FUP-FSS Demonstration Evaluation
INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE AGENCY STAFF
Consent Script for Public Child Welfare Agency Staff
Before we begin, I want to tell you a few things about this study and your participation in it. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. We will also email/give you a copy of this information.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contracted with the Urban Institute, and with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago as their subcontractor, to learn how communities are using the Family Unification Program – Family Self Sufficiency (FUP-FSS) Demonstration to serve youth who were formerly in foster care. The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization based in Washington, DC that conducts research and program evaluations on social policy and practice. The information gathered for the evaluation will be used to help HUD understand how FUP-FSS has been implemented, the effectiveness of partnerships among the participating housing authorities, public child welfare agencies, and other organizations that collaborate on the demonstration, the agencies’ experiences with implementation, and short-term outcomes for participating youth. We are not evaluating your agency or its role in the demonstration.
As part of this process, we are talking with representatives from public housing agencies that are participating in the FUP-FSS demonstration, along with their partner child welfare agencies. In a small number of communities, we may also talk to Continuum of Care partners and other partner agencies that make referrals or provide FUP-FSS services. You or another staff member from your agency completed a survey earlier this year about how the FUP-FSS demonstration is being used to serve youth in your community. Based on the results of that survey, we identified the demonstration in your community as a promising one for further study.
If you agree to participate in a voluntary interview, a pair of researchers will ask you some questions about the FUP-FSS demonstration, including questions about your collaboration with [PHA name], the challenges associated with serving youth, your perspective on the demonstration, and how services could be improved to better meet the needs of youth.
Taking part in this interview is completely voluntary. Participating or choosing not to participate will in no way affect your interactions with the Federal Government including HUD, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and/or any other federal agencies. The interview will last about 60 minutes. The interview does not include sensitive questions beyond your experiences with the FUP-FSS program. That being said, you may choose to skip any questions you don’t want to answer and you may stop participating in the interview at any time. With your permission, we will audio record the interview to have an accurate record of what is said. One of the researchers will be taking detailed notes, but we will not include your name in our notes. We may contact you after the interview to ask for clarification.
We will make every effort to protect your confidentiality, and will not disclose information that you share in any way that would identify you.. We will not allow anyone outside the research team to listen to the audio recordings or review the notes we take. Information provided to us will be reported in the aggregate by role, organization type or other broad categories. Individuals will not be identified by name or title. When we report our findings, we will combine the information we gather from everyone we talk to and present it in a way that does not allow the responses of individuals to be easily identified. However, we may identify the agency you work for, and unique roles could allow an individual to indirectly attribute a statement to you. Although we are taking steps to mitigate potential risks, there is a chance that you could be identified through a combination of survey responses and interview findings. We believe this risk to be minimal and will protect your identity by removing specific identifiers in our interview transcripts, only reporting findings in the aggregate, and not attributing comments or quotes to you unless we have your permission to do so.
We will give you a document that answers questions about the FUP-FSS Demonstration Evaluation and the interviews we are conducting. After you review, you can decide if you still want to participate. We want to be sure that you freely consent to participate in this interview and that you are aware that you are not obligated to answer any questions you do not wish to answer.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDY OR TODAY’S INTERVIEW?
DO YOU CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW?
INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE AGENCY STAFF
DO YOU CONSENT TO BE RECORDED?
[If consent is provided] I will now turn on the recorder to begin recording our conversation.
Introduction
We are interested in learning how your agency collaborates with [PHA NAME] to serve youth who were formerly in foster care through the FUP-FSS demonstration. We know that you may work with multiple PHAs but we would like to focus on [PHA NAME] for this discussion.
Please tell me about yourself.
What is your position at the agency?
What are your primary responsibilities?
Is FUP one of your primary responsibilities?
How much of your time do you spend on FUP?
Is anyone else at your agency involved in the administration of FUP?
What is their role?
Partnership with PHA
Let’s start by talking about your agency’s partnership with [PHA NAME].
Can you tell me about your agency's partnership with [PHA NAME]?
When did your agency begin partnering with [PHA NAME] to administer FUP?
When did your agency begin partnering with [PHA NAME] to serve youth?
Would you describe your partnership with [PHA NAME] as successful?
Why or why not?
Has your agency's partnership with [PHA NAME] changed since the FUP-FSS demonstration began?
IF YES: In what way has your partnership changed?
Has the way in which your agencies work together changed?
Has the frequency of meetings between your agencies changed?
Has the way in which your agencies communicate with one another changed?
Has the frequency with which your agencies communicate with one another changed?
IF YES: To what do you attribute these changes?
Can you tell me about the communication your agency has with [PHA name] about serving youth through the FUP-FSS demonstration?
Has your agency developed any trainings for PHAs around the self-sufficiency needs of FUP-eligible youth since the FUP-FSS demonstration began?
IF YES: What topics do those trainings cover?
IF YES: How frequently are those trainings held?
Has the FUP-FSS demonstration led to other collaborations between your agency and [PHA NAME]?
IF YES: Can you tell me about those other collaborations?
PCWA Perspective on Demonstration
Next we'd like to talk about your perspective on the FUP-FSS demonstration.
What role, if any, did your agency play in the decision to apply to be a FUP-FSS Demonstration site?
What were your thoughts about the demonstration when it began?
Prompt: What were your thoughts on the need for the demonstration?
Prompt: What were your thoughts on the demonstration’s potential to benefit youth?
How has your perspective on the demonstration changed since it began?
Identification and Referral of FUP-Eligible Youth
Now we'd like to talk about how your agency identifies FUP-eligible youth to [PHA NAME].
How does your agency identify FUP-eligible youth?
From what sources inside your agency do you receive referrals?
From what sources outside your agency do you receive referrals?
From which of these sources does your agency receive the majority of referrals?
Do FUP-eligible youth ever refer themselves?
Does your agency refer ALL FUP-eligible youth who are identified to [PHA NAME]?
IF NO: How does your agency decide which youth to refer?
IF NO: Are certain types of youth prioritized? IF YES: Which youth?
IF NO: What are the most common reasons FUP-eligible youth are not referred?
How do FUP-eligible youth learn about the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
What do you tell youth about the benefits of enrolling in FUP-FSS?
Who is involved in deciding how to allocate vouchers between families and youth?
Do you or your PHA partner set aside a certain number of vouchers for youth?
(if yes:) On what basis do you allocate FUP vouchers to youth?
Probe: Who decided the priority?
Is it primarily you [the PCWA] or [PHA] that decides the allocation?
How, if at all, do these priorities differ from those for the voucher waitlist?
(if no:) How do you determine when to offer a voucher to a youth versus a family?
Probe: Are families prioritized before youth for FUP?
Probe: Based on need, first-come/first-served?
(If based on need) Which youth does your agency prioritize?
What kind of communication does your agency have with [PHA NAME] after a FUP-eligible youth is referred?
Do your agency and [PHA NAME] have a process for reviewing the status of youth who have been referred to FUP?
IF YES: What is the review process?
Is your agency still referring FUP-eligible youth to [PHA NAME]?
Why or why not?
IF YES: Are youth still being referred for the FUP-FSS demonstration?
Has being a demonstration site changed the likelihood that your agency will refer FUP-eligible youth to [PHA NAME] in the future?
Why or why not?
Marketing/Promoting the Demonstration
Next we'd like to talk about how your agency promotes or markets the demonstration to youth.
Does your agency market/promote the FUP-FSS Demonstration to potentially eligible youth?
IF YES: Can you tell me how your agency markets/promotes FUP-FSS?
IF YES: What marketing/promotional materials do you use? (Ask for copies)
IF YES: How were those marketing/promotional materials developed?
Are youth informed about the FUP-FSS Demonstration as part of their transition planning process?
IF YES: What information do youth receive about the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
IF YES: Who is responsible for providing youth with this information?
Assistance with Application and Housing Search
Now let’s talk about the FUP application process.
Do youth receive assistance with the FUP application process from your agency?
Approximately how long does it take youth to complete the application process?
How frequently do youth fail to complete the application process?
What are the most common reasons youth fail to complete the application process?
How frequently are youth denied a voucher after successfully completing the application process?
What are the most common reasons youth are denied a voucher?
Does someone from your agency typically attend the voucher briefing with youth whose eligibility has been confirmed?
What typically happens during that voucher briefing?
What information do youth receive about the FUP-FSS Demonstration during the briefing?
What type of housing search assistance, if any, does your agency provide to youth who have been issued a FUP voucher?
What are the most significant barriers to leasing up faced by youth who have been issued a FUP voucher?
How has the local housing market affected the ability of youth with FUP vouchers to lease up?
How frequently do youth who have been issued a FUP voucher fail to lease up?
What are the most common reasons youth who have been issued a voucher fail to lease up?
Supportive Services
Next we’d like to talk about the supportive services your agency is required to offer youth who have leased up with a FUP voucher.
Can you tell me about the supportive services your agency provides to youth who have leased up with a FUP voucher?
Does your agency provide these services or are they provided by one or more contractors?
IF CONTRACTOR: Tell me about the contractor(s) that provide those services?
For how long are these services typically provided?
How often do youth who have leased up with a FUP voucher participate in the supportive services your agency provides?
What proportion of youth participate in services?
Which services do youth participate in most often?
In your opinion, which of the supportive services that your agency offers to youth who have leased up are the most essential?
Why do you think these are the most essential services?
In your opinion, are there other supportive services youth need after they lease-up that your agency does not provide?
IF YES: What are those services?
Does participation in the FSS program affect the uptake of the supportive services that your agency provides?
IF YES: In what way?
Data and Evaluation
Now let’s talk about tracking youth participation in the FUP-FSS demonstration.
Does your agency collect any information about youth participating in the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
IF YES: What types of information does your agency collect?
IF YES: From whom is that information collected?
IF YES: How is that information collected?
IF YES: Who is responsible for collecting that information?
IF YES: How does your agency use that information?
IF NO: Why not?
IF NO: Is your agency considering the collection of information about youth participating in the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
Evaluating the Demonstration
Now let’s talk about how the FUP-FSS demonstration is working.
In what ways do you think the FUP-FSS Demonstration is working as intended?
In what ways do you think the FUP-FSS Demonstration is not working as intended?
How effective do you think the FUP-FSS Demonstration is at meeting the needs of youth?
How effective do you think the FUP-FSS Demonstration is at helping youth achieve stable housing?
How effective do you think the FUP-FSS Demonstration is at helping youth become self-sufficient?
What changes do you think are needed to make the demonstration more effective?
What changes do you think are needed to make the demonstration more effective at helping youth achieve stable housing?
What changes do you think are needed to make the demonstration more effective at helping youth become self-sufficient?
What other suggestions do you have for improving the program?
Next let’s talk about other types of housing assistance available to youth who have aged out of care.
Is finding and maintaining stable housing a challenge for youth in [SITE]?
What are the biggest challenges they face?
What services or supports do youth need most to find and maintain stable housing?
Who is typically responsible for addressing the housing needs of youth during the transition planning process?
In addition to referring FUP-eligible youth to [PHA NAME], what does your agency do to help youth address their housing needs after they age out of care?
Does your agency provide youth with any housing assistance?
IF YES: How does your agency fund the housing assistance it provides?
What housing programs besides FUP serve youth in [SITE]?
Does your agency ever refer FUP-eligible youth to those programs?
IF YES: Under what circumstances does your agency refer FUP-eligible youth to those programs?
IF STATE HAS EXTENDED FOSTER CARE TO AGE 21: Has the extension of foster care to age 21 affected how your agency uses FUP to serve youth?
IF YES: Can you tell me how this has affected your agency’s use of FUP to serve youth?
Reflections
Finally, we'd like you to reflect on your experience with the FUP-FSS Demonstration.
What are the biggest challenges your agency has encountered with the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
What lessons have you learned from the FUP-FSS Demonstration?
Closing
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.
Is there anything else you think I should know about the FUP-FSS Demonstration that I didn’t ask you about?
Do you have any final questions for me about the study?
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Woods, Tyler |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-14 |