SSB - RHYTTAC National Needs Assessment

Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC) National Needs Assessment

Formative Data Collections for Program Support

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Supporting Statement

Part B – Statistical Methods

April 2023

Submitted by:

Family and Youth Services Bureau

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

3rd Floor, Mary E. Switzer Building

330 C Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

Project Officers:

Tyanna Williams

Sanzanna Dean

B1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

All 325 Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grantee organizations will receive the National Needs Assessment. We ask that each organization complete only one assessment that represents the needs of their FYSB-funded RHY program(s). See section B3 for information about expected response rates.

B2. Procedures for Collection of Information

The assessment is administered via REDCap, a secure web platform for building and managing online assessments. Grantees will receive an email about the assessment, with a link to the assessment that will take them directly to the first page of the assessment. Respondents answer assessment questions and submit the assessment directly in REDCap. We ask grantees to submit one survey and monitor the responses for multiple surveys from the same organization. In those very few instances, we may connect with the organization to consolidate responses to one survey submission. The data is received and analyzed by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC).

B3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Nonresponse

Site Responses

While we strive for 100% completion, we anticipate roughly two-thirds of the 325 grantee organizations to respond, or roughly 220 responses. This is a slight increase from the response rate last year (60%), however we feel it is possible given a handful of reasons: 1) we are launching this in Spring 2023 instead of the summer months (2021 and 2022) which may generate more attention and response; 2) we have communicated with RHY grantees the findings from the last two National Needs Assessments and how we have used findings from the National Needs Assessment to directly inform events and resources developed and delivered to them; and 3) we will present regional findings in person to grantees at the Regional Trainings in the Spring of 2023, highlighting the importance of response to inform how RHYTTAC can address their unique T/TA needs. The 2022 National Needs Assessment final report was also disseminated to all grantees. We anticipate grantees will want to respond as the feedback they provide will allow for more targeted T/TA to meet their needs and benefit their programs and the young people they serve.

Dealing with Nonresponse

At least two reminders will be sent via email communication encouraging completion of the National Needs Assessment. The following includes example text for a reminder email:

We are writing to remind you that the National Needs Assessment closes on <date>. Your responses are essential to helping RHYTTAC better support the needs of Family and Youth Services Bureau’s RHY grantees.

Last call to complete the National Needs Assessment! In total, [TBD] grantees have completed the assessment. If you have not yet completed the assessment, you have until 9pm EDT/6pm PDT today to do so.

We appreciate your engagement and participation, which are essential to helping RHYTTAC better support the needs of the Family and Youth Services Bureau’s Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grantees like you.

Additionally, each week FPOs will be sent a list of grantees that have not yet completed the national needs assessment, encouraging them to conduct additional and direct individualized outreach.

As participants will not be randomly sampled and findings are not intended to be representative, non-response bias will not be calculated.

Maximizing Responses

We have created a communications plan to maximize participation. We will create and share a video with grantees about the assessment that provides guidance on completing the assessment. Within the first week of the assessment launch, we will host a TA Café “office hour” for grantees to ask any questions they may have about the assessment or in completing the assessment. We will provide contact information for a Chapin Hall researcher to address any questions that may arise. Additionally, we plan on reminder emails to encourage completion.

B4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

All data collected on the assessment are binary or categorical, so we will conduct univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses using frequency distributions and cross-tabulations. We will also test for significant differences using Chi-square tests. For open text questions in the assessment, we will conduct thematic qualitative analysis to identify common topics, ideas, and patterns of meaning that emerge from participants’ responses. The survey is based on the survey approved by OMB and used in the 2021 and 2022 National Needs Assessments.

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

Researchers at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago are leading the data collection and analysis efforts. This includes the following individuals:

Senior Researcher Colleen Schlecht

Researcher Amanda Griffin

Senior Researcher Melissa Kull

Associate Researcher Angela Garza

Associate Researcher Arumani Coleman

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