ADVHOCaT_SS_A - FINAL_3-24-17

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) and the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seek approval for an information collection activity as part of its effort to describe the activities and short-term outcomes of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and loveisrespect (LIR) hotline. OPRE and FYSB have contracted with the Department of Prevention and Community Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University (GWU) to conduct the Accomplishments of the Domestic Violence Hotline, Online Connections, and Text (ADVHOCaT) project.

This Information Collection Request (ICR) seeks approval for new data collection via phone and web-based surveys of individuals who contact The Hotline and LIR. This data collection builds on a previous data collection that was focused on understanding the preferred mode of contact by those who contact The Hotline and LIR. This new data collection will survey individuals immediately after they contact The Hotline and LIR and again approximately two weeks later. The surveys will include questions about reasons for contacting The Hotline/LIR, whether needs were met, satisfaction with services received and helpfulness of information provided in order to describe the short-term outcomes of contacting The Hotline/LIR. Results from the study will be used to inform future efforts to monitor and improve domestic violence hotline services.

Study Background

FYSB’s Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services funds The Hotline and LIR. The Hotline and LIR provide information and assistance to adult and youth victims/survivors of domestic, dating, and family violence via 24-hour telephone, online chat, and text message hotlines. Victims'/Survivors’ family members, friends, batterers, and others affected by violence contact The Hotline and LIR for information or assistance as well. The Hotline and LIR each maintain a website that includes information on how to access their services, as well as other resources about domestic violence and dating abuse.

Those who contact The Hotline or LIR via phone, chat, or text (i.e., “contactors”) can speak, chat or exchange text messages with an "advocate." Advocates assist contactors in numerous ways. They help identify problems, priorities, and possible solutions, including how to get and stay safe. They offer information about domestic violence and dating violence, batterer intervention programs, and the civil and criminal justice systems. They also provide nationwide referrals to services like domestic violence shelters, social service agencies, and economic self-sufficiency programs. The Hotline and LIR maintain a comprehensive national resource database on services for victims and can inquire about shelter availability on a contactor’s behalf or directly connect or transfer a contactor by phone to a service provider in his/her community. Bilingual advocates are available for non-English speakers, and The Hotline uses an interpretation line called The Language Line to provide interpretation in other languages as well. Further, The Hotline is accessible for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

This project will analyze self-report data to describe the activities and short-term outcomes of The Hotline and LIR. This data will include voluntary exit and follow-up surveys of contactors who contact The Hotline or LIR via phone or chat. All data will be collected by The Hotline/LIR through phone or web-based surveys. Researchers from GWU will analyze the data using quantitative and qualitative techniques.

Legal or Administrative Requirements that Necessitate the Collection

There are no legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. OPRE and FYSB are undertaking the collection at the discretion of the agency.

A2. Purpose of Survey and Data Collection Procedures

Overview of Purpose and Approach

As discussed in A1, the purpose of gathering and analyzing this information is to describe The Hotline and LIR’s activities and short-term outcomes. It is critical for ACF to describe the outcomes of public investment in The Hotline and LIR. Key stakeholders including Congress, the domestic violence community, and other state and local domestic violence hotlines can use this information to understand the services and outcomes of The Hotline and LIR Additionally, The Hotline, LIR, and other state and local hotlines can use the information to inform future efforts, develop performance measurement approaches, and improve hotline services. Upon OMB approval, the study team will collect new data through phone and web-based exit and follow-up surveys of people who contact The Hotline or LIR via phone and chat.

Research Questions

The first phase of the ADVHOCaT project answered the following research questions:

Research Question 1: What services and resources do The Hotline and LIR provide to victims of domestic violence, friends and family of victims of domestic violence, batterers, and other domestic violence service providers?
Research Question 2: Do those who contact The Hotline and LIR receive the information and/or assistance that they need and/or seek?
Research Question 3: Do those who contact The Hotline and LIR view the information and/or assistance they receive as helpful?
Research Question 4: What are the trends, patterns, etc. in the modes (telephone, online chat, texting, and website) of accessing The Hotline and LIR services?

Research Questions 1, 2, and 3 were addressed using existing data, and Research Question 4 was addressed by the previously approved data collection.

This second phase of the ADVHOCaT project will answer the following research questions:

Research Question 5: What happens after contactors interact with an advocate at The Hotline/LIR?
Research Question 6: Does contactors’ behavior vary depending on the assistance received from The Hotline/LIR?
Research Question 7: After contacting The Hotline/LIR, how helpful did contactors perceive the information/referrals they received?

Study Design

To answer Research Questions 5, 6, and 7, this ICR will collect new data through phone and web-based exit and follow-up surveys of people who contact The Hotline or LIR via phone and chat. We will supplement this with analyses of existing data from The Hotline and LIR databases. Attachment A: ADVHOCaT Research Questions and Data Sources includes more detailed information on each of these research questions and relevant data sources.

After IRB and OMB approval, all contactors over the age of 18 who interact with advocates at The Hotline or LIR via phone or chat will be asked if they would like to complete an exit survey and a follow-up survey approximately two weeks later (see Attachment B: ADVHOCaT Recruitment Script). Contactors who are transferred directly to a service agency immediately after interacting with the advocate will not be eligible to complete the surveys, so as to not interrupt their receipt of services.

Advocates will emphasize to contactors that participation in the study is voluntary and that they may reverse their decision to participate at any time. They will be reminded that participation will not have any bearing on the services that they receive.

Contactors who choose to participate and provide informed consent (see Attachment C: ADVHOCaT Informed Consent) will be transferred (by phone or by chat) to a Hotline/LIR research staff person to complete the exit survey (see Instrument 1: ADVHOCaT Exit Survey) immediately after interacting with the advocate. After completion of the exit survey, the research staff person will give the contactor the option of contacting The Hotline/LIR to complete a follow-up survey (see Instrument 2: ADVHOCaT Follow-Up Survey) in approximately two weeks, or receiving a call from The Hotline/LIR to complete the follow-up survey in approximately two weeks. If they choose the option of contacting The Hotline/LIR themselves, they can choose the option of receiving a reminder text message. We will implement several precautions and protocols to protect the safety of all contactors who choose to participate in the study (see Section A10 and Supporting Statement B, Section B2).

Universe of Data Collection Efforts

The ADVHOCaT study will use two instruments for data collection.

Participants will complete the exit survey (see Instrument 1: ADVHOCaT Exit Survey) immediately after interacting with the advocate. A research staff person will administer the exit survey verbally over the phone to those who call The Hotline/LIR, and those who contact The Hotline/LIR by chat will self-administer a web-based exit survey.

Participants will complete a follow-up survey (see Instrument 2: ADVHOCaT Follow-Up Survey) approximately two weeks later. Participants can choose to receive a call from a Hotline/LIR research staff person or call a toll-free number themselves to complete the follow-up survey with a Hotline/LIR research staff person verbally over the phone. Participants can also choose to access a web-based version of the survey by clicking on a URL link on The Hotline and LIR websites or entering a URL provided by the research staff person. The URL link will be a dedicated link available from The Hotline/LIR’s website that will be used only to complete the follow-up survey for participants who choose to complete the follow-up survey online.

We developed the exit and follow-up survey questions based on exit survey questions currently being used by The Hotline/LIR for ongoing program monitoring purposes, and incorporated input from a panel of experts in the fields of domestic violence service provision and hotline evaluation. These questions include reasons for contacting The Hotline/LIR, whether needs were met, satisfaction with services received, and helpfulness of information provided.

A3. Improved Information Technology to Reduce Burden

This study will use advanced technology to collect and process data to reduce respondent burden and make data processing and reporting more timely and efficient. For exit surveys conducted via phone or chat and for follow-up surveys conducted via phone, the Hotline/LIR research staff will be trained in data collection methods to ensure rapid and efficient data collection. Research staff will administer the exit and follow-up survey questions verbally by phone or written by chat, and enter responses into the Advocate Caller Application (ACA) database, which is the database that advocates use to record information about each contactor. Contactors can also choose to complete the follow-up survey online by accessing a URL link on The Hotline and LIR websites that connects to a web-based survey. The web-based follow-up survey will be available to respondents 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, allowing respondents to complete it at any time that is safe and convenient.

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Every effort has been made to determine whether similar research and information exists by discussing past data collection and analysis efforts with The Hotline and LIR staff. As part of these efforts, the study team conducted a thorough review of all data and variables currently being collected by The Hotline/LIR and has ascertained that the information needed to answer all study research questions does not exist in the currently collected data.

A5. Involvement of Small Organizations

It is possible that respondents work at small organizations (e.g. domestic violence service providers). The web-based follow-up survey will be available to respondents 24 hours a day and seven days a week, allowing for completion at convenient times that do not impact an organization.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection

This ICR covers the administration of two voluntary surveys to those who contact The Hotline and LIR by phone or by chat: the exit survey, to be completed immediately after interacting with an advocate, and the follow-up survey, to be completed in approximately two weeks. In order to address the ADVHOCaT research questions and measure short-term outcomes of interacting with an advocate, it is necessary that participants complete each of these surveys at these two time points.

A7. Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances for the proposed data collection efforts.

A8. Federal Register Notice and Consultation

Federal Register Notice and Comments

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of this information collection activity. This notice was published on December 12, 2016, Volume 81, Number 238, page 89468, and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. A copy of this notice is attached as Attachment E: ADVHOCaT 60 Day FRN. During the notice and comment period, no substantive comments were received.

Consultation with Experts Outside of the Study

We consulted with five non-federal experts in the fields of domestic violence research and advocacy and hotline services and evaluation, as well as with representatives from The Hotline and LIR. They were asked to discuss and comment on the study research questions and provide guidance on study design and data collection approaches to address the study objectives. The experts’ recommendations contributed to the development of the final research questions, study design, and survey instrument questions.

A9. Incentives for Respondents

No incentives for respondents are proposed for this information collection.

A10. Privacy of Respondents

Information collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Respondents will be informed of all planned uses of data, that their participation is voluntary, and that their information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

The Hotline/LIR is a national organization located in Texas that provides services to those residing in all 50 states and territories. Therefore, state laws that protect organizations from being required to disclose PII of those residing within the same state do not apply to The Hotline/LIR. That is, should The Hotline collect PII from contactors who reside anywhere outside the state of Texas, this information is not necessarily protected from subpoenas or other requests. Therefore, to allow The Hotline staff to collect contact information in order to follow-up with contactors for the purpose of this research project, we will obtain a Certificate of Confidentiality (COC) issued by the National Institutes of Health. The COC allows investigators and institutions to collect sensitive information about research subjects without being compelled under any circumstance to release information that could be used to identify subjects, thereby protecting their confidentiality. The study team has applied for this Certificate and will provide it to OMB once it is received. The Certificate of Confidentiality helps to assure participants that their information will be kept private to the fullest extent permitted by law.

As specified in the contract, the Contractor (George Washington University Milken School of Public Health) shall protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and will comply with all Federal and Departmental regulations for private information. The Contractor shall ensure that all of its employees are trained on data privacy issues and comply with the above requirements.

Information will not be maintained in a paper or electronic system from which data are actually or directly retrieved by an individuals’ personal identifier.

A11. Sensitive Questions

Survey participants risk discomfort in providing a telephone number for follow-up and being contacted for follow-up. Respondents can choose not to provide a phone number and complete the follow-up survey by calling a toll-free number or accessing a web-based survey instead. No other personal information will be collected. In order to mitigate this risk and minimize the personally identifying information collected, the respondent will choose an alias or pseduonym to be used by The Hotline research staff person assigned to conduct the exit and follow-up surveys.

A12. Estimation of Information Collection Burden

Previously Approved Information Collections

Total Burden Previously Approved:

Instrument	Total Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
The Hotline/LIR Preference of Use Survey	5,000	1	0.041 hours (150 seconds)	205	$24.97	$5118.85
Estimated Annual Burden Total				205	$24.97	$5118.85

Burden Remaining from Previously Approved Information Collection:

All data collection related to the previously approved information collection is complete, and there is therefore no burden remaining.

Newly Requested Information Collections

The chart below lists estimated burden of the information collection for The Hotline/LIR Exit and Follow-Up Surveys. This request is for two years of data collection.

Total Burden Requested Under this Information Collection

Instrument	Total Number of Respondents	Annual Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
The Hotline/LIR Exit Survey	2200	1100	1	0.15	165	$26.72	$4,408.80
The Hotline/LIR Follow-up Survey	2200	1100	1	0.1	110	$26.72	$2939.20
	Estimated Annual Burden Total				275		$7348.00

Total Annual Cost

The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $7348.00. The hourly wage for respondents was calculated based on the national median income of $55,575 for 2015, as reported in the U.S. Census report on the American Household Survey (https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/acsbr15-02.pdf), which amounts to an average hourly wage of $26.72.

There will be no direct cost to the respondents other than their time to take the survey.

A13. Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

There are no additional costs to respondents.

A14. Estimate of Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost for the data collection activities under this current request will be $32,312. Annual costs to the Federal government will be $16,156 for the proposed data collection. This includes costs of developing and implementing the surveys and analyzing the collected data.

A15. Change in Burden

This request is for additional data collection under OMB #0970-0468.

A16. Plan and Time Schedule for Information Collection, Tabulation and Publication

Upon OMB approval, the study protocols will be implemented and data will be collected from participants who contact The Hotline and LIR via phone or chat over approximately 18 months. Analysis of the information gathered from the surveys will be completed within three months after data collection ends. A final report is expected by September 2018.

A17. Reasons Not to Display OMB Expiration Date

All instruments will display the expiration date for OMB approval.

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

No exceptions are necessary for this information collection

File Type	application/msword
File Title	OPRE OMB Clearance Manual
Author	DHHS
Last Modified By	M Jones
File Modified	2017-04-21
File Created	2017-03-24