Focus Groups with Elder Justice Professionals

OMB Number: 1105-0NEW Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Focus Groups with Elder Justice Professionals

Recruitment/Sampling Screener

The following one-minute screener will be used to recruit elder justice professionals to participate in the focus group and ensure sampling criteria is met.

1. Please complete/confirm the following pieces of information for your organization. 

Agency Name
ZIP (Dropdown)
Is your organization located in an urban, suburban, or rural location?

2. Please specify the catchment area served by your organization: (Select only one)

• Statewide

• Countywide (please specify): ____________

• Multi-county (please specify): ____________

• Citywide (please specify): ____________

• Multi-city (please specify): ____________

• Tribal (please specify): ____________

• Not Listed (please specify): ____________

3. Which of the following best describes the type of organization in which you work? (Select all that apply)

• Community-Based

• Criminal Justice Government Agency

• Education

• Faith-Based

• Federal [Survey programmer add question: What is your agency’s primary area of focus regarding elder justice: Research, Regulator, Capacity Building, Public Outreach, Enforcement, Victim Services]

• Human/Social Services

• Health/Medical Services

• Legal Services

• Legislation/Policymaking

• Non-Profit

• Not Listed (please specify):__________

4. Which of the following best describes how your organization is structured to provide services to victims of ANFE aged 60+? 

• Services or programming for victims of ANFE aged 60+ are one component of the larger organization (e.g., a hospital, university, community center, law enforcement agency, prosecutor’s office, corrections). 

• The primary function of the organization is to provide services or programming for victims of ANFE aged 60+.  

• The organization does not provide direct services to victims of ANFE aged 60+.

5. Which of the following best describes your primary role in your current position? (Select all that apply)

• Advocate

• Caregiver Support Staff

• Case Manager

• Counselor

• Direct Service Delivery/Front Line Staff

• Education and Training specialist

• Information and Referral specialist

• Legal Specialist

• Management/Administrative Staff

• Volunteer

  • Not Listed (please specify): ____________

6. Which of the following best describes the number of years of experience you have working with victims of ANFE aged 60+? (Select only one)

• Less than 3 years

• 3 to 5 years

• 6 to 10 years

• More than 10 years

Focus Group Protocol

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this focus group. I’m [Insert name], and I will facilitate the focus group today. I am joined by [Insert support staff], and they will be taking notes.

On behalf of Department of Justice (DOJ) Elder Justice Initiative (EJI), ICF (an independent research and consulting firm) is conducting a needs assessment of elder justice professionals and victims of ANFE aged 60+ throughout the United States. The purpose of the needs assessment is to: (1) better understand what services are available for victims of ANFE aged 60+ and how existing support shapes victim experiences; (2) document gaps in services, and 3) record the needs of victims of ANFE aged 60+ and elder justice professionals who serve them. The findings from this needs assessment will help the EJI to better understand the needs of both victims of ANFE aged 60+ and elder justice professionals, as well as develop strategies to address these needs across the country. EJI supports national, state, and local communities in their efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation through enforcement, training, education, outreach, and victim services.

This focus group will last 60 to 90 minutes. Participating in this focus group is voluntary; you may end the focus group at any time and choose not to answer questions. We will protect the confidentiality of your responses using procedures we have in place, including aggregating responses so that no information is personally identifiable. Only members of the ICF Research Team have access to information that could identify respondents. Before we get started, do you have any questions about this focus group?

1. Awareness of Services 

1. How do you share information about victim services and resources your organization provides for individuals aged 60 and over? (e.g., law enforcement, D.A.’s Offices organization referral, court referral, family/peer, internet, printed advertisement, signage, others) 

2. What are some effective methods for telling individuals aged 60 and over about available victim services and resources? 

2. Service Access

3. What are the most important victim services individuals aged 60 and over may need:

• Immediately after experiencing a crime?

• As they go through the criminal justice process (e.g., investigation, prosecution)?

• In the long term?

4. What victim services do individuals aged 60 and over express a need for that are currently lacking or unavailable in your community?

5. What types of victim services are most difficult for individuals aged 60 and over to access? What makes it difficult to access those services (e.g., waitlists, lack of transportation, insurance, eligibility requirements)?

6. Are there any victim services individuals aged 60 and over seem uncomfortable asking for? Why? What could make them more comfortable asking for those types of services?

7. What could be done to address the barriers individuals aged 60 and over face in seeking victim services?

2. Service Delivery

8. What are the greatest challenges/barriers to providing victim services to individuals aged 60 and over?  

• How are you currently addressing these challenges/barriers?

9. What do elder justice professionals need to better serve individuals aged 60 and over who have experienced abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation? 

• What types of experts does your organization need (but do not currently employ) to serve victims of ANFE aged 60+ aged 60 and over (e.g., forensic accountant, geriatric nurse practitioner, geriatrician, gero-psychiatrist, neuropsychologist)? Why?

• What types of training or technical assistance would help you improve victim services for individuals aged 60 and over?

10. How does your organization make sure you are providing culturally, linguistically, and age-appropriate victim services to individuals aged 60 and over?

11. What other types of organizations do you collaborate/coordinate within your community to provide victim services to individuals aged 60 and over? [For federal agencies: What other agencies do you collaborate with to serve individuals aged 60 and over who experience abuse, neglect, and or financial exploitation?]

4. Future Directions and Recommendations 

12. Overall, what recommendations do you have for improving victim services for individuals aged 60 and over? 

13. What could service providers do to be more inclusive? (e.g., culture, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability)

14. Are there any promising or innovative practices you can share?

15. What is the most important thing for EJI to know about experiences with providing victim services for individuals aged 60 and over?

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this focus group. Your responses are critical to ensuring that EJI’s programs are responsive to the needs of individuals aged 60 and older who have experienced abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. As a reminder, if you have any questions or feedback regarding the research study please contact the Principal Investigators Dr. Alana Henninger and Dr. Bhuvana Sukumar by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 410-539-4160 (Alana) and (404) 592-2122 (Bhuvana).

Public Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes, including time for reviewing instructions and completing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Andy Mao, Project Coordinator and National Elder Justice Coordinator, US Department of Justice, at [email protected] or by mail at 175 N Street NE, Washington, DC, 20002, and reference the OMB Control Number-1105-0NEW.