Appendix I - FUP Survey Reminder Telephone Script

Appendix I

SCRIPT FOR FOLLOW-UP

FUP SURVEY RECRUITMENT CALLS WITH PCWAs, PHAs, and COCs

Hi. My name is [RESEARCHER NAME]. I am calling from the Urban Institute in Washington, DC regarding the Family Unification Program study. May I speak with [FUP LIAISON’S NAME]?

[IF FUP LIAISON IS NOT AVAILABLE, ASK FOR WHEN A GOOD TIME WOULD BE TO CALL BACK]

Hi, [FUP LIAISON’S NAME]. My name is [RESEARCHER NAME]. I am calling from the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. We’re conducting a federally funded survey of Family Unification Programs that administer housing vouchers to youth who are aging out of foster care. I’m calling to remind you about the opportunity for you to participate in the survey.

We emailed you an invitation to participate on XXXX XX. Do you recall having received an email about the study?

[IF RECEIVED EMAIL(S)], Great! First, can you confirm that you are the FUP Liaison for [AGENCY NAME] and would therefore be the appropriate person to complete the survey?

[IF YES], Great. In that case, can you confirm that [email protected] is the best email address to reach you?

[IF IT IS], Thank you. We would really appreciate if you could complete the survey as soon as you can. The survey closes on XXXX XX. Do you have any questions about the survey or you would like me to send you the link again? [SEE PROMPTS BELOW IN FAQ, OR END CALL IF THEY HAVE NO QUESTIONS].

[IF IT IS NOT], Would you please provide your preferred email? [COLLECT EMAIL]

Thank you. Do you have any questions about the survey or would you like me to send you the link again using this email? [SEE PROMPTS BELOW IN FAQ, OR END CALL IF THEY HAVE NO QUESTIONS. RECORD PREFERRED EMAIL IN SURVEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM].

[IF NO], Would you please provide the best email address to reach the most appropriate person to speak to? What is their official title? [END CALL, SEND LINK TO APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATIVE. RECORD INFORMATION FOR NEW CONTACT IN SURVEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM].

[IF DID NOT RECEIVE EMAIL(S)], I apologize about that. Could you please provide your preferred email and I can send you a link to the survey? [COLLECT EMAIL]

Thank you. Do you have any questions about the survey? [SEE PROMPTS BELOW IN FAQ, OR END CALL THEY HAVE NO QUESTIONS. RECORD PREFERRED EMAIL IN SURVEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. SEND EMAIL CONTAINING SURVEY LINK].

[IF NOT APPROPRIATE CONTACT], Could you connect me with the most appropriate person to speak to? What is their official title? [ALSO ASK FOR PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS]

[IF HE/SHE IS UNAVAILABLE], Thank you for your time. If you are able, please let [APPROPRIATE CONTACT] know that [HE/SHE] can expect to receive emails regarding the survey shortly. [END CALL].

[IF REFUSES TO PARTICIPATE], I’m sorry to hear that. I want to emphasize that it is important to count your program in the findings we report to the federal government for evaluation. I also want to clarify that any responses you provide are private and voluntary. For my records, may I ask why you’re not interested in participating at this time?

[IF ANSWERS], Okay, thank you for your time. [END CALL. RECORD REASON FOR REFUSAL IN SURVEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM].

[IF STILL REFUSES], Okay, thank you for your time. [END CALL. RECORD "REFUSED TO PROVIDE REASON" IN SURVEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM].

[IF AGREES OR WILL CONSIDER IT], Great, we really appreciate your time and consideration. Our survey will close on XXXX XX, so we ask that you complete it at your earliest convenience. [RESEND LINK TO SURVEY IF MANAGER CANNOT LOCATE IT]

If you and your staff have any questions or concerns, you can reach us at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or at [email]@urban.org.

Thank you so much for talking with me today. Do you have any other questions for me at this time?

-----------------------------------------------ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR FAQs-------------------------------------------

[Who is doing this work?]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to oversee this evaluation. ACF has contracted with the Urban Institute to evaluate the effectiveness of using housing vouchers to address the diverse needs of youth involved in the child welfare system. Although families are eligible for FUP vouchers, only FUP vouchers given to youth will be part of this evaluation.

[Who is the Urban Institute?]

The Urban Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit social policy research organization in Washington, DC. Among other things, we are known for research and for evaluating programs and other interventions in child welfare and for homeless families.

[Why is participation important?]

Many youth involved in the child welfare system face unstable housing and homelessness. Lack of housing is a major contributor to their child welfare involvement and makes it difficult for youth to transition into adulthood. FUP offers an important resource to support these youth. However, to date, there is limited evidence about how FUP may be addressing the needs of this population.

[Are there any incentives to participate?]

We are not offering any incentives for participation in this data collection. However, we hope that your program will benefit from what we learn.

[What does participation involve?]

You have the opportunity to participate in a 35-minute online survey. We ask that you and other FUP Liaisons complete the survey to provide information about how your FUP program functions, how you work with your partnering organizations, and how you serve youth.

[What is the purpose of the study]

The purpose of the study is not to evaluate agencies or programs, but rather to learn about how communities use FUP to serve youth who are transitioning from foster care in practice. It will explore the experience of entities who collaborate to distribute Family Unification Program vouchers to youth such as Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), and partnering organizations that may provide additional services such as Public Child Welfare Agencies (PCWAs) and Continuums of Care (COCs). It will also assess the benefits and challenges of these collaborations to better understand what works and how to best serve this population.

[Human subjects protections]

All programs providing FUP vouchers to youth are invited to participate, but participation is completely voluntary. It is your choice to participate or not, and you may elect not to answer any particular question. Your agency’s FUP funding will not in any way be affected by whether or not you choose to participate.

The information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. No information will be reported in any way that would permit identifying information of any participant. The findings from the study will be summarized in a final report, but your name or other identifying information will not be included in any of those documents.

This study has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB number and expiration date for this study are OMB #: XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX.

If you have questions or concerns about the study, please contact:

Team Member Name

Organization

Phone Number

Email Address

If you feel that your rights have been violated or that you have not been treated fairly contact:

IRB Name

Organization Name

Address

Phone Number

[How will you report findings]

The findings will be summarized in a final report. This product will be published on the Urban Institute website. We will not share the report with the public before it is published.

All information gathered from agency managers, staff, and frontline workers at any of the partner organizations involved in your FUP program will be combined to create a picture of your program and to understand how your program is similar to, and different from, other FUP programs in the evaluation. The evaluation will not identify any individuals in any documents or publications.

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 number for the described information collection is XXXX-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.