Interview Guide for Mothers-English and Spanish versions

OMB Control No.: 0970-XXX

Expiration Date:

A-6a: 6

Home Visiting: Approaches to Father Engagement and Fathers’ Experiences

Mother Interview Guide

2 Respondents per Program

60 Minutes

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 61 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing the instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. This information collection is voluntary. 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. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Reports Clearance Officer (Attn: OMB/PRA 0970-XXXX), Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. I’m [INTERVIEWER NAME] and this is my colleague [ASSISTANT NAME], and we’re researchers from the Urban Institute, a non-profit social policy research organization in Washington, DC. We are conducting a study about father engagement in home visiting programs. We’re trying to learn about how different programs serve fathers by interviewing staff and parents connected with home visiting programs. We want to ask you questions about your experience with this home visiting program. We have a list of questions, but the interview is meant to be open-ended, so you should feel free to respond in as much detail as you like, and there are no right or wrong answers.

INFORMED CONSENT

Before I begin my questions, I’d like to give you a copy of a consent form that describes the purpose of this study, the requirements to participate, the risks and benefits to participation, and other key information. Here is a copy for you to follow along as I read aloud. [HAND R COPY OF FORM]. If you agree to the study procedures, I’ll ask you to sign and date your copy of the form.

[Read consent form aloud as respondent follows along.]

Do you have any questions about the study procedures?

Would you please sign a copy of our Informed Consent Form, and then may we begin our interview?

[Participant must sign and return one copy and may keep the second copy.]

[If anyone objects to the recording, the researcher who is not leading the interview will need to take thorough notes.]

PROTOCOL

Demographics and Household Composition

I would like to start by getting some basic background information on you and your family. Then, the rest of the interview will be more open-ended.

1. How old are you?

2. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

3. What race do you consider yourself to be? (For example, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or White)

4. Were you born in the United States? (If no, probe: nationality and time in the United States)

5. What is the name of the child who is participating in the home visiting program? (Probes: gender, age, residence)

6. Do you have any other children? (If yes, probe:number and age; residence; same or different father)

7. Are you married?

   1. If yes, is your husband the father of (CHILD)?

   2. If no, are you in a romantic relationship with the father of (CHILD)?

      1. If no, are you in a romantic relationship with anyone else? (Probe:whether partner is father of any of her children.)

8. Who currently lives with you in your home? You don’t have to give me their names, just who they are in relation to you, like your mother or your sister.

Motivation for Enrollment in Home Visiting Program

We’re interested in learning about your and your family’s experiences with the (NAME OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM) program.

9. How did you first hear about this program? When was that? (Probes: prenatally; for which child)

10. What did you think of the (NAME OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM) program when you first learned of it? What did (CHILD’s) father think about the program?

11. Why did you decide to enroll? (Probe on what mother wanted to get out of program.)

12. Did anyone encourage you to sign up for this program? Did anyone discourage you? (Probe: father’s role in or response to participation)

13. When did you first start receiving home visiting services? How old was your child? Or if prenatally, how far along were you in your pregnancy?

Home Visiting Experiences

Next, I’d like to talk about the home visits offered through (NAME OF PROGRAM).

14. Please tell me about your typical home visits. (Probes: frequency; if the same home visitor; who is there; content; activities; mother’s role, participation and interaction with child)

15. Has your child’s father been interested in participating in the home visits? Why or why not?

(Probe as needed: changes in sentiment towards home visits over time; changes in level of involvement over time)

16. How often is your child’s father present for home visits? (Probes: length and frequency of participation)

17. Has anything prevented him from being involved in the program? If yes, what things?

18. Were you interested in having your child’s father participate in the visits? Why or why not?

(Probe as needed: changes in sentiment towards father’s involvement; discomfort with father’s presence; desired level of father involvement)

19. When he can’t join, do you ever discuss with him information you learned from the visit at a later time?

20. When was it most important to you to have him involved in the home visiting program? Was there a period of time when you needed his support perhaps more than other times? When was that?

21. Thinking about the visits he participated in, what was his role during the home visits? (Probes: Did he mostly listen? Did he get to ask questions? Did he interact with your child during the visits?)

22. Do you feel that the home visitor includes him in the home visits? Why or why not? (Probes: whether home visitor encourage or discouraged father and examples; father-only focus for parts of visit and content)

23. Do you think his participation in home visits has been good for him? Why or why not?

(Probe: changes in the father.)

24. Do you think his participation in home visits has been good for you? Why or why not? (Probe: for children)

25. Do you think the program has affected your relationship in any way? Why or why not?

(Probe as needed: parenting and parenting decisions; use in the future)

Recommendations for Program Improvement

26. Do you think it’s a good idea that home visiting programs encourage fathers to participate? Why or why not?

27. What could home visiting programs do differently to encourage fathers to participate?

(Probe as needed: how to encourage/ensure attendance; make fathers comfortable/content delivery; separate home visits for mothers and fathers; male home visitors for fathers)

28. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences in this program?

Parent Interview Receipt of Payment

Initialing below indicates that you were offered $40 as a token of appreciation for your time participating in an interview for the project Home Visiting: Approaches to Father Engagement and Fathers’ Experiences conducted by the Urban Institute.

□ I accepted the $40 token of appreciation. □ I refused the $40 token of appreciation.

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Respondent’s Initials

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Date