Supporting Statement for OMB Clearance Request
Appendix E: Site Visit Interview Guide for Other Community-Based Organization Staff
Understanding the Intersection Between TANF and Refugee Cash Assistance Services
New Collection
August 2015
Submitted by:
Office
of Planning,
Research & Evaluation
Administration for Children & Families
U.S. Department of
Health
and Human Services
370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW,
7th Floor West
Washington, DC 20447
Federal Project Officer:
Tiffany McCormack
Appendix E: Site Visit Interview Guide for Other Community-Based Organization Staff
Instructions for OMB Reviewer
This information collection request includes four field interview guides (Appendices B-E). Many questions are identical or similar across these interview guides. To help reviewers know which questions are shared across all guides, we have included a parenthetical note (e.g., “Question Asked in All Interview Guides”) for each question that is asked across all four field interview guides. An asterisk indicates that the corresponding question contains small differences from the other guides, but the question is still very similar across all interview guides.
Below are some examples to illustrate what we mean:
Example 1: What is your official job title? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Example 2: Do you have to report information to any funders or government bodies (e.g., legislature, governor, county executives, etc.)? If so, which? And what information? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
Introduction: We are members of the research team conducting the study “Understanding the Intersection Between TANF and Refugee Cash Assistance Services.” The study is funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its purpose is to learn how state and local systems are serving refugees through TANF and the Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) programs, how these programs intersect, and how these programs may be related to refugee self-sufficiency and employment outcomes. As part of the study, we are visiting a number of sites across the country where refugees have been resettled and access public benefits and services. We are talking with individuals who help implement or operate the programs and services accessed by refugees in these communities.
Before beginning our discussion, we want to thank you for agreeing to talk with us today. We know you are busy and will try to be as focused as possible. The interview will take about 90 minutes. Your participation is voluntary, and there are no penalties for choosing not to take part in the interview. Although your answers are important to the study, you can refuse to answer any questions or stop the interview at any time. Our aim is to learn from your insights and experience, not to audit or judge your agency or programs. Your answers will be kept private to the extent permissible by law. However, because of the relatively small number of organizations participating in the study, there is a possibility that a response could be correctly attributed to you. Information you provide will not be shared with other staff at your program or organization. Only the study team will have access to the information you provide through this interview. Your name will not be listed in any published reports, and comments will not be attributed to you. Instead, your information will be combined with information provided by others.
The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to document changes in program operations or the provision of services for resettled refugees, as well as implementation challenges. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including 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 control number for this collection is 0970-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. Please send comments about this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Abt Associates, 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 800 North, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Attn: Robin Koralek OMB-PRA 0970-XXXX.
Please note that throughout this guide, except where noted, we use the term “refugee” to refer generally to all populations eligible for refugee services, including refugees, asylees, Cuban-Haitian entrants, and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders.
Do you have any questions before we begin?
What is your official job title? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How many years have you worked in this position? At this agency/organization? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What was your professional background before this position? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Please briefly describe your current position and job responsibilities, including your day to day work with refugees. (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Probe on the following responsibilities, as appropriate given specific interviewee (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*):
Referral to cash assistance
Case management
Employment services
English language training
Social adjustment/cultural orientation
Referrals/navigation of other services
Other
For how long has your organization provided services to refugees?
Please briefly describe the overall programs and services your organization provides.
How do refugee services fit within the overall mission and services of your organization?
What geographic region does this organization serve? In how many locations does your organization operate? What area does this location serve? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
Do you have a copy of an organizational chart for [agency/organization] that you can share with us? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How many staff members does your organization have in total? How many administer cash assistance to refugees? How many work on providing services related to cash assistance, or employment, education, or training services to refugees? Providing referrals for these services? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
What steps does your organization take to make sure staff can serve refugees in a culturally competent manner?
Are there bilingual/bicultural staff?
Are there contracts with CBOs or other organizations to help with language access?
Do staff receive special training about serving participants from specific cultures?
Are there contracts with CBOs or other organizations to help with language access or culturally-specific issues?
What is your organization’s overall funding? What are the main funding sources? Roughly what portion of your funding is for serving refugees?
How would you describe the economy in your area? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How available are jobs?
What types of jobs are available? In what industries?
What kinds of jobs are available to the refugees that you work with?
Are there any special local economic conditions that might have a particular impact on refugees?
What are the largest languages spoken in the area, other than English? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How would you describe the level of community support for refugees in the area? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What are the main populations of refugees served by your agency/organization? (Probe on national origin and, if relevant, ethnic group.) Roughly speaking, how many refugees in each population did you serve in the past year? [Can ask them to e-mail this after the interview if they do not feel comfortable providing estimates.] (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Among the individuals you serve who are eligible for refugee services, how many are refugees v. asylees v. Cuban-Haitian entrants v. SIV holders v. other statuses? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What is the mix of families with children, versus adults without children?
How would you characterize the population of refugees you serve in terms of (Question Asked in All Interview Guides):
Family size and structure
Education
Employment experience
English language ability
Prevalence of disabilities
Prevalence of mental health issues
Service needs
Other challenges
How do changes in the number or characteristics of refugee populations from year to year affect your service planning and service provision? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How much does the population of refugees your organization serves change from year to year?
How much does the number of refugees you serve change from year to year?
How much do the national origins of refugees change from year to year?
How different are the characteristics of the different refugee groups you might serve from one year to the next?
What, if any information, does this agency receive about upcoming resettlement of refugees? What agencies or organizations provide this information? How much lead time do you get regarding the nature of the refugee population (for planning purposes)? What additional information would be helpful? ((Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What organizations provide Reception and Placement (R&P) services to newly arriving refugees in your state/locality? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Do you coordinate or collaborate with the agencies/organizations providing R&P services? If so, what is the agency/organization’s role? Has it changed over time? Would it be helpful for the agency/organization to have more or less of a role? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
To what extent do they collaborate with your organization on services you provide? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
Do they play a role in how individuals enroll into your programs/services? If so, what?
Do they play a role in how you deliver your services to refugees? If so, what?
What employment, education, or training activities and services does your agency/organization provide in-house? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Probe on:
English language training
Job search assistance
Adult basic education
Vocational training
On-the-job training or subsidized employment placement
Do other organizations provide employment activities for refugees, and if so, what organizations and what kinds of services? Do you make referrals to these organizations? What are the reasons for making referrals rather than providing services yourselves? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What kinds of employment, education, or training activities do refugees participate in most frequently? How are needs determined? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
How do refugees decide what to participate in? Does your organization provide guidance on these decisions?
Are there requirements that refugees participate in certain employment activities in order to receive services? Please describe what these requirements are. Do you have a role in helping them meet these requirements? What happens if they do not meet these requirements?
Does your agency provide any post-employment services to refugees to make sure they retain and/or advance in their jobs? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Other than employment services, what are the key services your organization provides to refugees? Please describe the major services. (Note: interviewees may have provided this information earlier when talking about their own job responsibilities.) (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Probe on:
Social adjustment and cultural orientation services
Mental health services
Physical or cognitive disability services
Are these services tied to cash assistance and/or employment services? If so, in what way? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Regarding mental health and disability services (Question Asked in All Interview Guides):
How are needs for these services assessed?
Are any steps taken to make sure these services are provided in a culturally competent way? If so, please explain.
How do identified mental health or disability service needs affect the work requirements facing refugees or choices of activities that refugees are referred to in order to meet these requirements?
What other programs or services do refugees you work with generally access, either through your organization or elsewhere in the community? What organizations or agencies provide them? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Probe specifically on:
Cash assistance
SNAP
Disability services
Mental health services
Child care
Other employment programs than already discussed
Other education than already discussed
Do you provide assistance to refugees in connecting with these services? If so, what kind of assistance? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
Probe specifically on:
Referral?
Help with the application?
Direct involvement with the program on the refugee’s behalf?
Help to the participant during program participation?
If you do not provide assistance in connecting to these services, how do refugees connect with and enroll in these programs? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Coordination/Collaboration (See probes at bottom of this set of questions)
What, if any, other agencies or organizations do you work with to ensure that refugees are receiving cash assistance? What kinds of services do they provide? What is the nature of your coordination or partnerships with these organizations? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What, if any, other agencies or organizations do you work with that provide employment, education, or training services to refugees? What kinds of services do they provide? What is the nature of your coordination or partnerships with these organizations? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What, if any, other agencies or organizations do you work with that provide other refugee-focused services? What kinds of services do they provide? What is the nature of your coordination or partnerships with these organizations? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
For each of the above questions, probe on:
Referrals to/from the other organization
Co-location
Onsite provision of services
Regular meeting
Collaborate on events, workshops, or meetings
Staffings on particular individuals
Are there formal MOUs in place? If so, what is required of the partners under the MOU? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there specific features of your partnership(s) that you feel have contributed to positive or promising outcomes for refugees? Which services and which outcomes? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
If a refugee receives services from more than one program at your agency/organization, do they work with the same staff members for all programs, or different staff members for each program? How do you coordinate services that refugees access across the various programs your agency/organization offers? What are some of the challenges your agency/organization faces in coordinating across programs within the organization? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Do you see any new potential opportunities for further coordination or integration with your existing partners in the future? Do you see any new potential opportunities for new partnerships in the future? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What are some of the challenges your organization faces in coordinating with other refugee service providers? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What performance measures or other goals does your organization monitor in administering [as appropriate] the following programs to refugees: The employability programs? Other refugee service programs? Are these for all refugees you serve, or just a subset (e.g., just those refugees receiving ORR-funded services)? If so, what subset? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What outcomes have your participants achieved with regards to these measures? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
If not specifically mentioned as part of their measures, also ask about the ORR Performance Outcome Measures shared for Publicly Administered Programs, Public Private Partnerships, and Wilson/Fish Programs (but not Matching Grant):
Entered employment
Average Wage at Employment
Employment with Health Benefits
Job Retention for 90 days
Cash Assistance Reductions due to Earnings
Cash Assistance Termination due to Earnings
To what extent have the refugees you have served left public assistance programs such as cash assistance or SNAP? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
For what reasons did they leave? Probe on jobs, sanction/time limits, moved away.
What kinds of jobs have refugees served by your program obtained? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
On average, about how long has it taken them to find jobs? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there any special programs, services, or initiatives offered by your agency/organization or by others in the community that you think are particular effective, innovative, or unique in how they meet refugees’ needs or help them achieve self-sufficiency? If so, please describe. (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Access to cash assistance and other benefits
Helping refugees fulfill requirements for cash assistance programs
Employment
English language acquisition
Job training
Social adjustment and cultural orientation services
Mental health services
Physical or cognitive disability services
Other services
What do you think are the main promising practices your agency/organization has had in working with refugees? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What are some of the challenges your agency/organization has faced in working with refugees? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there particular needs of refugees that you think are not being met by your agency/organization and others in the community? If so, what are these needs and why are they not being met? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there particular groups of refugees not being well served or whose needs are not being met? If so, what groups, and in what ways are their needs not being met? Why? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there any ways you would improve the services you provide to refugees? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
What type of system(s) do you use to track information on refugee services?
Do you capture information on cash assistance received by refugees? If so, what?
Do you capture information on their work-related activities? If so, what?
Do you capture information on services they receive from other organizations? If so, what?
Probe on outcome measures discussed earlier.
What other data do you collect on the refugees you serve?
Are there data you are not currently collecting that would be helpful to you? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Do you have to report any information on services provided to refugees? If so, to whom? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Do you have to report information to any funders? If so, which funders? And what information? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides*)
Are there any state reporting requirements? If so, please describe what information you have to report. (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there any other organizations or agencies to which you are required to report information on refugee services? If so, what organizations/agencies? And what information? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Beyond required reporting, do you share data on refugee clients with other organizations? Which ones? What data do you share? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Are there copies of reports or forms that you can provide us? (Question Asked in All Interview Guides)
Organizational background information (brochures, annual reports, etc.)
Organizational chart
Copies of forms agency/organization uses to gather information on characteristics of refugees served and services delivered (if available)
Data reports on characteristics of refugees served and services delivered (if available)
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Sam Elkin |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-24 |