Appendix C: Emails and Text for Outreach to Youth

Appendix C

Emails and Texts for Outreach to Youth

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Initial Outreach for Follow-up Surveys

Advance Letter/Email text

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME]:

[About six months ago/Last year] you completed a survey as part of your participation in the Supporting Youth to be Successful in Life study, also known as SYSIL – thank you for your participation!

As you may remember, we told you we would be contacting you to complete additional surveys. It is now time to complete the [second/third/final] survey. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will receive a $[45/50/65] gift card.

To complete the survey online, please [click the user-specific link below/click the link below and enter your username and password].

Survey link: [User specific-URL/Survey link]

[Username: [USERNAME]]

[Password: [PASSWORD]]

You can also complete the survey at your convenience by calling us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. If we don’t hear from you in a few weeks, a member of the study team will reach out to you to complete the survey over the phone. If your phone number has changed since last year, please call us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX to update your number.

The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. It is similar to the [other/s] – it asks about you, your attitudes and outlook towards the future, experiences with the child welfare system, education and employment history and goals, involvement with the criminal/juvenile justice system, access to available system resources, connections with adults and peers, and parenting. The information you provide will be used to better understand the challenges youth with experience in foster care face as they transition to adulthood. The results of the study will be used to make improvements to programs designed to help other youth with similar experiences.

All information collected for the study will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Your responses will be combined with those from other youth. Your name will not be attached to the answers you give, and no one outside the study team will see your answers. In the future, information from this study may be securely shared with qualified individuals to help learn more about the experiences of youth and young adults who have been in foster care. The information that is shared will only include a study ID number and not your name.

Participation in the study is voluntary. You can choose to stop participating at any time with no consequences, and you do not have to answer any survey questions you do not want to answer.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call Melissa Thomas, Mathematica’s Survey Director, toll-free, at 1-855-888-2092 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Initial text outreach

Hi [FIRST NAME]! It’s time to complete the next SYSIL follow-up survey and get your $[45/50/65] gift card! Here’s the link to complete the survey: [customized link]

Follow-up Survey Reminders

Email

Subject Line: Don’t forget to complete the SYSIL follow-up survey!

Dear [PARTICIPANT NAME],

This is a reminder to complete the follow-up survey for the Supporting Youth to be Successful in Life study, also known as the SYSIL study.

This survey will take about 30 minutes to complete, and you will receive a $[45/50/65] gift card after completing the survey. To complete the survey online, please click on the link below.

Survey Link: SYSIL Follow-up Survey [customized link]

If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at 855-888-2092 or email us at [email protected]. Time is running out to complete the survey, so we hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you for your help making this study a success.

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas

Survey Director, SYSIL

Text Reminder

Hi [FIRST NAME]! Don’t forget to complete the SYSIL follow-up survey to get your $[45/50/65] gift card! Here’s the link: [customized link]

Contact Update Request

Email

Hi [FIRST NAME]! It’s time to update your contact information for the SYSIL study! If your contact information has changed in the last 3 months, please let us know so we can reach you for our next survey and you can receive your $[45/50/65] gift card for completing the survey.

Call us toll-free at 855-888-2092 or email us at [email protected] to update your information. Thanks!

The SYSIL Study Team

Text

Hi [FIRST NAME]! Please call the SYSIL study team toll-free at 855-888-2092 or email us at [email protected] if your contact information has changed in the last [3/6] months. Your information is needed so we can reach you when it’s time to complete the next survey and you can receive your $[45/50/65] gift card for completing the survey. Thanks!