Instrument 3- Site Visit 1 Interview Guide for Administrators

Instrument 3D: Site Visit 1 Interview Guide for Administrators: Provider Agency Administrators

Instructions

Thank you for joining us today. We would like to invite you to participate in an interview that will last about 60 minutes. We are conducting an evaluation of LifeSet, and today we’d like to learn more about how LifeSet is being implemented in New Jersey and your role in the process. Specifically, we will talk about your role and responsibilities, the selection and start up of LifeSet, the program’s staffing requirements, among other topics. We will use this information to better understand how the LifeSet program is implemented in New Jersey and the context in which it operates.

Your participation in this interview is voluntary. You can choose not to answer any question or not participate in the interview at all. There will be no consequences to you if you choose not to participate. We will keep the information you provide private and will not share it with anyone except for research staff working on the study. Additionally, federal law states that 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 number for this data collection is 0970-0XXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.

Background and Role

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I’d like to start by learning a little bit about you and the agency.

Current position, professional experience, main responsibilities and role within LifeSet program

1. What is your current position and how long have you been in it?

2. What are your main responsibilities?

3. [If held current position since before March 2020] Are these the same responsibilities you had pre-COVID? If not how did your responsibilities change?

4. How long have you worked at [agency]?

5. What other positions have you held at [agency]?

6. What role do you play as part of the LifeSet program?

7. Have you worked with former foster youth or other vulnerable youth populations before working for [agency]? If so, in what capacity?

8. Have you held other positions – client facing or management – in social services before? If so, what were they?

9. Is there a degree/credential or experience requirement for your position? What is it?

Agency background

10. Can you describe, in general, the other services that your agency provides?

    1. Did you, or do you still, provide services other than LifeSet to youth ages 18-21 transitioning from foster care? Can you describe those services?

11. How long has the agency been working with transition-aged youth?

Community Context

Now, I’d like to learn a bit about the youth you generally serve here in New Jersey and any challenges and needs youth face.

Community characteristics

12. Can you tell me about the community/area that you operate in?

1. Probes –urban/suburban/rural, socioeconomic makeup of the area (high/low poverty, low/middle class), demographic makeup of the area (racial/ethnic diversity, immigrant populations), services available, housing availability, job market, etc.

2. Do you think that there are things that make this community/area unique?

13. Can you tell me about the typical transition-aged youth you serve?

1. What is the racial and ethnic make-up and range of cultures of the youth?

2. What are the primary languages youth speak?

3. What is the sexual orientation and gender identity of those that you serve?

4. What is their typical child welfare or placement history?

14. Do you serve youth who lack proper authorization to be in the US, either because they entered the US without going through immigration procedures or overstayed a visa?

1. If so, about how many youth do you serve that are undocumented?

Climate for youth transitioning from care

15. How, in general, do you believe the state supports youth transitioning out of care?

1. Probe: financial support during transition, accessibility of services, quality of services, etc.

16. In general, would you say that things have improved, worsened, or stayed the same for youth transitioning in New Jersey over the last couple years? Why?

Youth challenges and needs

17. Have you noticed differences in what youth from different racial and ethnic groups, cultures, or who speak languages other than English need?

1. Probe on: urban vs rural geographic location, linguistic needs of youth, cultural needs of youth, citizenship status

Program Selection and Start Up

Now, I’d like to learn a bit about how your agency was selected to be a LifeSet provider and how the program was rolled out at your agency.

Description of the local provider selection process

18. Can you describe how your agency become a LifeSet provider?

1. How did you learn about the opportunity to become a LifeSet provider?

2. Was there an application process? If so, can you describe that process?

3. Why did your agency decide to implement LifeSet?

19. How familiar were you with LifeSet before New Jersey chose you as a provider for the program?

Description of how LifeSet was rolled out to providers

20. Who is part of the team, from your agency and other agencies, in charge of implementing LifeSet in New Jersey?

1. Probe on team members from DCF, other agencies, YV, LifeSet providers

2. Are your agency’s team members mostly located at your main office, or are they from around the state?

21. Was a formal plan created for the implementation? If so, can you please describe the plan?

22. Did the implementation happen as planned? If not, what changes were made or what was done differently than planned?

23. Can you describe how involved YV was in preparing your agency to implement the LifeSet program?

1. How often do you talk and check in with YV staff? How often do they check in with you?

2. Are you able to use YV as a resource in the future if you have challenges implementing LifeSet?

24. How ready, do you believe, was your agency for beginning to implement LifeSet?

1. What resources, supports, or training helped prepare your agency for the start of services in October 2020?

2. What resources, supports, or training didn’t you have that may have helped you better prepare for the start of services in October 2020?

25. Thinking about the implementation overall, what went well? What could have been better?

Staff Requirements and Responsibilities

Next, I’d like to learn a little bit about any training on LifeSet your agency received, how LifeSet Supervisors and Specialists were recruited and hired for their role.

Recruitment and hiring of Specialists

26. What is the staffing structure for LifeSet at your agency?

27. What are the required qualifications for LifeSet supervisors?

28. What are the required qualifications for LifeSet Specialists?

29. How are staff recruited and hired for LifeSet?

1. Did you have to hire new people to begin implementing LifeSet?

2. Was recruitment and hiring impacted by COVID? Please describe.

30. What has been the rate of turnover in LifeSet Specialists and Supervisors?

Required training and professional development

31. Can you describe how your agency was trained to implement LifeSet?

1. How long did it take?

2. What costs did your agency incur for training?

3. What did it entail?

4. Did YV provide a specific set of materials?

5. Who from your agency was trained? Was it just frontline staff or also administrators?

32. After the initial training, does YV continue to provide training to your agency or staff?

Closing Questions
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I have a couple closing questions.

33. Is there anything that I did not ask about that you think I should know about LifeSet or your experience?

34. Do you have any final questions for me about the study, or about the research team?

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to evaluate the programs and services provided to young adults who are currently or were previously in foster care. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 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. The OMB number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: 0970-XXXX, Exp: 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 Michael Pergamit at mpergamit@urban.org.