Client Interview Guide

Evaluation of the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) and Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program (Aspire)

Site Visit

Client Interview Guide

Overview

• Purpose: Conduct a 1-hour, semi-structured interview with TVAP and Aspire clients to learn about their experiences with the programs.

• Respondents: TVAP and Aspire clients, i.e., people who have been enrolled in and received assistance through TVAP and/or Aspire beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. Respondents must be at least 18 years old at the time of the interview.

• Scheduling activities:

• TVAP and Aspire subrecipients and Tier 2 Regional Case Managers (if applicable) within the ACF regions where site visits are being conducted will assist in client interview outreach and scheduling.

• The evaluation team will provide information about the interview to subrecipients/case managers to share with potential respondents (past or current TVAP and Aspire clients).

• If a client is comfortable providing an email address to the evaluation team, we will coordinate with the client directly to schedule a virtual meeting.

• If a client prefers not to provide an email address, we will work with the subrecipient/case manager to determine how best to schedule meetings. For example, we can provide a Zoom link to the subrecipient/case manager to give to the client. Or the subrecipient/case manager can schedule the meeting on their preferred platform and provide the link to the evaluation team and the client.

• Pre-interview & Interview activities:

• The evaluation team will review the programs’ progress reports to inform the interview.

• The evaluation team will work with the subrecipients/case managers to determine how best to refer to the TVAP or Aspire program (e.g., program name, organization name, specific personnel). Use this wording wherever “[PROVIDER]” is noted in the interview.

• INTERVIEWER NOTE: We are not expecting that every respondent will speak to every question and every prompt. Move on to the next question/section if the respondent doesn’t seem to have input to provide on a certain topic. Use your knowledge of the programs to help guide the interview. If needed, review the guide beforehand to identify priority questions for each respondent.

• The evaluation team will follow a distress response protocol if a person experiences distress during the interview. The team will consult with the subrecipients/case managers to include contact information so the respondent can reach someone for support immediately or as they decide.

• Respondents will be given a $125 token of appreciation. At the end of the interview, the evaluation team will confirm the best way to send the token of appreciation to the respondent.

Respondent ID
Provider
State, ACF Region
Date
Interviewer(s)

Introduction and Consent

Thank you for speaking with us today. My name is [NAME], and this is [NAME]. Before we start, we’ll review some key points on the form [that you received OR is on the screen].

We’re from RTI International, a nonprofit research organization. We are studying two programs: the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) and Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program (Aspire). These programs help [organizations OR people] like [PROVIDER] provide services like those you received. Our study is overseen by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in partnership with the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) at the Administration for Children and Families.

We want to hear about your experience getting services from [PROVIDER]. I’ll ask you questions about how you learned about [PROVIDER], what services you got, what was helpful, and what could have been better. This information will help improve services for others.

Do you have any questions about why we’re doing this interview?

Before we start, I want to share some guidelines about the interview.

• We anticipate this interview taking about 1 hour.

• You will receive $125 as a token of appreciation. When we finish the interview, I’ll [send you a link in the chat OR email you a link] to get your gift card.

• Your participation is voluntary. You can skip any questions or stop the interview whenever you want. You choose how much you want to share with us. You don't need to use your real name, and we do not want you to tell us the real names of others, such as your friends and family. It is okay to use the names of the staff at [PROVIDER]. You can make up first names for others if you want.

• There are no right or wrong answers. We’re here to learn from you. I’ll ask questions, but mainly I’ll listen. If you feel uncomfortable during the interview, please let me know. We can take a break, stop the interview, or talk about some resources that may help you, including notifying your [case manager], if you agree.

• Any information you share with us will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. We store everything on a secure computer drive that only our team can access. If we have your contact information, we’ll delete it after you confirm you received your gift card. We'll keep notes and transcripts from this interview secure until the project ends in 2028, and then we will delete it.

• We will not identify you by individually by name or connect anything you say directly to you. When we share information in reports or presentations, we'll combine your answers with answers from other people we interview and remove any details that could identify you. We may use quotes from this interview, but we'll remove identifying information and describe you using general terms like "client." Please tell us if there is anything you don’t want us to quote, and we will delete it from our notes and not include it in any reporting.

Do you have any questions about the information we just reviewed or the about the interview?

[NOTETAKER] will be taking notes. If it is okay with you, we would like to record this interview, so we don’t miss anything in our notes. We will use the recording to create a transcript, or a written record, of the interview. We will not include your name in the recording, and you can ask us to stop or pause the recording at any time. You can also ask us to not include something in the transcript. Only our team will have access to the recording, and we'll delete it after reviewing our notes. If you prefer not to be recorded, we can just take notes instead. [If using a video conferencing platform] You can turn off your camera at any time or change your display name, regardless of whether you agree to record the interview.

Is it okay if we record the interview?

The last thing before we begin—I’m required to let you know 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 information collection is 0970-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.

Do you have any other questions before we begin?

We are grateful that you are able to talk with us today. I want to tell you a little about myself to get started. [Interviewer briefly shares information about themselves to help build rapport]. Thank you for letting me share that with you.

[If consent was provided, start the recording. Let the respondent know the recording has started and remind them that they can ask you to turn it off at any point.]

Part 1. Client Engagement

We are talking today because you have gotten help from [PROVIDER]. We’d like to learn more about how you first met [PROVIDER]. If you’ve interacted with different case managers, staff, or leaders at [PROVIDER], please feel free to share your range of experiences.

1. How did you learn about [PROVIDER] and how they could help you?

2. [If not addressed] How did you get connected to or involved with [PROVIDER]?

3. [If not addressed] What did [PROVIDER] tell you they could help with?

4. How did you feel about getting help from [PROVIDER]?

   1. Were you worried about anything? OR Is there anything that worried you?

   2. What made you feel you could trust them?

   3. What made you feel comfortable sharing information with them?

   4. What helped you feel they would respect your privacy?

Part 2. Service Experience

Now we’d like to ask you about the help and services you got from [PROVIDER].

5. Are you still getting help from [PROVIDER] or have you completed services?

6. What services did you get from [PROVIDER]?

   1. Examples: Basic necessities (food, clothing, personal care, cell phone); financial assistance; housing (rent, utilities); transportation; benefits access; healthcare/health insurance; mental health services; legal services; employment; education; interpretation/translation.

For each service mentioned:

2. What was helpful about [service]?

3. Is there anything about [service] that you wish were different? What could have been better?

1. Is there anything that made it hard or challenging to get help or services from [PROVIDER]?

   1. Examples: cost of services, filling out forms or applications, lack of identification or other documents needed for forms, language concerns, transportation, location of services, lack of childcare, waitlists or long waiting periods, eligibility criteria, hours available/fitting services into your schedule

2. Were there other services or help you wanted from [PROVIDER] but couldn’t get?

   1. [If yes] Which supports? Do you know why?

3. How did [PROVIDER] show they understand what you're going through?

   1. What did they/that person do to show their understanding?

   2. What did they/that person do that showed they didn’t understand?

   3. What could they do better, if anything?

4. Would you recommend [PROVIDER] to other people?

[If client said they are no longer getting services in Q5]

11. Can you tell us about your experience when you stopped getting help and services from [PROVIDER]?

    1. Did you meet your goals?

    2. Did you want or need additional help?

    3. Did they help you find other services or resources? [If yes] What kind and where?

    4. Did you feel like you had access to the resources you needed?

12. Is there anything you wish [PROVIDER] had done differently when you were done getting services?

Part 3. Service Outcomes

We have just a few more questions and then we’ll be done.

13. How satisfied are you with the help and services you got through [PROVIDER]?

14. [If not addressed] What helped you the most?

15. [If not addressed] What was the hardest part about getting help from [PROVIDER]?

16. Do you have any other ideas about how [PROVIDER] could better help clients?

17. Is there anything else you want to share with us about [PROVIDER] or the help you got from them?

Thank you again for participating in this interview. Have a great rest of your day.

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