Attachment Z: Participant Interview Recruitment Materials

S upporting Statement for OMB Clearance Request

Attachment Z: Participant Interview Recruitment Materials

National and Tribal Evaluation of the 2^nd Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG)

0970-0462

April 2019

Submitted by:

Office of Planning,
Research & Evaluation

Administration for Children & Families

U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services

Federal Project Officers:

Nicole Constance, Hilary Bruck, and Amelia Popham

Z.1 Initial Contact Letter: By Mail and Email

[Date]

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Street Address]
[City], [State] [Zip]

Dear <First Name><Middle Initial><Last Name>,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Evaluation. When you applied to participate in <PROGRAM NAME> in <Site> you agreed to be part of a voluntary research study. The study is being funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Abt Associates is conducting the study for ACF.

When you applied to be part of the program in [RA MONTHYEAR], you signed a consent form. The consent form explained that researchers will want to conduct one or more future surveys or interviews with you. These surveys and interviews will help Abt Associates and ACF learn how programs like <PROGRAM NAME> are working. We are interested in the experiences of everyone who applied to the HPOG program, even if you are no longer participating in the program.

We are writing to let you know that we are getting ready to conduct interviews with some <PROGRAM NAME> participants. This is in addition to a survey that you may be (or have been) contacted for. If you are selected for an interview, [INSERT NAME OF ABT RESEARCHER] from Abt Associates will email or call you to invite you to take part in an interview. If you choose to take part, one of our team members will schedule an interview at a convenient time for you.

During the interview we will talk about your experiences with [NAME OF PROGRAM] in depth. Topics in the interview will include:

• Your experiences in [NAME OF PROGRAM],

• Your goals for your career, and

• How you balance participating in and completing the program with the rest of your life.

This interview will be in person and will take between 60 and 90 minutes. If you participate in the interview, you will receive a gift card in the amount of $50 to thank you for your participation. The interview can be scheduled at a time and place convenient for you. Researchers plan on visiting [NAME OF CITY] between [DATE RANGE].

[INSERT NAME OF ABT RESEARCHER] may contact you in the next few days to discuss this part of the study. If you decide to take part, we will also arrange a time and location to meet.

Whether or not you choose to participate in the interview will not affect any assistance that you may receive now or in the future. If you choose to participate, any information you provide to us will be kept private to the extent allowed by law. Your name will not be used in any of our reports.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule your interview, please call Abt Associates toll-free at 1-866-xxx-xxxx.

Our research is incomplete without you. I look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Hannah Thomas
HPOG 2.0 Interview Task Lead
Abt Associates

The Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: 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 0970-0462 and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Gretchen Locke at Gretchen_Locke@abtassoc.com; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0462).

Z.2 Invitation to Participate in Interview Study: Email

Dear <First Name><Middle Initial><Last Name>,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Evaluation. When you applied to participate in <PROGRAM NAME> in <Site> you agreed to be part of a voluntary research study. The study is being funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Abt Associates is conducting the study for ACF.

When you applied to be part of the program in [RA MONTH/YEAR], you signed a consent form. The consent form explained that researchers will want to conduct one or more future surveys or interviews with you. These surveys and interviews will help Abt Associates and ACF learn how programs like <PROGRAM NAME> are working.

We are writing to invite you to do an in-person interview with us to find out more about your experiences with [NAME OF PROGRAM]. This is in addition to a survey that you may be (or have been) contacted about. We are interested in the experiences of everyone who applied to the HPOG program, even if you are no longer participating in the program.

Topics in the interview will include:

• Your experiences in [NAME OF PROGRAM],

• Your goals for your career, and

• How you balance participating in and completing the program with the rest of your life.

This interview will be in person and will take between 60 and 90 minutes. If you participate in the interview, you will receive a gift card in the amount of $50 to thank you for your participation. The interview can be scheduled at a time and place convenient for you. Researchers plan on visiting [NAME OF CITY] between [DATE RANGE].

[INSERT NAME OF ABT RESEARCHER] will contact you by phone in the next few days to discuss your involvement in the study. If you decide to take part, we will also arrange a time and location to meet.

Whether you choose to participate in the interview or not will not affect any assistance that you may receive now or in the future. If you choose to participate, any information you provide to us will be kept private to the extent allowed by law. Your name will not be used in any of our reports.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule your interview, please call Abt Associates toll-free at 1-866-xxx-xxxx.

Our research is incomplete without you. I look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Hannah Thomas
HPOG 2.0 Interview Task Lead
Abt Associates

The Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: 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 0970-0462 and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Gretchen Locke at Gretchen_Locke@abtassoc.com; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0462).

Z.3 Initial Contact: By Phone

Hello Mr./Ms.____________. My name is _____________ and I am part of the team that is evaluating the second round of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 2.0) Program. As the [LETTER OR EMAIL] we recently sent you noted, you have been selected from [NAME OF PROGRAM’s] participants. We are inviting those selected to take part in an interview about their experience in the HPOG 2.0 programs. We are interested in the experiences of everyone who applied to the HPOG program, even if you are no longer participating in the program. You may or may not have been already contacted about doing a survey. This interview is not the same as that survey.

In this interview, we would like to talk with you in more detail about your goals for your career, your experiences in [NAME OF PROGRAM], and how you balance participating in and completing the program with the rest of your life. I’m calling today because we will be in [CITY] between [DATE RANGE]. I would like to set up a time to interview you during that visit.

The interview can take place at a location and time that works best for you. It should take about 60 to 90 minutes to complete. If you participate in the interview, you will receive a gift card in the amount of $50 to thank you for your participation. If you have any questions about this phase of the study, I’m happy to answer them. Otherwise, can we find a time to do the interview?

<Arrange date, time, and location>

Z.4. Email Reminder about Scheduling an Interview

Dear [NAME],

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to reach you by telephone to request your participation in an interview study as part of the evaluation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. Your input is very important and I’d like to schedule an appointment for us to talk. The interview should last about 60-90 minutes and after you complete the interview you will receive a gift card valued at $50 to thank you for your participation.

The HPOG study is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). When you applied to [PROGRAM NAME], in [SITE], you agreed to take part in the HPOG study. These interviews will help the study team and ACF learn how programs like [PROGRAM NAME] are working. We are interested in the experiences of everyone who applied to the HPOG program, even if you are no longer participating in the program.

I would like to schedule an appointment to complete the interview at a time that is convenient for you. Please respond to this email or call me at [xxx-xxx-xxxx]. I would also be happy to answer any questions you may have about the interview.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance with this project.

Sincerely,

[Interviewer Name]

The Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: 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 0970-0462 and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Gretchen Locke at Gretchen_Locke@abtassoc.com; Attn: OMB-PRA (0970-0462).