Appendix D_CIP Web Survey, Email Invitation

CIP Administrator Survey Email Invitation

Subject: Request to Complete Brief Survey Regarding Court Practices in Your State

OMB Control # 0970 – 0356 and Expiration Date: 06/30/2021

Dear [Insert CIP Administrator Name],

I am writing to ask you to take a brief survey about the timing of initial and review court hearings and the use of pre-hearing conferences held prior to initial hearings in your state. The information you provide will help us plan for a future study or studies that will examine the factors associated with judicial decision-making and hearing quality in child welfare cases, and the influence those factors may have on judges’ reasonable efforts decisions and case outcomes.

This survey is part of a larger project by James Bell Associates, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and Co-Principal Investigators Drs. Alicia Summers and Sophie Gatowski that is funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation and the Children’s Bureau. A description of the project can be found here.

Attached is a letter from Scott Trowbridge, Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Program Specialist and federal program officer for the CIPs, offering his support of our project and encouraging your participation in this survey.

We know that you are very busy, especially given the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. If you are interested, please complete the survey by [INSERT DATE]. Your participation is voluntary. Information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

The link to the survey is below:

[INSERT LINK].

I appreciate your time and consideration. If you have questions about the survey, please contact me at fromknecht@jbassoc.com or 703-247-2631.

Thank you!

Anne Fromknecht

Anne Fromknecht, MPH

Senior Research Associate

James Bell Associates, Inc.

3033 Wilson Blvd. Suite 650

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: 703-247-2631

fromknecht@jbassoc.com

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to help us understand which sites would be appropriate for a future study or studies that will examine hearing quality and judicial decision-making in child abuse and neglect cases. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10–15 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 #: 0970-0356, Exp: 06/30/2021. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Anne Fromknecht; fromknecht@jbassoc.com.

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