Attachment F – Program Managers, Staff, and Partners Interview Guide – SUD Programs
OMB Control No: ____-____
Expiration Date: __/__/____
Program Managers, Staff and Partners Interview Guide for SUD Programs
This document covers the key topics to be covered in individual interviews with program managers, staff, and partners at six programs integrating substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services with employment services. Each topic indicates which staff will respond (i.e., program managers, program staff, and partners). The purpose of these interviews, which will occur once at each of the six participating programs, is to understand implementation of this relatively new approach to serving individuals with SUD. A table at the end of the document summarizes which staff (e.g. managers, staff, and partners) will be included in each topic of the interviews.
Introductory statement for staff: The Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (BEES) study is being conducted by MDRC/Abt/MEF Associates, under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study aims to build evidence on the effectiveness of innovative programs designed to boost employment and earnings among low-income Americans. As part of this evaluation, evaluation staff members will visit six programs that combine substance abuse treatment and/or recovery services with employment services for low-income adults with substance use disorder (SUD). The goal of the study is to document best practices, challenges, and lessons for both policymakers and program administrators. In conducting site visits to each of the programs, we are talking to project directors and staff, as well as partner organizations. We are here to learn about the service delivery of your program model and understand how it operates. Our aim is to learn from your experiences, not audit or judge your programs. This interview will take up to 90 minutes.
Privacy Statement: Before beginning the interview, I (we) want to thank you for agreeing to participate in the BEES study. I (we) know that you are busy and we will try to be as focused as possible. We have many questions and are going to talk to many different people, so please do not feel as though we expect you to be able to answer every question. And, we understand that your participation in this discussion is voluntary and you may choose to not answer some questions.
Information collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. The views you express will be kept private, and nothing we publish in this evaluation will identify you by name. Though we take notes during these interviews, information is never repeated with the name of the respondent. When we write our reports and discuss our findings, information from all interviews is compiled and presented so that no one person can be identified. We also ask that you refrain from sharing anything we discuss today with others to help us ensure your privacy and the privacy of others we are interviewing. Do you have any questions before we begin?
The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to understand programs that aim to improve employment outcomes for low-income adults. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the 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 number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: XXXX-XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Dan Bloom (MDRC); 200 Vesey Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10281-2103.
Respondent Information
Name. title, organization/affiliation, length of involvement with the organization and with the program
Educational background and prior work experience
Overall role/job responsibilities
Program Context and Environment—Program Managers and Partners
Lead organization background—Program Managers
History of organization/agency
Other programs and services offered by organization/agency
Organization’ budget for most recently completed program year
Organization’s major sources of funding (e.g., funding from federal/state/city agencies, foundations, private contributions, fee for service, etc.)
Organization’s total # of paid staff: _______ # of people, _______ # of FTEs
Types of individuals served or targeted
Annual number of participants served overall
Geographic area served—Program Managers and Partners
Program’s service area, possibilities include: portion of a city/county, single county, multiple counties, other (regional effort)
Size of service area (in terms of geography and population)?
Characteristics of this area (e.g., is the service area geographically large; urban, rural, mixed)
Area demographics—Program Managers and Partners
Demographics of the service area, including employment rates, education levels, race and ethnicity, income levels, poverty status, immigrants)
Changes in demographics over time
Use (e.g. hospitalization, arrests, etc.) and history of substance abuse disorder, including opioids, in areas served by program
Local economic conditions—Program Managers and Partners
Major industries and employers
Recent economic trends (e.g. occupations experiencing earnings and job growth)
Unemployment levels, job availability, wage levels
Other factors that affect economy (e.g., natural disaster, companies coming or going, policing practices/criminal justice involvement of community members)
Community and government supports—Program Managers and Partners
Community and government supports commonly used by program participants (e.g., TANF, SNAP, housing assistance, Medicaid)
Services provided
Formal and informal coordination with community and government support program
Other organizations that provide services to program’s target population
Program Goals and Structure—Program Managers and Partners
Program goals—Program Managers
Goals of the program, including changes over time
Reasons for implementing/developing the program, particularly integrating SUD treatment and employment services
When developed and changes since initial implementation
Hypothesized impacts of the program on target population (immediate, short-term, long-term)
Source of the program model (i.e., is it based on existing program that has been operated elsewhere)
Resources and capacity—Program Managers
Resources required to operate the program
Funding sources and amount (e.g. Medicaid, SAMHSA grants, other)
Sources of curriculum/materials
Facilities (classrooms, labs, program offices)
Technology (laptops)
Housing
Treatment and recovery services (e.g. counselors, medical professionals, peer support specialists)
Other
Annual budget and funding sources
Future funding, stability of funding
Management and staffing—Program Managers
Number of staff and positions
Titles
Required experience and qualifications
Primary responsibilities
Location of staff members
Full-time employees, part-time employees
Staffing/organizational structure (e.g., type of organization (SUD treatment provider, non-profit organization), program departments, how the program is situated/managed within the larger organization or institution, who has authority over the program).
Staff development and trainings (e.g. required trainings, how often, and provided by whom)
Staffing shortages and staff turnover
Performance measures for staff
Partnerships and organizational linkages--Program Managers and Partners
Partnerships that provide training, treatment, recovery and mental health services
Type of organizations
Length of the partnership
Historical relationship
Nature of partnership
Factors that influence the development and maintenance of these partnerships
Type of arrangement: Contracts, MOUs, type of contracts (performance-based, fixed price, etc.)
Coordination mechanisms: staff responsible, regular meetings, data exchange
Strengths and challenges with partnership
Changes in partnership over time
Target population and program eligibility—Program Managers and Staff
Target population (SUD-related criteria, ex-offender status, socio-economic and demographic characteristics, including age, educational attainment, work history, marital status, children)
Program eligibility requirements (specific requirements to be met prior to enrollment)
Program Service Components—Program Managers and Staff
Description of services provided—Program Managers and Staff
Treatment and recovery services (treatment for substance use or opioid use disorder, mental health)
Medication-assisted treatment (medication provided; by whom)
Residential treatment
Outpatient treatment
Monitoring and support for adherence to treatment
Drug testing
Therapy/Counseling
Occupational training (industry, credentials)
Use of peer support specialist training
Tailoring to accommodate those with SUD
Basic skills instruction
Work-based training services
Subsidized employment
Unpaid work experience
Paid internships
Support services
Case management and counseling
Housing assistance
Financial support
Academic advising
Career advising
Child care
Work supports (tools, uniforms)
Job readiness skill development (i.e. “soft” skills)
Job search and placement assistance
Referrals to other organizations and services
Service delivery structure—Program Managers and Staff
For each service listed above:
Service sequencing
Service provider and location
Length and schedule of service component (e.g., total hours; length in weeks/months)
Content and services provided
Organizational partners in delivering service
Steps in Service Delivery—Program Managers and Staff
Outreach/Recruitment
Outreach and recruitment strategies (e.g., website, social media, word-of-mouth, fliers, referrals, community events, other agencies/programs)
Past strategies used
Effectiveness of strategies
Application and Enrollment Process
How individuals apply to the program (i.e., online, on-site, hotline)
Application process steps and information collected (in what order and by whom)
Length of application process
Use of waitlist
Obtain copy of application
Assessment and Participant Employment/Treatment Plans (including referrals)
How assessment is conducted
Information collected from the applicant
Academic and non-academic screening tools used
Mental health diagnoses
Substance use screening
Development and content of employment/treatment plan
ASAM score
Program Orientation
Orientation or information sessions
Information provided to participants after enrollment
Participant Monitoring
Use of employment/treatment plan to guide services
Frequency and mode of monitoring
Length of interactions and topics covered
Actions taken if problems/issues
Attendance or participation requirements
Consequences for non-compliance
Drug testing
Program Completion
How completion defined; point at which a person completes the program
Completion rate: reasons for high or low completion
Follow-up Services
Services provided to participants once they’ve left the program and for how long
Job retention/advancement services
Follow-up data collected on participants
Data collection, performance management, and program outcomes—Program Managers
Data collected on participation in services and outcomes
Data collected from program partners
Performance measures in place to track the usage and quality of the services delivered
Measures for tracking program performance
Information collected from participants about their experiences in the program
Recent trends in the performance of the program
Operational Challenges and Successes—Program Managers, Staff and Partners
Ways program has exceeded or fallen short of goals
Promising approaches developed by program, particularly in terms of combining treatment/employment services
Program’s key successes
Factors that contributed to this success
Challenges the program encountered and how they were overcome
Challenges related to outreach, service retention, relapse and completion
Areas for improvement; plans for changes and modifications
Sustainability and prospects for future funding
Plans to scale up, replicate in other locations
The
following table provides a summary of interview topics and potential
respondents for each.
Summary of Interview Topics and Respondent Type
Topic |
Respondent Type |
||
Program Managers |
Program Staff |
Partners |
|
Project Context and Environment
|
X |
|
X |
Program Goals and Structure
|
X
|
|
X |
Program Service Components
|
X |
X |
|
Operational Challenges and Successes |
X |
X |
X |
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Patrick Cremin |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-05-13 |