assigned to self-directed job search				X	X
Number of hours/weeks participate				X	X
Meetings with TANF staff				X	X
Group Job Search Training			X	X	X
Timing of group job search			X	X	X
Proportion assigned to group job search				X	X
Group format				X	X
Training on basic job search competencies				X	X
Training on communication and social skills				X	X
One-On-One Job Search Support			X	X	X
Process for working with recipient assigned to one-on- one job search				X	X
Individual job search support and counseling			X	X	X
Structure of job search support and career counseling			X	X	X
Proportion assigned to one-on-one job search/career counseling				X	X
Number of hours/weeks participate				X	X
Meetings with TANF staff				X	X
Information provided by staff			X	X	X
Job Development	X	X		X	X	X
Staff responsible for job development		X		X	X	X
Employer contacts				X	X	X
Identification of job openings				X	X	X
Matching to jobs				X	X	X
Available resources/supports		X		X	X	X
Life Skills/Resilience Training	X	X	X	X	X	X
Extent of life skills/resilience training in JSA		X	X	X	X
Explicit initiatives		X	X	X	X
Types of activities		X	X	X	X
Use of Incentives		X	X	X	X
Supportive Services	X	X	X	X	X	X
Types of work supports		X	X	X	X	X
Types of personal supports		X	X	X	X	X
Work/personal support providers		X	X	X	X	X
Accessing services			X	X	X	X
Demand		X	X	X	X	X
Broader Program Structure
Organization(s) providing JSA to TANF recipients	X	X
Structure of JSA provider	X	X	X	X	X
Types of services offered		X	X	X	X
Caseload	X	X
Contract structure/amount	X	X
JSA Staffing and Deployment	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Types of staff; roles and responsibilities	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Staff qualifications	X	X
Caseload per staff		X	X	X	X	X
Training and professional development	X	X	X	X	X	X
Accountability	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Tracked information	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Monitoring activities	X	X		X	X	X	X
Identifying and addressing noncompliance	X	X		X	X		X
Reengagement	X	X		X	X
Staff monitored	X	X
Outcomes							X
Job placement rate	X	X					X
Work participation rate	X	X					X
Other outcomes collected	X	X					X
Strengths and weaknesses	X	X	X	X	X	X
Program and Community Context
Change over three years	X	X		X		X
JSA policies procedures changed over three years	X	X	X	X	X
Changes influence on services	X	X		X
Labor market characteristics	X	X		X		X
Community resources and supports	X	X		X		X