National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC)

DRAFT

National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC)

Facility Roles and Responsibilities

Facility Administrator/Superintendent

1. Designate a Facility Coordinator: The Facility Administrator/Superintendent will designate a staff person who will work with Westat to prepare for the survey team visit.

Facility Coordinator

1. Describe Facility Characteristics : The Facility Coordinator will provide information about the facility through a series of brief telephone interviews. This information will include facility type, treatment services, and description of living units and youth population.

2. Schedule Facility Visit Date: The Facility Coordinator will select a week when a field research team is available to visit the facility. The number of researchers will vary from two to five, according to the size and needs of the facility.

3. Provide Youth Roster: Approximately eight weeks prior to the visit date, the Facility Coordinator will send to Westat a roster of adjudicated youth in the facility. The roster lists an identification number for each youth, the gender, date of birth, and date of admission. No names will be included.

4. Provide Roster Updates: The Facility Coordinator will provide Westat with regular roster updates to add newly admitted youth and remove youth as they are discharged from the facility.

5. Obtain Consent for Youth to Participate: When possible, the state or facility will grant permission to interview youth in loco parentis. If this is not possible, Westat will work with the Facility Coordinator to determine appropriate procedures to obtain permission from parents/guardians. If Westat assists in obtaining permission, the Facility Coordinator will provide parent/guardian contact information.

6. Coordinate Logistics: In preparation for the survey visit, the Facility Coordinator will schedule for private rooms where each researcher will conduct the interviews and arrange the daily schedule so youth can be available. These plans will be prepared in advance and then confirmed when the team supervisor meets with the Facility Coordinator on the first day of the survey visit (usually a Monday).

7. Arrange for Counseling: The Facility Coordinator will ensure on–site counseling is available for youth, if needed, either immediately or soon after the interview. If the youth requests a counselor who is not affiliated with the facility, services from an outside counselor should be arranged. NSYC requires that youth have access to a telephone to be able to talk to an outside counselor, or study representative, if needed.

8. Provide Administrative Record Data: The Facility Coordinator will complete an administrative data form that collects information about the youth (e.g., reason for placement, most serious offense), facility, and staff.

9 . Provide Support during Team Visit: The Facility Coordinator will be the point of contact while the interviews are taking place (usually Tuesday through Friday, depending on the size and needs of the facility). This includes scheduling the interviews for the selected youth, arranging for staff to escort youth to and from the interview rooms, and providing security.