Justification

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0970-0401)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC) SOAR Evaluation Forms

PURPOSE

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval for conducting an information collection with recipients of its SOAR curricula to gain understanding of their awareness, understanding, attitudes, and preferences with the goal of improving future training and technical assistance activities.

The SOAR training curriculum implemented from 2014 – 2017 was well-received by its targeted audience. However, as a result of changes requested to the original curriculum (expanding the length and content of training; adding region-specific information and references; and expanding labor trafficking content, etc.), OTIP established the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC) to facilitate continuous quality improvements. With the creation of NHTTAC, the existing SOAR content has been transformed from a one-size-fits-all approach to a multitier collection of trainings: Tier I includes webinars, online trainings, and conference sessions to provide information on the identification and response to human trafficking; Tier II activities include blended (online and in-person) trainings to enhance the human trafficking response within an organization; and Tier III activities focus on collaboration and community coalition building in-person intensive T/TA and a SOAR training of trainers program. NHTTAC also helps with the facilitation of cluster meetings and developing and piloting other training content for SOAR initiatives when appropriate. These changes will better allow NHTTAC to meet the needs of a large and varied audience.

The changes made to the content and delivery of the SOAR curriculum necessitates subsequent changes to its evaluation strategy. The changes to the evaluation forms reflect an updated evaluation framework that uses four levels based on the following intended outcomes: (1) reaction, (2) learning, (3) behavior, and (4) results. The evaluation activities build on each other as the intensity of the intervention increases so that a range of immediate-, short-, and long-term outcomes can be measured, such as relevancy of content, satisfaction, and impact. The creation of new evaluation tools is required to adjust for the multiple delivery modalities of the new SOAR curriculum and to account for the diverse needs of NHTTAC’s targeted audience. These evaluation updates ensure a relevant and continuous feedback loop on the emerging needs of the anti-trafficking and public health fields to inform future SOAR events. The tools included in this package reflect the new SOAR strategy and will be used to pilot new feedback questions as well as assist NHTTAC in improving service delivery by gaining survey feedback on awareness, understanding, attitudes, preferences, and the experiences of SOAR T/TA recipients.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS

Purposefully, participants of SOAR trainings will be from a diverse background with a wide range of prior experiences within the human trafficking field. The revised evaluation forms allow NHTTAC to capture this diversity and outcomes that are relevant to the specific SOAR training and participant. NHTTAC will also be able to filter SOAR evaluation findings accordingly.

Tier 1 trainings of SOAR engages respondents through a variety of modalities: (1) SOAR online is available to the public on the NHTTAC website. Participants are asked to complete a pretest about their attitude/confidence identifying, serving, and responding to human trafficking. These same questions, along with training satisfaction questions, are asked again in the posttest. Participants must complete the pre and posttest to receive continuing education credit. (2) SOAR for conferences trainings will be facilitated by NHTTAC consultants at select national and regional conferences or similar meetings. Both conference/meeting participants and NHTTAC consultants will be asked about their satisfaction with training content, delivery, and its coordination. (3) SOAR resources, such as an e-guide and state and territory profiles, will help inform practitioners and professionals who work in the public health field. These materials will be available to the public through the NHTTAC website and will be sent directly to consultants to guide their work. Recipients of these resources will be prompted to provide feedback about their satisfaction, content, and ease of use with the materials. (4) SOAR training for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) personnel, is similar to SOAR online but tailored to HHS staff. Participants will be asked to complete a pre and posttest to capture satisfaction with the training and immediate changes in knowledge about human trafficking. (5) The emerging issues webinar series is available to the public but targeted to public health professionals. Participants will be asked to complete a feedback survey after the webinar. Tier I evaluation forms include: Consultant feedback form, Coordination feedback form, General pre- and post-training feedback forms, Resource feedback form, Requestor feedback forms, SOAR pre- and post-conference feedback form, SOAR pre- and post-online participant form, and the webinar form.

Tier 2 of SOAR engages respondents through a targeted, blended online training. Targeted recipients of the blended training are individuals who request the Tier 2 training and plan to incorporate the content into their organization’s policies and best practices. Consultants and requesters who provide this training to the participants will provide feedback on their involvement in this blended learning approach, to include their satisfaction and experiences working with NHTTAC. Participants who engage in the training will also provide feedback about the blended learning including information about the online and in-person delivery, the content, it’s relevancy for their work, and suggestions for improvements in future deliveries. Also included in Tier 2 is an option for organizations to add the SOAR Online training to their learning management systems. Each organization that adds SOAR Online to their learning management system will have one representative (typically the individual who added SOAR to their online system) provide their feedback on the training. Tier II evaluation forms include: Consultant feedback form, Coordination feedback form, Focus group demographic survey, Focus group guide, Follow-up feedback form, Interview guide, Pilot feedback form, Requestor feedback form, SOAR blended pre-, weekly-, and post-training feedback forms, and SOAR organizational feedback form.

Tier 3 of SOAR engages respondents through intensive, in-person T/TA via SOAR for Communities. The requesting agency is asked to provide feedback on the process of requesting intensive T/TA from NHTTAC. SOAR for Communities participants are asked to provide feedback about their experiences participating in the training, to include the utility of the needs assessment, the value and relevance of the strategic planning, and specific questions about their understanding of the action steps developed. Finally, NHTTAC will also follow up at set intervals after the training with SOAR for Communities participants to receive feedback on the participants’ ability to implement learning objectives and action plans. Consultant who provide Tier 3 level T/TA will also provide their feedback about facilitating the training and their experiences working with NHTTAC. Prior to facilitating SOAR for communities, consultants must complete a training designed for trainers. NHTTAC consultants will be asked for their feedback immediately following the completion of the training and at set intervals to check on the progress of understanding/implementing the content taught at trainings. Tier 3 evaluation forms include: Consultant feedback form, Coordination feedback form, Focus group demographic survey, Focus group guide, Follow-up feedback form, Interview guide, Pilot feedback form, Requestor feedback form, and SOAR specialized T/TA form.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer comment card/Complaint form [ ] Customer satisfaction survey

[ ] Usability testing (e.g., website or software) [ ] Small discussion group

[ ] Focus group [ X ] Other: Customer satisfaction surveys and focus group guide

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low burden for respondents and low cost for the federal government.

3. The collection is noncontroversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or who may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: _Elizabeth Pfenning______

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

2. If yes, will any information collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ X] No

3. If yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [ X ] No*

*Gifts or payments are not provided to all applicants. Scholarship recipients are selected, and the types of reimbursement for expenses are processed according to the scholarship criteria. No incentives are offered as applicants.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (Min.)	Burden Hours
Consultant feedback form	50	5 minutes	4.17 hours
Coordination feedback form	100	3 minutes	5 hours
Focus group demographic survey	25	2 minutes	0.83 hours
Focus group guide	25	45 minutes	18.75 hours
Follow-up feedback form	300	8 minutes	40 hours
General pre-training feedback form	150	2 minutes	5 hours
General post-training feedback form	150	6 minutes	15 hours
Interview guide	25	45 minutes	18.75 hours
Pilot feedback form	25	9 minutes	3.75 hours
Requester feedback form	75	7 minutes	8.75 hours
Resource Tool Feedback Form	500	2 minutes	16.67 hours
SOAR blended learning participant pre-training feedback form	20	1 minute	0.33 hours
SOAR blended learning participant weekly questions feedback form	20	4 minutes	1.33 hours
SOAR blended learning participant post-training feedback form	20	4 minutes	1.33 hours
SOAR pre-conference feedback form	500	2 minutes	16.67 hours
SOAR post-conference feedback form	500	10 minutes	83.33 hours
SOAR pre-online participant feedback form	1,500	1 minute	25 hours
SOAR post-online participant feedback form	1,500	5 minutes	125 hours
SOAR organizational feedback form	20	8 minutes	2.67 hours
SOAR specialized T/TA feedback form	100	9 minutes	15 hours
Webinar feedback form	1,000	4 minutes	66.67 hours
Totals	6,605	182 minutes	474 hours

The General Pre-Training and Post-Training Feedback Forms are included within the General Training instrument. The SOAR Blended Learning Participant Pre-Training, Weekly, and Post-Training Feedback Forms are all included in the SOAR Blended Learning Participant Form instrument. The SOAR Pre-Conference and Post-Conference Feedback Forms are both included in the SOAR Conference instrument. The SOAR Pre-Online and Post-Online Participant Feedback Forms are both included in the SOAR Online Participant Form instrument.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the federal government is minimal and limited to staff review time of applications.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents, and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

NHTTAC will distribute information about the availability of SOAR activities via the OTIP website and through stakeholder listservs, including the Office on Trafficking in Persons EndTrafficking Newsletter (approximately 5,470 recipients) and to the Administration for Children and Families anti-trafficking grantees and subgrantees (approximately 160 organizations). 

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply.)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of social media

[ X ] Telephone

[ X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ X ] Other (please explain)—email; paper evaluation forms will be used until electronic versions are approved.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No— Interviewers or facilitators will be used during interviews and focus groups. They will not be used during the administration of any other data collection effort.

Please make sure all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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