Appendix 7 - Cross Center recruitment language

I am writing to invite you to participate in a Zoom interview to share your experience as a [liaison/child welfare specialist] and how you work with your assigned [jurisdictions/tribal programs], other Centers, and federal staff. The information collected in this interview will be used to help understand the role of liaisons/child welfare specialists and how they function to support service delivery. This is not a personnel review, rather we are looking for themes across liaisons/child welfare specialists. The interview is voluntary and anonymous.

Are you available any of the following dates for a 1-hour interview?

Insert list of dates

If you have any questions about the interview, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at [email] or by phone at [phone number]. I hope that you are able to participate in this important study and look forward to speaking with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE BLOCK]

First Reminder Email

Subject Line: RE: Interview about your experience as a [liaison/Child Welfare Specialist]

Body message:

Dear [First Name],

I am following up on the invitation I sent on [Date of Invite Email] for your participation in an interview about your role as a [liaison/child welfare specialist].

I would very much like to include you in the interviews. If none of the dates I sent work, are there other dates/times in the next [insert timeframe] weeks that may work?

I understand you have many demands on your time and greatly appreciate the time you would take to speak with us.

Thank you in advance,

[SIGNATURE BLOCK]

Second Reminder Email

Subject Line: RE: Interview about your experience as a [liaison/Child Welfare Specialist]

Body message:

Dear [First Name],

I am checking in with you to see if you have had a chance to consider the invitation I sent on [Date of Invite Email] to participate in an interview about your role as a [liaison/child welfare specialist].

We have extended the timeframe of the interviews through [date]. Are there any dates/times before then for us to talk?

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE BLOCK]

Tailored Services Staff DEI Interview Invitation

Subject Line: Interview about your perspectives on the Center for [States/Courts/Tribes] approaches related to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Body message:

Dear [First Name],

My name is James DeSantis, from James Bell Associates. I am the project director for the Children’s Bureau’s Cross-Center Evaluation of the Capacity Building Collaborative. This national evaluation examines the types of services offered, common delivery approaches, and efforts to collaborate across the Center for Tribes, Center for States, and Center for Courts. As part of this evaluation, we are also interested in learning how the Centers’ technical assistance services build jurisdiction capacities to identify and address needs within the local child welfare systems related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We are using the term DEI to refer to minimizing bias and recognizing and addressing systemic inequities, which, if unaddressed, create disadvantage for certain individuals or groups.

I am writing to invite you to participate in a telephone interview to share your experience and perspective about the Center for [States/Courts/Tribes] activities to promote DEI as part of the recent [jurisdiction’s tailored services project] you participated in with the Center for [States/Courts/Tribes]. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the services provided by the Centers help jurisdictions address DEI in child welfare systems. Information you provide will be used to identify activities that are working well and areas where improvements would be helpful.

If you have any questions about the interview, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 703-528-3230. We hope that you are able to participate in this important study and look forward to speaking with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

James DeSantis, Ph.D.

James Bell Associates

First Reminder Email

Subject Line: RE: Interview about your perspectives on the Center for [States/Courts/Tribes] approaches related to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Body message:

Dear [First Name],

I am following up on the invitation I sent on [Date of Invite Email] for your participation in the interview for the DEI study, a part of the national evaluation of the Children’s Bureau Capacity Building Centers.

We would very much like to include you in the interviews and discuss your perspective about the Center [for States/Courts/Tribes] activities to promote DEI as part of the recent [jurisdiction’s tailored services project] you participated in.

I understand you have many demands on your time; however, you are in the best position to tell us how the Center’s work around the [jurisdiction’s tailored services project] addressed DEI. I would much appreciate if you could get in touch with me as to dates/times that might work for you for the telephone interview between now and [date].

Thank you in advance,

James DeSantis, Ph.D.
James Bell Associates

Second Reminder Email

Subject Line: RE: Interview about your perspectives on the Center for [States/Courts/Tribes] approaches related to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Body message:

Dear [First Name],

I am checking in with you to see if you have had a chance to consider the invitation I sent on [Date of Invite Email] for your participation in the interview for the DEI study, a part of the national evaluation of the Children’s Bureau Capacity Building Centers.

I understand you have many demands on your time; however, you are in the best position to tell us how the Center’s work around the [jurisdiction’s tailored services project] addressed DEI. We have extended the timeframe of the interviews through [date] and I would much appreciate if you could get in touch with me as to dates/times that might work for you for the telephone interview.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

James DeSantis, Ph.D.
James Bell Associates

Tailored Services Team Focus Group Invitation

Subject Line: Invitation to discuss staff participation in a focus group for evaluation of the Capacity Building Collaborative

Body message:

Dear [State agency director/CIP director or coordinator]

I am writing to invite you to consider allowing some of your staff to participate in a focus group for the evaluation of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative. As you know, the Collaborative provides free resources, training, technical assistance, and consultation to tribal, state, and territorial child welfare systems and Court Improvement Programs to support efforts to build organizational capacity and improve practice.

In September 2019, CB awarded a contract to James Bell Associates and ICF International to independently evaluate the services provided by the Collaborative. Findings from this multi-year, cross-center evaluation will provide CB and the Centers with valuable information about the factors and conditions that may contribute to improved organizational capacity and about the quality, utilization, and effectiveness of services. Focus groups with staff who participated in tailored service projects with the Centers are a key component of the evaluation.

Your [agency/CIP] received tailored services from the Center for [States/Courts] in support of a project titled [name of tailored services project]. The team who worked on this project have been identified as ideal candidates to participate in a focus group based on [insert reasons why agency/CIP was identified e.g., focus of the tailored service project.]. We would be grateful for the opportunity to host a 60-minute focus group via teleconference with the team to collect feedback on the Center’s tailored services. Your decision to participate or not will not affect your [agency’s/CIPs’] eligibility for capacity building services from the Centers in the future.

Is there a date and time [enter specific time period] convenient for you to discuss this request? I will be happy to answer any questions regarding time burden involved, how information will be reported, and any other questions you might have.

Thank you for your time and attention to this request.

James DeSantis, Ph.D.
James Bell Associates

Reminder Email

Subject Line: Invitation to discuss staff participation in a focus group for evaluation of the Capacity Building Collaborative

Body message:

Dear [State agency director/CIP director or coordinator]

I am checking in with you to see if you have had a chance to consider the request I sent on [Date of Invite Email] for a phone meeting to discuss your [agency’s/CIP’s] potential participation in a focus group for the national evaluation of the Children’s Bureau Capacity Building Centers.

Your staff who recently worked on the [name of tailored services project] project with the Center for [States/Courts] have been identified as ideal candidates to participate in a focus group based on [insert reasons why agency/CIP was identified, e.g., focus of the tailored service project.]. We would be grateful for the opportunity to host a 60-minute focus group via teleconference with the team to collect feedback on the Center’s tailored services. Your decision to participate or not will not affect your [agency’s/CIPs’] eligibility for capacity building services from the Centers in the future.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

James DeSantis, Ph.D.
James Bell Associates

File Type	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Author	Amanda Thomson
File Modified	0000-00-00
File Created	2022-05-20

Appendix 7 - Cross Center recruitment language