ADVHOCaT_SS_A 8-27-15

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) and the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seek approval for an information collection activity as part of its effort to describe the activities of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) and the Love Is Respect (LIR) hotline (otherwise known as the National Dating Abuse Helpline). In order to carry out this work, OPRE and FYSB have contracted with the George Washington University Milken School of Public Health.

The study team will focus most of its efforts on analyzing existing data collected by the NDVH and LIR through their current data collection and management processes as well as through Google Analytics.

This Information Collection Request (ICR) addresses new data to be collected from a web-based survey of visitors to the NDVH and LIR websites. The data will address a gap in understanding the preferred mode of contact (i.e. phone, chat, or text) by those who contact the NDVH/LIR.

Study Background

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program (FVPSA Program) within FYSB funds the NDVH and LIR through a cooperative agreement to operate a national telephone hotline, online chat, and texting service to provide information and assistance to adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, as well as to their family, friends, batterers, and others affected by violence. Also, the NDVH and LIR each maintain a website that includes information on how to access the hotline, chat, and texting services, as well as a range of other information and educational materials related to domestic violence and dating abuse.

The NDVH and LIR serve as critical partners in the intervention, prevention, and resource assistance efforts of networks of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence service providers. Advocates who answer calls, chats, and texts provide assistance in the following areas: 1) crisis intervention and support by helping the caller identify problems, priorities and possible solutions and options, including making plans for safety and a plan of action; (2) information about resources on domestic violence and dating violence, children exposed to domestic violence, sexual assault, intervention programs for batterers, working through the criminal and civil justice systems; and (3) nationwide referrals to domestic violence shelters and programs, social service agencies, programs addressing the needs of children exposed to domestic violence, legal assistance agencies, economic self-sufficiency programs, and other related services. The NDVH and LIR maintain a comprehensive resource database on services for victims of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence, including the ability to inquire about the availability of shelters on behalf of the caller.

The NDVH and LIR both collect extensive data on the individual contacts made to the telephone hotline, chat service, and texting service through information entered into a database by the advocates who answer the calls, chats, and texts. However, data are not currently collected to describe preferences or perceived ease, privacy, and safety of the various modes of contact (i.e., telephone, chat, and text) to access NDVH and LIR services: this ICR proposes to address this need.

Legal or Administrative Requirements that Necessitate the Collection

There are no legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. OPRE and FYSB are undertaking the collection at the discretion of the agency.

A2. Purpose of Survey and Data Collection Procedures

Purpose and Approach

As discussed in A1, the purpose of gathering and analyzing this information is to document and describe preferences in modes of contact, as well as perceptions of the ease, privacy, and safety of modes of contact (i.e., phone, chat, and text). The study team will collect new data (upon OMB approval) through a web-based Preference of Use survey for visitors to the NDVH and LIR websites.

Study Design

Overall, the project will answer the following research questions:

Research Question 1: What services and resources do the NDVH and LIR provide to victims of domestic violence, friends and family of victims of domestic violence, batterers, and other domestic violence service providers?
Research Question 2: Do those who contact the NDVH and LIR receive the information and/or assistance that they need and/or seek?
Research Question 3: Do those who contact the NDVH and LIR view the information and/or assistance they receive as helpful?
Research Question 4: What are the trends, patterns, etc. in the modes (telephone, online chat, texting, and website) of accessing the NDVH and LIR services?

Research Questions 1, 2, and 3 will be addressed using existing data. The activity proposed in this ICR focuses on addressing aspects of Research Question 4. This ICR will collect new data to answer two research sub-questions under Research Question 4:

Research Question 4.2: What is the preferred mode of contact (phone, chat, text) of those who might choose to contact the NDVH or LIR and why?
Research Question 4.3: What are the perceived differences in the ease of use, safety, and privacy, related to each mode of contact?

Analysis of existing data from NDVH and LIR databases and Google Analytics will allow us to answer Research Questions 1-3 and Research Question 4.1.

To answer Research Questions 4.2 and 4.3, new data will be collected through a web-based Preference of Use Survey targeted towards those who visit the NDVH and LIR websites (www.thehotline.org and www.loveisrespect.org). This new data collection will allow us to obtain information about the preferred mode of contact and perceived differences in ease of use, safety, and privacy related to each mode of contact from the population of people who visit the NDVH and LIR website and might choose to contact an advocate at the NDVH or LIR.

Proposed Data Collection Effort

The research approach requires the development of a web-based survey that will be used to collect information from a sample of the population of those who visit the NDVH and LIR websites.

The study team has developed a set of questions to be included in the web-based survey that can be found in Attachment A: ADVHOCaT NDVH/LIR Preference of Use Survey to obtain information from those who visit the NDVH and LIR websites on which mode of contact (phone, chat, text or other mode of contact) is the top choice for use, easiest and hardest to use, safest and least safe to use, and which offers the most and least privacy, as well as whether they have ever used any of the methods to connect with someone at the NDVH or LIR. Open format text boxes will be included for participants to describe other modes of contact). Basic demographic information (age, gender, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity) will also be collected. Survey respondents will be asked to give their consent before beginning the survey (see Attachment B: ADVHOCaT Consent Form for Survey)

A3. Improved Information Technology to Reduce Burden

This study will use advanced technology to collect and process data to reduce respondent burden and make data processing and reporting more timely and efficient. For the survey of visitors to the NDVH and LIR websites, the study team has developed a web-based electronic survey that can be accessed by clicking a link on each of the websites. The electronic format of the survey will facilitate rapid dissemination, collection, and data management while reducing costs and participant burden.

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Every effort has been made to determine whether similar research and information exists by discussing past data collection and analysis efforts with the NDVH and LIR staff. As part of these efforts, the study team has conducted a thorough review of all data and variables currently being collected by the NDVH and has ascertained that the information needed to answer all study research questions does not exist in the currently collected data.

A5. Involvement of Small Organizations

It is possible that respondents may work at small organizations (e.g. domestic violence service providers). The web survey will be available to respondents 24 hours a day, allowing for completion at convenient times that do not impact an organization.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection

This is a one-time data collection.

A7. Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances for the proposed data collection efforts.

A8. Federal Register Notice and Consultation

Federal Register Notice and Comments

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of this information collection activity. This notice was published on July 20, 2015, Volume 80, Number 138, page 42823, and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. A copy of this notice is attached as Attachment C: ADVHOCaT 60 Day FRN. During the notice and comment period, no comments were received.

Consultation with Experts Outside of the Study

A meeting with five non-federal experts in the fields of domestic violence research and advocacy and hotline services (Tang Cheam, Wendi Cross, MD, T.K. Logan, PhD, Cris Sullivan, PhD, and Carmen Williams) was held, along with representatives from the NDVH and LIR. They were asked to discuss and comment on the study research questions and provide guidance on study design and data collection approaches to address the study objectives. The experts’ recommendations contributed to the development of the final research questions and study design.

A9. Incentives for Respondents

No incentives for respondents are proposed for this information collection.

A10. Privacy of Respondents

Information collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Respondents will be informed of all planned uses of data, that their participation is voluntary, and that their information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

As specified in the contract, the Contractor (George Washington University Milken School of Public Health) shall protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and will comply with all Federal and Departmental regulations for private information. The Contractor shall ensure that all of its employees, are trained on data privacy issues and comply with the above requirements.

A11. Sensitive Questions

There are no sensitive questions in this data collection. However, the survey consent information will make participants aware of their rights in the study and their ability to skip any questions they do not wish to answer.

A12. Estimation of Information Collection Burden

Newly Requested Information Collections

The chart below lists estimated burden of the information collection for the NDVH/LIR Preference of Use Survey

Total Burden Requested Under this Information Collection

Instrument	Total Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
NDVH/LIR Preference of Use Survey	5,000	1	0.041 hours (150 seconds)	205	$24.97	$5118.85
Estimated Annual Burden Total				205	$24.97	$5118.85

Total Annual Cost

The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $5118.85. The hourly wage for respondents was calculated based on the national median income of $51,939 for 2013, as reported in the U.S. Census report on Income and Poverty in the United States (http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf), which amounts to an average hourly wage of $24.97.

There will be no direct cost to the respondents other than their time to take the survey.

A13. Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

There are no additional costs to respondents.

A14. Estimate of Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost for the data collection activities under this current request will be $16,156. Annual costs to the Federal government will be $16,156 for the proposed data collection. This includes costs of developing and implementing the survey and analyzing the collected data.

A15. Change in Burden

This is a new data collection.

A16. Plan and Time Schedule for Information Collection, Tabulation and Publication

Upon OMB approval, the survey will be published on the NDVH and LIR websites, and data will be collected over three months in the winter of 2015/2016. Data analysis of the information gathered from the web-based NDVH/LIR Preference of Use Survey will be completed before the summer of 2016. A final report is expected in the fall of 2016.

A17. Reasons Not to Display OMB Expiration Date

All instruments will display the expiration date for OMB approval.

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

No exceptions are necessary for this information collection

File Type	application/msword
File Title	OPRE OMB Clearance Manual
Author	DHHS
Last Modified By	Molly
File Modified	2015-09-17
File Created	2015-08-27

ADVHOCaT_SS_A 8-27-15