Supporting Statement A - TANF TDI Formative Generic

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Data Innovation Project – Formative Data Collection

OMB Information Collection Request

0970-0356

Supporting Statement

Part B

July 2018

Submitted By:

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

4^th Floor, Mary E. Switzer Building

330 C Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

Project Officer:

Girley Wright

B1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

The TANF Data Innovation (TDI) project team identified priority stakeholder groups that have knowledge of state TANF agencies’ data readiness, data usage, and data challenges. Interview targets also have an interest in seeing state TANF and other human services data used effectively to help improve program administration, payment integrity, and outcomes for participants. Within key stakeholder groups, the team identified specific individuals to be interviewed based on (1) their experience and expertise related to TANF and/or (2) their professional experience that will enable them to speak to the national TANF landscape or provide a deeper understanding of TANF agencies, priorities, barriers, and future agendas. This is the only data collection activity being requested under this generic clearance.

The universe of respondents who will be contacted to participate in stakeholder interviews includes:

• current/prior state TANF administrators and staff,

• federal agency staff,

• other relevant state agency staff,

• researchers,

• members of national organizations with experience and expertise related to TANF, and

• vendors or firms that have worked with states to develop and maintain their databases.

We do not plan to select a sample among this set of respondents and will reach out to key informants in each group of stakeholders. There will be up to 48 completed interviews across all groups.

B2. Procedures for Collection of Information

After gaining OMB approval, members of the project team (contractors and federal staff inclusive) will identify key states, individuals, and organizations in each stakeholder group. The project team will then contact targets by e-mail and phone to request interviews. We anticipate that initial contacts may put us in touch with other individuals who they perceive to be better suited to answer specific questions about states’ data usage and systems.

The study team will use email and phone scripts that explain the project and its goals, including background about the specific information needed (see Appendix A - TDI Outreach Email for Stakeholder Interviews and Appendix B - TDI Outreach Phone Script for Stakeholder Interviews). An information pamphlet (Appendix C – TDI Project Description) will also be attached to e-mails. This project description is intended to provide potential interviewees context on why they are being asked to participate in the data collection.

B3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Nonresponse

The analysis from this data collection will be purely descriptive, and not presented as nationally-representative. As such, nonresponse bias is not as serious an issue as compared to in a causal inference study. Still, our goal is to minimize nonresponse to provide quality information for internal planning purposes. Therefore, we will use several strategies to increase response rates (described below).

Maximizing Response Rates

We plan to use several strategies to maximize response rates:

• If individuals do not respond to the initial email outreach, we will follow-up with them by phone.

• HHS staff that are involved with the project have helped the project team identify individuals to contact. The project team will draw on HHS’s pre-existing relationships with these individuals when reaching out.

• The project team also has numerous relationships with individuals at the federal and state government levels and other research and national organizations. We will ask our current contacts to help put us in touch with the individuals who would be most appropriate to be interviewed.

• The study team will take advantage of conferences – such as the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) and TANF State Regional Administrator conferences – to try to speak to key individuals from stakeholder organizations or agencies.

B4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

The stakeholder interview questions have not been pretested but are informed by related efforts in the past.

B5. Individual(s) Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data

The following key people from the study team will lead the data collection and analysis of data. They will be supported by a team of junior staff analysts.

Individual	Affiliation and Position	Role
Adelia Jenkins	Executive Director, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) at University of Pennsylvania	Drafted protocols, will participate in stakeholder interviews, will analyze findings
Richard Hendra	Senior Fellow, MDRC	TDI Project Director, drafted protocols, will participate in stakeholder interviews, will analyze findings
Barbara Goldman	Vice President, MDRC	Reviewed protocols, may participate in stakeholder interviews, will review analysis of findings
Robert Goerge	Senior Research Fellow, Chapin Hall at University of Chicago	Reviewed protocols, may participate in stakeholder interviews, will review analysis of findings

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