Building Bridges and Bonds (B3)

OMB # 0970-0356

Expiration Date: 03/31/2018

Building Bridges and Bonds (B3)

Semi-Structured Protocol for Visit with Fatherhood Program

Thank you for taking time to meet with the B3 study team. As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has contracted with MDRC and its partners, MEF Associates and Abt SRBI, to conduct B3. It will evaluate promising strategies used by responsible fatherhood programs to help fathers to get and keep good jobs, to be more involved with their children and contribute to their well-being, and to have improved relationships with their partners. This meeting and similar meetings we are having with other fatherhood 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 responsible fatherhood program, including strategies you use to serve fathers and how you administer your program. The second is to let programs know more about B3, 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.

Topics for Discussion of Program Features

Organization Structure

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

Program Features

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

• Any curriculums used or affiliations with particular program models?

• What are program goals overall and for each component?

• Review the target population and the 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 fathers into the program?

• Walk through how a father 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 fathers tend to say involved? What are the primary reasons for fathers’ 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 fatherhood 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 fatherhood field and explore with fatherhood 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 Anna Solmeyer; anna.solmeyer@acf.hhs.gov; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0356).