Attachment 7: CAN Partner Interview Guide and Consent
OMB Control No. 0920-1154
Exp. Date 3/31/2026
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My name is [FACILITATOR NAME]. I work at [CONSULTANCY NAME]. I am here with my colleague [insert notetaker name], who will be taking notes today. We will also have a couple CDC observers who will be listening in.
Today, our discussion will focus on the perspectives that partner organizations like yours have about and child abuse and neglect, as well as how we can prevent it. The information you share with us today will help us create future messages and content to help people recognize and prevent child abuse and neglect. We will ask about your organization's role in preventing child abuse and neglect and how you communicate with your audiences about child abuse and neglect. We will also present various messages about child abuse and neglect and then ask you questions about your reactions and responses to these messages. The interview will be largely conversational, so please feel free to raise any additional points or share your own unique insights on our messages. Our discussion should last around 60 minutes.
Before we start, I’d like to remind you that your involvement is voluntary, and you may end your participation at any time. Your feedback is valuable to us and the success of our messages on this topic. To make sure we don’t miss anything, this session will be recorded. However, we will only use these recordings to inform a written recommendations report. The recordings will be stored on a secure computer folder. Your responses are confidential, and our report will not identify you or any other participant. If you are still willing to participate in this interview, please say, “Yes.” [If someone no longer wants to participate, thank the person and dismiss them.]
Do you have any questions for me before we get started?
Partner Questions [10 mins]
What is your/your organization’s role in addressing or preventing child abuse and neglect?
How do you/your organization define child abuse and neglect?
How does your organization talk about child abuse and neglect?
Probe: What language or terminology is used?
Probe: What language or terminology is not used/is avoided/is stigmatizing?
Probe: What terms resonate most with your audiences?
What is CDC’s role in communicating about child abuse and neglect?
Probe: In what ways should CDC’s role be different?
Would you prefer CDC talk about child abuse and neglect differently?
Probe: If so, what language or terminology should CDC use?
Probe: If so, what language or terminology should CDC not use/avoid?
Do your audiences/the people you serve generally believe they have a role in preventing child abuse and neglect?
I’d like to get your feedback on some new messaging that’s being developed in relation to child abuse and neglect. You can imagine the main message as a headline that might appear at the top of a poster or on a website, and the supporting message as information that might go underneath that headline.
[Display slide with child abuse and neglect messages on screen, reading each message aloud]
[Message Set #1]
Main Message: Organizations at all levels must work together, across sectors to protect children, families, and communities from child abuse and neglect.
Supporting Message: Our policies and prevention work can bring kids the relationships and environments they need to thrive today and for years to come.
Supporting Message: We must do right by kids by working together with partners, caregivers, and parents to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Message Set #2:
Main Message: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a type of adverse childhood experience (ACE).
Supporting Message: Some children experience ACEs without experiencing abuse or neglect, but by definition, all CAN survivors have also survived ACEs.
I’m going to ask you some questions about this messaging. Feel free to talk about whatever stands out to you – the entire set of messaging, the main message, or any sub-messages. If you have something to say about a specific part of the messaging, please identify which piece you are talking about using the number or letter provided.
[Ask the following questions for each message displayed. Probes will be asked as needed. Messages will be prioritized for testing, and we will test as many messages in this section as 20 mins will allow.]
How would you sum up in just a few words your first impression of this messaging?
Probe: How well do you think the main ideas come across? Is it clear/easy to understand?
Probe: What do you think of this idea?
Probe: Was your reaction to this positive or negative?
Probe: Does your organization agree with any specific parts of this messaging? If so, what?
Probe: Does your organization disagree with any specific parts of this messaging? If so, what?
Is this messaging believable? Why/why not?
Probe: Do you have recommendations for how to improve the credibility of this messaging?
How relevant is this information for you?
Probe: Does this information already exist on your website or other organization repository?
Probe: Who would you share this information with?
Probe: When would you share this information? What events/circumstances might prompt you to share it?
Probe: Where would you share this information (e.g., setting, platform)?
How could it be improved?
Probe: Is there anything you want to know that this messaging does not tell you?
Probe: Is there a way to say this differently that would make it clearer/less confusing?
Probe: Are there any words or phrases that bother you or that you think should be said differently?
Probe: Is there a way to say this differently that would make you personally, or the populations you work with, more likely to notice and think about the messaging?
Probe: Is there a way that this message from CDC could be changed to better support your work.
Next, I’m going to have you compare two messages and ask you some questions about them.
[Display slide with two child abuse and neglect messages on screen, reading each message aloud]
[Message Comparison #1]
Message A: Child abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences have wide-reaching consequences.
Message B: When child abuse and neglect happens, we all suffer—we risk losing the thriving, safe community we all want and deserve.
[Message Comparison #2]
Message A: When we fail to prevent child abuse and neglect, we fail kids and families, leaving them to bear a social cost alone.
Message B: When we fail to prevent child abuse and neglect, we fail kids now and in the future—we add to a growing economic burden for our communities to bear.
Feel free to talk about whatever stands out to you. If you have something to say about a specific part of the messaging, please identify which piece you are talking about using the number or letter provided.
[Ask the following questions for each pair of messages displayed. Probes will be asked as needed. Message pairs will be prioritized for testing, and we will test as many message pairs in this section as 20min will allow.]
Which of the two messages do you prefer and why?
Probe: Which one was easier to understand?
Probe: Which one do you find more engaging?
Probe: Which one is more motivating?
Probe: Which of these messages do you think would resonate most with your audiences?
Do the messages appeal to different audiences? If so, which audiences do they appeal to?
Probe: Which audiences should CDC prioritize?
[If presenting main and supporting messages] Probe: Which one do you think makes a more appropriate headline for the sub-messages?
[If presenting main and supporting messages] Which of the supporting messages do you prefer and why?
Probe: Which one was easier to understand?
Probe: Which one do you find more engaging?
Probe: Which one is more motivating?
Probe: Which one adds on to your existing messaging using CDC’s voice?
Do your audiences/the people you serve generally trust your organization when it comes to topics and communication about child abuse and neglect?
What is your audience's preferred communication method (in-person, phone call, email, etc.)? Does that method differ when it comes to sensitive topics like child abuse and neglect?
Is there anything that would make your audience/the people you serve more motivated to engage with child abuse and neglect and prevention messaging?
Probe: What kinds of messaging or PSAs do your audiences generally engage with?
Is there any additional information you think we should know?
Does anyone have any questions about what was discussed today?
Are there any other types of messaging disseminated by CDC that would support your work to prevent child abuse and neglect?
If there are no additional items to add or questions I would like to thank you for your time and for sharing your experiences with me today.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-05-19 |