Appendix K - Communications for State Refugee Coordinators

A ppendix K: Communications to Survey Respondents: OMB Control No.: XXXX-XXXX

State Refugee Coordinators Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Descriptive Study of the URM Program: Communications to Survey Respondents: State Refugee Coordinators

Advance email to State Refugee Coordinators

Dear [Name of State Refugee Coordinator],

MEF Associates and its partner, Child Trends, have been contracted by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study to better understand the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program. The overarching goal of this project is to help inform program planning by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and to lay the groundwork for a future evaluation of the impacts of the URM Program on youth who participate, including an exploration of long-term outcomes for URM youth. Understanding the services and benefits provided to URM youth is a critical step in this process.

A key part of this study is an online survey of all State Refugee Coordinators (SRCs) in states with a URM program to help us better understand services for URM youth in your state. We expect you will need to collaborate with 1-2 other people in your office to complete the survey, and we encourage you to do so! Your and your staff’s participation in completing the survey will take about 30 minutes each, plus 10 minutes for each of you to review correspondence and instructions. It asks about URM program administration, partnerships, promising approaches, as well as data and evaluation efforts. Information you provide will not be shared with other SRCs or with URM programs, but the researchers will share responses with ACF and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary, but it is important that we have as much input as possible to ensure an accurate portrait of URM programs across the country.

You can expect to receive an email from the study team soon providing you with a link to a web-based survey form. The email will be sent from [sender] with the subject line [subject line]. The email will also contain contact information for the study team in case you have any questions or concerns about the survey. Thank you in advance for your assistance in completing this survey. With your help, we will have better information about the services and benefits provided to URM youth across the nation.

Sincerely,

[Name, title]

Office of Refugee Resettlement

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to document features of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program and the provision of services to youth served by that program. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, collaboration, reviewing the collection of information, and completing the survey. 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 control number for this collection is XXXX-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Email to State Refugee Coordinators

Dear [Name of SRC],

As you are aware from an initial outreach email from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, MEF Associates and its partner, Child Trends, have been contracted by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study to better understand the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program.

As a part of this study, Child Trends invites you to complete an online survey of all State Refugee Coordinators. As mentioned in our initial email, we expect you will need to collaborate with others in your office to complete the survey, and we encourage you to do so. You will be able to download a Word version of the survey so that, if you would like, you can print and fill it out as a group, then enter your responses all at one time. The below link will take you directly to your unique response, and you can share the link with others in your office. If you need to start and stop, you will be able to save and return to it later.

[unique link]

Please submit your completed survey by [survey close date]. If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact me at the phone number and email address below. If you have questions about the study more broadly, please contact Sam Elkin of MEF Associates at sam.elkin@mefassociates.com or 703-838-2722.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study. With your help, we will have better information about the services and benefits provided to URM youth across the nation.

Sincerely,

Sarah Catherine Williams, MSW

swilliams@childtrends.org

240-223-9230

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to document features of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program and the provision of services to youth served by that program. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, collaboration, reviewing the collection of information, and completing the survey. 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 control number for this collection is XXXX-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Reminder email #1 <Sent after 2 weeks>

Dear [Name of SRC],

Two weeks ago, we sent you a link to an online survey for State Refugee Coordinators. The survey, which collects information about the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program in your state, is part of a larger study being conducted by MEF Associates and Child Trends for the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As explained in an initial outreach email from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the purpose of this study is to better understand the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the URM Program.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey. Please submit your completed survey by [survey close date]. If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact me at the phone number and email address below. If you have questions about the study more broadly, please contact Sam Elkin of MEF Associates at sam.elkin@mefassociates.com or 703-838-2722.

As mentioned in our prior email, we expect you will need to collaborate with others in your office to complete the survey, and we encourage you to do so. You will be able to download a Word version of the survey so that, if you would like, you can print and fill it out as a group, then enter your responses all at one time. The below link will take you directly to your unique response, so you can share the link with others in your office. If you need to start and stop, you will be able to save and return to it later.

[unique link]

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study. With your help, we will have better information about the services and benefits provided to URM youth across the nation.

Sincerely,

Sarah Catherine Williams, MSW

swilliams@childtrends.org

240-223-9230

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to document features of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program and the provision of services to youth served by that program. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, collaboration, reviewing the collection of information, and completing the survey. 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 control number for this collection is XXXX-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Reminder email #2 <Sent after 1 month>

Dear [Name of SRC],

This is a reminder that we would still like for you to respond to the online survey for State Refugee Coordinators. The survey, which collects information about the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program in your state, is part of a larger study being conducted by MEF Associates and Child Trends for the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As explained in an initial outreach email from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the purpose of this study is to better understand the range of child welfare services and benefits provided through the URM Program.

As mentioned in our prior email, we expect you will want to collaborate with others in your office to complete the survey, and we encourage you to do so. You will be able to download a Word version of the survey so that, if you would like, you can print it out and fill it out as a group, then enter your responses all at one time. The below link will take you directly to your unique response, so you can share the link with others in your office. If you need to start and stop, you will be able to save and return to it later.

[unique link]

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey. Please submit your completed survey by [survey close date]. If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact me at the phone number and email address below. If you have questions about the study more broadly, please contact Sam Elkin of MEF Associates at sam.elkin@mefassociates.com or 703-838-2722.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in completing this survey and providing important information for the study. With your help, we will have better information about the services and benefits provided to URM youth across the nation.

Sincerely,

Sarah Catherine Williams, MSW

swilliams@childtrends.org

240-223-9230

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to document features of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program and the provision of services to youth served by that program. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, collaboration, reviewing the collection of information, and completing the survey. 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 control number for this collection is XXXX-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

Thank you email

Dear [Name of SRC],

Thank you again for taking the online survey for State Refugee Coordinators. This email confirms that your responses have been received. Thank you again for your contribution to this important study!

Sincerely,

Sarah Catherine Williams, MSW

swilliams@childtrends.org

240-223-9230

5