Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood
Grantee Data Collection Plan Template
Grantee name |
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Data manager |
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Data collection lead |
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Continuous quality improvement (CQI) implementation team lead |
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Date of data collection plan or plan update |
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PAPERWORK
REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BURDEN:
The purpose of this information collection is to help grantees plan
for and implement high quality data collection processes. Public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to
average 6 hours per response, including the time for reviewing
instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
reviewing the collection of information. This is a voluntary
collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and
a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB #
is 0970-0531 and the expiration date is 07/31/2022. If you have any
comments on this collection of information, please contact Dr.
Mathew Stange at [email protected].
This template guides Healthy
Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grantees through the key
stages of data collection using nFORM 2.0 to help plan ahead and
train staff so that data collection runs as smoothly as possible. A
thorough plan will help you and your team achieve high quality data
collection that is consistent,
complete, timely, and secure.
The template begins with a data collection overview (Section A) to
help you consider the context of your data collection, such as the
locations in which you’ll collect data, necessary equipment,
and client needs. Sections B through G cover key stages of the data
collection process.
Section
A: Data collection overview Section
B: Getting organized Section
C: Enrolling clients Section
D: Administering surveys to clients: Applicant characteristics,
entrance, and exit surveys Section
E: Recording participation in workshops and services Section
F: Monitoring data collection and reporting on performance Section
G: Training staff on data collection procedures
Use
the tables in each section to document how your team will conduct
data collection. The left hand column in each table describes key
data collection tasks and questions to consider as you develop your
plan. For each task, document when and how your team will complete
it and who will be responsible. Use this template as a starting
point and adjust it to meet your grant’s needs—make it
your own! You may document your data collection plans in the
template or use it as a guide to create a data collection plan in
another format if that works better for you and your team. We
recommend creating multiple data collection plans if your
organization has more than one HMRF grant, is serving multiple
client populations, will conduct data collection in different
locations or modes, or is conducting a local evaluation of some
grant components.
A
variety of resources are available to help guide you in developing
your plans. We encourage you to closely review the nFORM User Manual
and the Data Collection Logistics Manual on nFORM’s Help Page
while preparing your plan. Please also refer to the guidance on
conducting virtual data collection during the public health
emergency. These resources, along with training videos, tip sheets,
and other guidance, are available on nFORM’s Help Desk
resource site.
Review
your data collection plans with your grant team, point(s) of contact
at each location where data collection will take place, and your
Family Assistance Program Specialist (FPS). Be sure to update your
data collection plan as needed, but at least once a year, to be sure
it reflects any changes as your data collection processes evolve.
Instructions
Before you develop a plan for each stage of data collection, use this table to document key considerations that will inform your plan.
Before collecting data from clients, document how you will set up nFORM user accounts for your staff. You will also need a plan for obtaining and setting up the equipment you need to conduct data collection. The nFORM User Manual and the Data Collection Logistics Manual can help you plan your data collection.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
Review the nFORM user account types in the nFORM User Manual and determine which type of user account each of your staff needs.
Set up grantee staff accounts in nFORM. |
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Review the information on best practices for protecting client privacy in the Data Collection Logistics Manual, and incorporate them into your plans for each stage of data collection. Also review any information on protecting client privacy provided by your organization, partners, IRB, and local evaluators, as applicable. |
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To maintain data security, grantee staff and clients must use separate devices. Clients should only access the surveys, not other parts of nFORM.
Document how many tablets or laptops you will need for each client who needs to complete a survey. Consider your answer above about whether clients will complete surveys one-on-one or in a group setting.
Document how many computers you will need for grantee staff to enroll clients, record services, and generate passcodes for client surveys. Plan for having backup equipment to minimize downtime in the event that a replacement computer or device is needed. |
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Bookmark the survey URL on each tablet or laptop that clients will use to take surveys. Include the URL as a shortcut/icon so that it is easier to find. |
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Before you administer surveys, check the Internet connection in each location where clients will be completing surveys.
Determine whether you are allowed to use the site’s Internet connection (this might not be allowed in schools or correctional facilities). Check whether the Internet speed is sufficient to support your data collection—Google provides a simple speed test. And, assess whether there are security protections in place to prevent unauthorized access to nFORM. |
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Obtain Jetpacks or mobile hotspots if Internet is not available or the connection is not strong enough and test the strength of the signal in the places where you will use Jetpacks or mobile hotspots.
Determine how many Jetpacks you will need, and make sure they are optimized for the number of laptops and tablets that will be accessing nFORM and the surveys. |
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Provide clean earbuds for clients so they can listen to survey questions. Determine how many earbuds you will need for each survey administration. |
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Obtain wipes that are approved for cleaning all devices and earbuds after each client use. Determine the amount needed for each survey administration. |
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If web administration is not possible, speak to your FPS to obtain approval to use paper copies of surveys. |
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If your FPS provides approval to administer paper surveys, document your plans for printing and administering the paper surveys and data entering the responses into nFORM. Consider how often you will need to administer paper surveys and in what languages and how you will securely transport, administer, store, and ultimately destroy the paper surveys to protect client confidentiality. |
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The first step in serving your clients is enrolling them in your HMRF program. Module 5 of the nFORM User Manual provides detailed information about how to enroll clients using nFORM, including specific steps for clients participating in local evaluations.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
Confirm the applicant’s eligibility for your program and, if you serve multiple HMRF populations in your program, note their applicable population. |
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Complete the application form in nFORM to create the client record in nFORM. Consider the settings in which you will conduct enrollment and how many clients will be enrolled at a time.
Note that a client is fully enrolled after they have completed their Applicant Characteristics Survey and, for clients who are part of local evaluations, the client’s service assignment is saved in nFORM. |
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Assign a case manager to the client. |
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Grantee staff administer three surveys to each client:
Applicant characteristics survey (ACS). Clients should take the ACS before the first workshop session. Once a client completes the ACS, their enrollment is complete (unless the client will be randomly assigned for an evaluation), with the enrollment date set at the date of ACS completion. You cannot record information on service delivery and workshop attendance before the enrollment date.
Entrance survey. You should administer the entrance survey to clients at the beginning of the first workshop session, after their enrollment is complete. The entrance survey will be customized for clients depending on the population selected for the client on the application form, so confirm that all information on the application form is correct before administering the entrance survey.
Exit survey. nFORM automatically launches an exit survey that corresponds to the entrance survey your client completed at the beginning of the program. For example, clients who completed the youth entrance survey will complete the youth exit survey. Exit surveys must be completed at least 28 days after the entrance survey. nFORM will not allow the exit survey to be completed earlier than that. Be sure you have a plan for following up with clients who have left the program before they completed the exit survey so they can complete it.
Each survey follows similar processes, so this section of the template includes a table with tasks needed to complete administration of all three surveys. Adapt the table as needed for each type of survey.
Ideally, you will administer the surveys in a location where clients can spread out and have enough privacy. Plan the logistics for each survey administration well in advance so clients can start on time because delays might discourage them from participating in the survey.
Be sure to develop detailed scripts that staff can use to introduce the surveys to clients and provide information consistently. Staff should thank clients for participating, motivate them to complete the survey, provide a clear timeline, and encourage them to ask questions as needed before, during, and after the survey. Staff should reference the Privacy Act Statement and explain how to use the tablets or laptops and earbuds and how to navigate nFORM’s ACASI and English/Spanish options. All these instructions should be in the scripts.
If surveys will be administered in group settings, plan activities to occupy clients who finish early.
Modules V and VII of the nFORM Manual include detailed information about how to use nFORM to administer client surveys. The Data Collection Logistics Manual has detailed guidance on how to maintain client confidentiality and data security.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
Plan survey administration logistics well in advance, including where you will administer each survey, how many clients will be taking each survey at the same time, how many laptops or tablets are needed, and how you will maintain data security and client confidentiality throughout the process. |
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Prepare the tablets or laptops that clients will use to complete the survey. Turn them on, open the bookmarked survey URL on each device, plug earbuds into each device, and clean all equipment with disinfecting wipes. |
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Generate a survey passcode for each client and record it along with the client ID number on separate index cards or notepaper to hand to each client. If you are administering surveys to multiple clients in group settings, consider if you will use nFORM’s bulk survey passcode process to generate passcodes for multiple clients at once (see the nFORM User Manual for more details of the bulk survey passcode process). |
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Develop detailed scripts for staff to use to introduce the survey and provide a clear timeline to clients to ensure that all staff provide consistent messages. Ensure staff use the scripts when administering surveys. |
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Hand out tablets or laptops and earbuds to clients.
Give each client their client ID and survey passcode. |
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Ask clients to (1) navigate to the survey using the bookmarked URL (or open it for them), (2) log in using their client ID and passcode, (3) confirm their names, (4) answer the survey questions, and (5) ask clients to submit the survey when they are finished. |
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Ask clients to return their device to program staff or raise their hand to signal when they are done. Look at the device screen to confirm that the survey has been submitted. If not, ask the client to finish and submit the survey. |
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Plan how you will follow-up with clients who have not completed their surveys. Consider how you will reach out to clients to ask them to complete the survey. Plan to contact clients in multiple ways, such as by phone call, text, email, or in person. |
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For exit surveys specifically, attempt to complete surveys even with clients who have left the program (for example, have dropped out or have not responded to outreach). Plan to contact clients in multiple ways, such as by phone call, text, email, or in person. |
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Throughout a client’s participation in your program, you will be providing them with a range of services. All those services should be recorded in nFORM as they occur. Module VII of the nFORM User Manual provides detailed information about how to use nFORM to record clients’ participation in workshops and services.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
For workshops where clients should attend a series in advance, use nFORM’s registration feature to register clients for the series. Ideally this is done before the first class. |
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Ensure clients receive information on the dates, times, and locations of all workshop sessions (or virtual connection information, if applicable). This step applies to both registration-based and drop-in workshops. |
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Send clients reminder contacts and encourage them to attend workshop sessions. |
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Generate the attendance roster from nFORM before each class, and use it to record workshop session attendance during each class. |
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Enter the workshop session attendance in nFORM immediately after each class, then securely shred the paper roster. |
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Record individual service contacts in nFORM at the time of each contact. |
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Record referrals in nFORM at the time of each referral. |
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Check in with clients to remind and encourage them to contact the service providers they have been referred to. Record whether clients follow up with referrals in nFORM. |
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Record incentives and program supports in nFORM whenever incentives and program supports are offered to clients. |
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nFORM’s client profiles, reports, and data tools help you monitor data collection to ensure that enrollment, survey completion, and services are progressing and are documented correctly. Specific nFORM reports and data tools are bolded in the table below. Module VIII of the nFORM User Manual has more information about the content and use of each report and tool. When you develop your monitoring approach, consider the pace of client enrollment and the level of services you are providing to plan how often you will use each report and tool. In your plan, keep client confidentiality in mind. nFORM client profiles and operational reports contain some personally identifiable information and must be safeguarded to protect client confidentiality. The Data Collection Logistics Manual has detailed guidance on how to maintain client confidentiality and data security.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
Review individual client profiles to confirm client status, survey completion, referrals, and service participation. |
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Review the Client Status Report Summary to confirm who has completed enrollment, and other client statuses. |
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Review the Primary Workshop Participation Detail Report and Primary Workshop Participation Summary Reports to view the number of primary workshop hours clients have attended and assess clients’ progress toward primary workshop targets. |
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Review the Survey Completion Summary Report to confirm how many clients completed each survey and to identify clients who are missing surveys. |
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Review the Series Session Attendance Report to monitor attendance at workshop sessions. |
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Review Caseload Summary to monitor client assignments to case managers. |
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Review the User Account Activity report to monitor staff access to nFORM. |
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Review the Query Tool to track, monitor, and analyze client progress. Up to three nFORM users at each grant can access the query tool. |
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Generate and securely store a Data Export of all data recorded in nFORM, excluding personally identifiable information. Only site administrators can generate data exports. |
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Complete the quarterly Program Operations Survey and progress narrative. |
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Produce the quarterly progress reports (QPRs) and semi-annual performance progress reports (PPRs) for submission to ACF in advance of the due date to allow time for review. The QPRs are due each January and July and the PPRs are due each April and October. |
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Submit the QPRs and PPRs to ACF. |
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Now that you’ve planned how to complete each stage of data collection, it is time to train your team so they are prepared to carry out the plan. When developing your training, make sure you cover each stage of the data collection process. Consider which modes of training will work best (such as virtual, in person, or videos) and develop training materials that are appropriate for the experience level and size of your data collection team. Incorporate practice sessions and resources into your data collection training plans.
What needs to be done? |
When will we do it? |
Who is responsible? |
How will we get it done? |
We have a plan! |
Develop training materials. |
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Schedule and conduct trainings. |
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Practice data collection activities with staff. Conduct trial runs of data collection procedures with staff to ensure processes will work smoothly and staff are familiar with them in advance of client data collection. |
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Conduct refresher trainings for staff periodically, and whenever updates are made to data collection plans. |
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Conduct initial trainings for new hires as part of their onboarding. |
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File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
Author | Ava Madoff |
File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
File Created | 2024-07-20 |