PROCESS EVALUATION INTERVIEW GUIDES
A. PROGRAM CONTEXT
1. Describe the following characteristics of the program:
a. Geographic area served by the program (i.e., boundaries of the service area).
b. Characteristics of the population in the program area (e.g., race/ethnicity, poverty
population, single parent families living in poverty, educational attainment/school drop-out
rate, substance abuse, criminal activity, and other relevant population characteristics).
c. Size and relevant characteristics of the target population to be served by the program
(including both adults and children).
d. Labor market conditions (e.g., structure of the job market, unemployment rate, wages,
availability of entry level/low skill jobs).
e. Other relevant environmental conditions that may affect program design, operations, or
effectiveness (e.g., availability of other programs/services in the locality).
2. How have these environmental factors affected the design of the program?
3. a. How did the locality (i.e., service area) initially respond to the program
(e.g., supportive, antagonistic)? Why?
b. As the program has evolved, how has the locality responded to the program? If there has
been change, why?
c. What local resources has the program been able to draw upon (e.g., volunteers, services
provided through other organizations, churches, facilities, etc.)?
B. PROGRAM DESIGN AND SERVICES
1. From your perspective, what is the overall mission of your agency? What
are the major goals/objectives of your program? [Note: Order these goals in
terms of their priority.]
2. Have the agency's program goals/objectives changed since the inception of
the program? If so, how and why?
3. a. Identify major program components and/or services available through
the responsible fatherhood program for the participants, their families, and
the community as a whole.
b. Describe each of these program components/services in detail (e.g., non-traditional
one-to-one counseling, group counseling, family outreach, fathering skills, health and
nutrition information, medical and housing referrals, and career guidance) [Note: Where
possible, provide any program documentation or literature detailing the component or
service.]
Component 1:
Description of services:
Program goals addressed by this component:
Service eligibility criteria:
Estimated Number of Participants/Family Members Receiving the Service (Annual,
Unduplicated Count):
Participants:
Family Members:
Others:
Frequency, duration, and interval of service:
Staffing:
Effects/Outcomes of the Service on Participants:
[Note: Continue same format until all program components/services have been detailed]
4. Please describe important linkages that your program has with other
programs/organizations to refer program participants for additional services
(not provided by your organization directly). For each linkage, provide the
following information [Note: provide information for three most important
linkages.]:
a. Name of the organization and how long the linkage has been in existence.
b. Types of services provided through the linkage.
c. Number and types of participants referred annually.
5. Do program components/services change during various times of the year
(e.g., the summer months)? If so, how?
6. Has the program encountered problems in retaining participants (and other
family members) within specific services (e.g., workshops, counseling sessions,
social and recreational activities, etc.) until they successfully complete the
service? If so, why?
7. What is the level of family involvement in the program? What, if any,
services are provided to families?
8. What aspects of the service delivery strategy are most innovative? Why?
9. Which components/services have been most/least helpful for program
participants?
10. Were there services that you provided in the past that you have
discontinued? If yes, which services and why were they discontinued?
11. a. Do you feel that the package of services offered (or are able to refer
participants to) comprehensively meets the needs of your participants?
b. Is there excess demand for services? If so, for which services is there excess demand?
c. What service gaps exist and how could each of these gaps be addressed?
d. Are there other approaches, strategies, or services that would contribute to better
outcomes for program participants?
C. PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT AND PROGRAM
INVOLVEMENT
1. a. How do individuals/families generally hear about your program and the
services it offers (i.e., discuss specific outreach methods that are used by the
program)?
b. Do you get direct referrals from other human service agencies? If so, which agencies and
about what proportion come from each referring agency?
2. a. Have outreach/recruitment activities been targeted on particular types of
individuals/families within the community?
b. Are there particular types of individuals/families who have been very difficult to reach
and/or recruit?
3. To what extent has the program been successful in making
individuals/families aware of the program within the community? What have
been the keys to heightening awareness of the program?
4. Why do individuals/families come to the program (i.e., what are they
looking for and what is it about the program that seems to attract them)?
5. a. Does the program use screening criteria to determine which
individuals/families it will serve? If so, what criteria have been used?
b. What are the reasons that some individuals/families eligible for services do not
subsequently become participants (e.g., have those not participating been screened out by
the agency or selected themselves out)?
6. At what stage does the individual move from being considered a potential
recruit to becoming enrolled as a participant?
7. a. Once participants are enrolled at the program, how long do they remain
as participants (e.g., longest, shortest, and average duration in weeks or
months)?
b. Has attrition from the program been much of a problem? If so, what are some of the
reasons that participants terminate from the program?
D. CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS
1. Who are the individuals receiving services? To the extent possible, please
provide a demographic profile, numbers served, and scope and intensity of
presenting problems among the fathers served. [Note: The evaluator will also
collect characteristics data through the data systems and records maintained
by sites.]
2. Who are the fathers/families not receiving services? Were there specific
groups of fathers/families within the community that the program did not
serve? If so, why? What strategies might be employed to reach these
individuals?
3. What factors (e.g. recruitment strategies, types of agencies coordinated
with, particular types of services offered, local conditions) influence the types
of individuals/families served and not served?
4. What are the characteristics of participants that drop out of the program
after enrollment? When do participants usually drop out and for what
reasons?
E. SERVICE INTEGRATION
1. What is the universe of organizations that provide or influence the delivery
of services to the target population in the local community?
2. What historical linkages existed among service delivery organizations prior
to the start-up of the program?
3. How has the responsible fatherhood program affected the degree of service
integration/coordination in the delivery of services to the target population
within the community? Describe any linkages with other community
employment, training, education, health, public health, mental health, juvenile
justice, and social services agencies/programs.
4. How have services been integrated/coordinated? Who is responsible for case
management/coordination? What is the process of case management? What
are the follow-up procedures for determining whether inter-agency referrals
result in the provision of services? What are the outcomes for participants of
these referrals?
5. What have been the advantages of coordination (e.g., reduced duplication of
services, ability to provide a wider range of services, ability to better target
services on the needs of clients, enhanced ability to recruit program
participants)?
6. What have been the major barriers to coordination? Which services have
been most difficult to coordinate?
7. Are there any clear service gaps that you have not been able to address
through coordination?
F. PROJECT STAFFING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT
1. For the current year, please provide the following:
Total Number of Full-Time Paid Staff at Site:
Total Number of Part-Time Paid Staff at Site:
Total Number of Full-Time Equivalent Staff at Site:
2. What is the staffing configuration of the program, including roles and
educational levels? Identify each paid staff member and their role/function.
3. To what extent are volunteers used? How many volunteers are used? What
role/function do they play (e.g., mentoring, counseling, administration)? How
are volunteers identified and recruited?
4. Are staff development activities available? Describe the extent and content
of staff/volunteer training provided.
G. PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM
OUTCOMES/IMPACTS
1. What kind of overall effects has the program had on participants, their
families, and the community as a whole? To date, has the responsible
fatherhood program had specific effects in any of the following areas (Note:
See impact study for specific measures under each type of effect) and, if so,
how:
a. Responsible Father Behavior (e.g., safe sex behavior, reduced unplanned child-bearing,
marriage/stable relationships, reduced substance abuse, reduced criminal involvement, and
community connectedness).
b. Father's Relationship with Child (e.g., paternity status, contact/visitation, type of
child-related activities in which the father participates, parenting skills, and closeness).
c. Father's Financial Capabilities/Support (e.g., child support, employment and earnings,
work ethic/attitude, education/training activities, housing, other responsibilities, physical
health, mental health, self-awareness/self-esteem, anger management, and ability to deal
with racism).
d. Child Well-Being (e.g., safety in the household, physical health, emotional/mental health,
academic achievement, social behavior, and problem behavior).
e. Co-Parenting Relationship (e.g., arrangement for child access, agreement on child
support, agreement/cooperation concerning child-rearing, parents' feelings toward each
other, father's attitudes toward significant others, and quantity and quality of
communication between parents).
f. Other Perceived Impacts/Effects.
2. Has the program been responsive to the individual needs and desires of
participants and their families? How has this been ensured?
3. Please provide any impressions that you might have about the program's
impacts:
a. What aspects of your program's approach or services appear to contribute most to
successful participant outcomes?
b. Are there particular types of individuals/families for which the program has been
especially effective?
c. Are there particular types of individuals/families for which the program has been
ineffective?
d. Are there characteristics of individuals entering the program that are likely to influence
outcomes?
4. How have participant impacts/outcomes for the current program year
compared to previous years' outcomes? What might explain any differences?
5. a. To what extent has the program been able to meet the needs of the
surrounding community?
b. Can you identify any specific impacts that it has had on the surrounding community?
6. a. If a long-term study of your program was undertaken, do you have any
suggestions about potential control or comparison groups (i.e., that would not
receive the intervention, but from whom you might be able to gather data on
characteristics and outcome measures)?
b. Do you think it would be possible to randomly assign individuals to treatment and
non-treatment groups (i.e., withhold the treatment from individuals)? Why or why not? If
yes, do you have any suggestions about how random assignment might occur?
7. a. What types of data are currently being collected on each participant?
[Note: obtain a complete set of forms that are completed from the point of first
contact to the last contact with the participant.]
b. What types and when does follow-up occur? For how long are participants tracked? For
how long should participants be tracked?
c. Are data being entered into an automated participant tracking system? If so, get a listing
of the variables.
H. PROGRAM FUNDING AND COSTS
1. If available, please provide a summary of the program's funding sources
(for the most recent fiscal year _____):
Funding Source 1 Amount
Funding Source 2 Amount
Funding Source 3 Amount
Funding Source 4 Amount
Total Funding Amount:
2. What types and amounts of in-kind contributions are received by the
program (e.g., donated space, equipment, volunteers)?
3. What were the major costs involved in program start-up (by major
category)?
4. What are the major ongoing costs for the program (e.g., staff, equipment
purchase or rental, transportation, subcontracts, utilities, security, etc.)?
[Note: collect a budget and expenditures to date.]
5. How do costs break down by major program component/service?
6. How do the types of participants served affect costs? What types of
participants are most/least costly to serve?
7. Have certain services been more costly to provide than expected? If so,
why?
8. What types of system(s) does the program use to track program
expenditures/costs?
I. PROGRAM REPLICABILITY
1. What features of the responsible fatherhood program would be easiest to
replicate in other localities across the country? What features would be
hardest to replicate?
2. How do location, demographics, and other distinctive features at this site
make the program either non-transferable or limit its transferability?
3. What needs to be communicated to other agencies involved in providing
services for fathers (and families) in order for the responsible fatherhood
program to be successfully transferred?
4. If you were to set up a new responsible fatherhood program in another
community? How would it differ from what was done here?
A. PROGRAM CONTEXT
1. Describe the following characteristics of the program area:
a. Geographic area served by the program (i.e., boundaries of the service area).
b. Characteristics of the population in the program area (e.g., race/ethnicity, poverty
population, single parent families living in poverty, educational attainment/school drop-out
rate, substance abuse, criminal activity, and other relevant population characteristics).
c. Size and relevant characteristics of the target population to be served by the program
(including both adults and children).
d. Labor market conditions (e.g., structure of the job market, unemployment rate, wages,
availability of entry level/low skill jobs).
e. Other relevant environmental conditions that may affect program design, operations, or
effectiveness (e.g., availability of other programs/services in the locality).
2. How have these environmental factors affected the design of the program?
3. a. How did the locality (i.e., service area) initially respond to the program
(e.g., supportive, antagonistic)? Why?
b. As the program has evolved, how has the locality responded to the program? If there has
been change, why?
c. What local resources has the program been able to draw upon (e.g., volunteers, services
provided through other organizations, churches, facilities, etc.)?
B. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
[Note: Ask staff member if he/she has been involved in the program since near the start-up of the
program.]
1. Were you involved in the getting the program up and running? What was
your role?
2. What factors facilitated project implementation? What barriers were
encountered during implementation? How were barriers overcome?
3. What changes were made in the program during implementation and in
response to what circumstances? Were any components or elements of the
original program design not implemented or abandoned early on? Why?
C. PROGRAM COMPONENTS/SERVICES
1. a. Identify major program components and/or services available through
the program for the participants, families, and the community as a whole.
b. Describe in detail those program components/services that you are regularly involved in
(e.g., non-traditional one-to-one counseling, group counseling, family outreach, fathering
skills, health and nutrition information, medical and housing referrals, and career guidance)
[Note: Where possible, provide any program documentation or literature detailing the
component or service.]
Component 1:
Description of services:
Program goals addressed by this component:
Service eligibility criteria:
Estimated Number of Participants/Family Members Receiving the Service (Annual,
Unduplicated Count):
Participants:
Family Members:
Others:
Frequency, duration and interval of service:
Staffing:
Effects/Outcomes of the Service on Participants:
[Note: Continue same format until all program components/services have been detailed]
2. Please describe important linkages that your program has with other
programs/organizations to refer program participants for additional services
(not provided by your organization directly). For each linkage, provide the
following information [Note: provide information for three most important
linkages.]:
a. Name of the organization and how long the linkage has been in existence.
b. Types of services provided through the linkage.
c. Number and types of participants referred annually.
3. Do program components/services change during various times of the year
(e.g., the summer months)? If so, how?
4. Has the program encountered problems in retaining participants (and other
family members) within specific services (e.g., workshops, counseling sessions,
social and recreational activities, etc.) until they successfully complete the
service? If so, why?
5. What is the level of family involvement in the program? What, if any,
services are provided to families?
6. What aspects of the service delivery strategy are most innovative? Why?
7. Which components/services have been most/least helpful for program
participants?
8. Were there services that you provided in the past that you have
discontinued? If yes, which services and why were they discontinued?
9. a. Do you feel that the package of services offered (or are able to refer
participants to) comprehensively meets the needs of your participants?
b. Is there excess demand for services? If so, for which services is there excess demand?
c. What service gaps exist and how could each of these gaps be addressed?
d. Are there other approaches, strategies, or services that would contribute to better
outcomes for program participants?
D. OUTREACH AND INTAKE
[Note: Ask these questions only if the individual is involved in intake.]
1. How is outreach to the target population conducted? [Note: Obtain
available brochures or leaflets that may be used for outreach.] How are
fathers identified and selected to participate in the program?
2. Do eligibility or admission criteria for services create barriers to access or
enhance access? Are any types of incentives used to encourage participation
(e.g., recreational activities, help with transportation, snacks, etc.)?
3. Are there cultural characteristics of the target group or the sponsoring
organization that facilitate or create barriers to enrollment of the target group
(e.g., language, ethnic background, or race)?
4. Why are some eligible fathers not receiving services? Which barriers to
service are internal and which are external?
5. How are intake, participation, and/or enrollment defined?
6. What information is collected at intake? How much burden is placed on
participants at the time of intake/enrollment and does this burden affect
willingness to participate or the types of program participants?
7. Overall, how successful has the program been in recruiting participants?
What factors account for success or failure?
E. ASSESSMENT AND CASE MANAGEMENT
[Note: Ask these questions only if the individual is involved in client assessment or case
management.]
1. Once enrolled, how are the service needs of participants and their families
determined? What is the process of matching service provision to
participant/family needs? What are the most common service needs?
2. Who receives a service plan? How is the plan developed? Who is involved in
the process (e.g., the participant, case managers, family members)? How is the
plan updated and monitored?
3. How and when are participants assigned to case managers? If the
interviewee is a case manager: What is his or her case management caseload?
What is the typical caseload managed by a case managers?
4. Overall, how successful has the program been in tailoring services to the
specific needs of program participants? Why?
F. CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS
1. Describe any distinctive characteristics of the fathers/families served by the
program?
2. If the staff member is a case manager: To the extent possible, please provide
a demographic profile, numbers served, and scope and intensity of presenting
problems among the fathers and families you serve.
3. Were there specific groups of fathers/families that the program did not
serve? If so, why? What strategies might be employed to reach these
individuals?
4. What factors (e.g., recruitment strategies, types of agencies coordinated
with, particular types of services offered, local conditions) influence the types
of participants served and not served?
5. What are the characteristics of participants that drop out of the program
after enrollment? When does dropout usually occur and for what reasons?
G. SERVICE INTEGRATION
1. Do you refer participating fathers and families to other agencies for
services? Which agencies? Do you have a contact person at each agency? Is
there a formal agreement to coordinate or are the arrangements informal? If
formal, what are the key provisions included in the agreement?
2. How does the referral process work? Do you follow-up after you make the
referral? How do you know the participant or family is getting the service?
3. Which have been the easiest agencies to work with? Which have been the
most difficult?
4. Are there any clear service gaps that you have not been able to address
through coordination?
H. STAFF DEVELOPMENT
1. What types of staff development activities have you been involved in? How
helpful have these activities been?
2. Are there areas in which you feel that additional staff development is
needed?
I. DATA COLLECTION AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM
1. Do you currently complete any client forms? If yes, have these forms been
satisfactory? Have they provided the types of information needed to effectively
assess, case manage, and track program participants? How burdensome have
these forms been for participants and staff? Has it been necessary to
supplement these forms with other forms? If so, please describe these
supplemental forms.
2. Has the automated client information system developed for this program
been satisfactory? How burdensome has the system been for you? Has it been
necessary to supplement this system with other data systems or files? If so,
please describe these supplemental systems/files and provide copies of their
data structures. Has the system provided automated reports that have been
helpful in processing clients?
3. Has the automated system provided the types of output reports needed to
effectively manage the program and/or case manager caseloads? Which of
these reports are being used by you and how are you using them (e.g., tracking
service delivery, assessing client needs, tracking outcomes)? How could these
reports be improved?
4. Do you have any suggestions on how the automated system might be
improved to provide better tracking of participants and their outcomes?
5. What types of confidentiality problems are involved in maintaining data on
program participants? Are there ways to resolve these problems?
6. Do you have any suggestions on how to best track participants
longitudinally (i.e., through program involvement and beyond) and what types
of data should be tracked? For what period of time do you believe it is possible
to track clients?
J. PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM
OUTCOMES/IMPACTS
1. What kind of overall effects has the program had on participants, their
families, and the community as a whole? To date, has the responsible
fatherhood program had specific effects in any of the following areas (Note:
See impact study for specific measures under each type of effect) and, if so,
how:
a. Responsible Father Behavior (e.g., safe sex behavior, reduced unplanned child-bearing,
marriage/stable relationships, reduced substance abuse, reduced criminal involvement, and
community connectedness).
b. Father's Relationship with Child (e.g., paternity status, contact/visitation, type of
child-related activities in which the father participates, parenting skills, and closeness).
c. Father's Financial Capabilities/Support (e.g., child support, employment and earnings,
work ethic/attitude, education/training activities, housing, other responsibilities, physical
health, mental health, self-awareness/self-esteem, anger management, and ability to deal
with racism).
d. Child Well-Being (e.g., safety in the household, physical health, emotional/mental health,
academic achievement, social behavior, and problem behavior).
e. Co-Parenting Relationship (e.g., arrangement for child access, agreement on child
support, agreement/cooperation concerning child-rearing, parents' feelings toward each
other, father's attitudes toward significant others, and quantity and quality of
communication between parents).
f. Other Perceived Impacts/Effects.
2. Has the program been responsive to the individual needs and desires of
participants and their families? How has this been ensured?
3. Please provide any impressions that you might have about the programs
impacts:
a. What aspects of your program's approach or services appear to contribute most to
successful participant outcomes?
b. Are there particular types of individuals/families for which the program has been
especially effective?
c. Are there particular types of individuals/families for which the program has been
ineffective?
d. Are there characteristics of individuals entering the program that are likely to influence
outcomes?
4. How have participant impacts/outcomes for the current program year
compared to previous years' outcomes? What might explain any differences?
5. a. To what extent has the program been able to meet the needs of the
surrounding community?
b. Can you identify any specific impacts that it has had on the surrounding community?
K. PROJECT COSTS
1. Please provide a breakdown of the percentage of time that you spend in a
given month by type of activity.
2. How do the types of participants served affect costs? What types of
participants are most/least costly to serve?
3. Have certain services been more costly to provide than expected? If so why?
L. PROGRAM REPLICABILITY
1. What features of the program are most and least replicable in other
localities across the country?
2. How do location, demographics, and other distinctive features at this site
make it either non-transferable or limit its transferability?
3. What needs to be communicated to other agencies involved in providing
services for fathers (and families) for this program to be successfully
transferred?
1. What are the major problems/issues faced by the local community? Have
characteristics of the community or problems changed over the past five
years?
2. Who are the fathers/families in need of services and how are they affected
by conditions within the community? To the extent possible, provide a
demographic profile, numbers in need, and the scope and intensity of
presenting problems.
3. What characteristics of the community culture are important to understand
in assessing the responsible fatherhood program and its results (e.g.,
neighborhood organization, ethnic groups, mobility of the population)?
4. What physical characteristics of the community affect problems within the
community and availability of services (e.g., transportation systems,
neighborhood boundaries)?
5. What other initiatives (other than the responsible fatherhood program) in
the community serve the target population for the responsible fatherhood
program (e.g., law enforcement initiatives, health care programs, welfare
initiatives, grass roots movements)? What organizations are involved in these
initiatives and what services are provided?
6. Do you know the goals/objectives of the responsible fatherhood program? If
yes, what do you view as the major goals of this program? Do you feel that
these goals are appropriate? Do you think the responsible fatherhood
program is addressing these goals?
7. What are the goals of your agency/program? How do these goals relate to
the goals of the responsible fatherhood program?
8. How and why did your agency come to be involved with the responsible
fatherhood program? Did your agency face any barriers to working with the
responsible fatherhood program? How were these barriers overcome?
9. Describe the current coordination arrangements. How are the
arrangements maintained? Do you have a formal agreement with the
responsible fatherhood program?
10. How many responsible fatherhood participants are being referred to your
agency for services on a monthly basis? To the extent possible, please provide
a demographic profile of the participants being referred for services.
11. How do responsible fatherhood program referrals compare to other types
of individuals served by your agency?
12. Do individuals who are referred to your agency by the responsible
fatherhood program come in for services? Do you have any follow-up
procedures for determining whether referrals resulted in provision of services
and what were the outcomes for the referred individuals? Have responsible
fatherhood staff followed-up on the referrals they have made?
13. Please describe the specific services you provide for referred responsible
fatherhood participants.
14. How successful are these referred clients in completing services? Are the
patterns of service receipt and completion the same for other individuals who
you serve?
15. How are clients helped by the services they receive through your agency?
Can you point to any specific client outcomes? Do there appear to be any
particular types of responsible fatherhood referrals that are being helped
more or less by your services (in terms of specific outcomes)?
16. What impact has the collaboration with the responsible fatherhood
initiative had on your agency?
17. Do you have any views about the relative impacts of the responsible
fatherhood initiative in any of the following areas:
a. Responsible Father Behavior (e.g., safe sex behavior, reduced unplanned child-bearing,
marriage/stable relationships, reduced substance abuse, reduced criminal involvement, and
community connectedness).
b. Father's Relationship with Child (e.g., paternity status, contact/visitation, type of
child-related activities in which the father participates, parenting skills, and closeness).
c. Father's Financial Capabilities/Support (e.g., child support, employment and earnings,
work ethic/attitude, education/training activities, housing, other responsibilities, physical
health, mental health, self-awareness/self-esteem, anger management, and ability to deal
with racism).
d. Child Well-Being (e.g., safety in the household, physical health, emotional/mental health,
academic achievement, social behavior, and problem behavior).
e. Co-Parenting Relationship (e.g., arrangement for child access, agreement on child
support, agreement/cooperation concerning child-rearing, parents' feelings toward each
other, father's attitudes toward significant others, and quantity and quality of
communication between parents).
f. Other Perceived Impacts/Effects.
18. Do you have any suggestions about how the linkages between your
program and the responsible fatherhood program might be improved?
1. Is this particular program <identify the specific program being evaluated>
part of a larger initiative in the area of responsible fatherhood? If so, please
describe this larger initiative and its goals.
2. Is this the only program site you are funding? If not, please list others.
What is the total level of funding across all of your fatherhood initiatives?
What is the level of funding that you provide for this particular responsible
fatherhood program?
3. Why did your agency provide funding for this program? What were the
features of the program that weighed most heavily on your decision to fund
this program?
4. From your perspective, what are the major goals/objectives of the program?
[Note: Order these goals in terms of their priority.]
5. How have these goals fit into your overall goals for your fatherhood
initiative (if in fact this is not the only site)? How do the goals of this program
compare to those of other fatherhood initiatives your organization has
funded?
6. Are there any important contextual or environmental factors to take into
consideration when assessing the outcomes of this responsible fatherhood
program, such as:
a. Geographic area served by the program (i.e., boundaries of the service area).
b. Characteristics of the population in the program area (e.g., race/ethnicity, poverty
population, single parent families living in poverty, educational attainment/school drop-out
rate, substance abuse, criminal activity, and other relevant population characteristics).
c. Size and relevant characteristics of the target population to be served by the program
(including both adults and children).
d. Labor market conditions (e.g., structure of the job market, unemployment rate, wages,
availability of entry level/low skill jobs).
e. Other relevant environmental conditions that may affect program design, operations, or
effectiveness (e.g., availability of other programs/services in the locality).
7. Please identify major program components and/or services that your agency
contracted with the fatherhood program to provide to the target population?
[If possible, please provide a copy of the contract or written agreement that
sets forth the scope of work under the project.]
8. What is your assessment of how well the responsible fatherhood program
has provided these contracted services? Are there program areas of particular
strength or weakness?
9. What aspects of the service delivery strategy do you feel are most
innovative? Why?
10. Which components/services do you feel have been most/least helpful for
program participants?
11. a. Do you feel that the package of services offered by the program
comprehensively meets the needs of participants?
b. What service gaps exist and how could each of these gaps be addressed?
c. Are there other approaches, strategies, or services that would contribute to better
outcomes for program participants?
12. What is your assessment of how the responsible fatherhood program has
affected the degree of service integration/coordination in the delivery of
services to the target population within the community?
13. What kind of overall effects has the program had on participants, their
families, and the community as a whole? To date, has the responsible
fatherhood program had specific effects in any of the following areas (Note:
See impact study for specific measures under each type of effect) and, if so,
how:
a. Responsible Father Behavior (e.g., safe sex behavior, reduced unplanned child-bearing,
marriage/stable relationships, reduced substance abuse, reduced criminal involvement, and
community connectedness).
b. Father's Relationship with Child (e.g., paternity status, contact/visitation, type of
child-related activities in which the father participates, parenting skills, and closeness).
c. Father's Financial Capabilities/Support (e.g., child support, employment and earnings,
work ethic/attitude, education/training activities, housing, other responsibilities, physical
health, mental health, self-awareness/self-esteem, anger management, and ability to deal
with racism).
d. Child Well-Being (e.g., safety in the household, physical health, emotional/mental health,
academic achievement, social behavior, and problem behavior).
e. Co-Parenting Relationship (e.g., arrangement for child access, agreement on child
support, agreement/cooperation concerning child-rearing, parents' feelings toward each
other, father's attitudes toward significant others, and quantity and quality of
communication between parents).
f. Other Perceived Impacts/Effects.
14. a. To what extent has the program been able to meet the needs of the
surrounding community?
b. Can you identify any specific impacts that it has had on the surrounding community?
15. Would you recommend to other agencies like your own, funding initiatives
such as this responsible fatherhood program?
16. Do location, demographics, and other distinctive features at this program
site make the program either non-transferable or limit its transferability?
17. What features of this responsible fatherhood program would you suggest
replicating in other localities across the country? What would you suggest not
replicating?
18. Do you have any suggestions to other funding agencies that might be
interested in initiating a responsible fatherhood program?
A. PROGRAM CONTEXT AND INVOLVEMENT
1. Tell me about your community. What are the worst things about it? What
are the best things about it?
2. How did you first hear about the <formal name for the responsible
fatherhood program>?
3. Why did you decide to participate in the program?
4. Do you know eligible fathers who do not want to participate in the
program? Why do you think they don't want to participate?
5. Have you participated in other programs similar to the responsible
fatherhood program in the past? What is the difference between the program
you are participating in and other past programs? What do you think are the
differences in the types of individuals participating in this program and other
past programs?
B. PROGRAM COMPONENTS AND GOALS
1. What do you believe to be the goals of the responsible fatherhood program?
Do you think that these are good goals?
2. Please list all of the program services (that you know about) and indicate
the ones in which you've participated.
3. Which components/services do you like the best and least?
4. Do you think that new components/services should be added to the
responsible fatherhood program in the future? Which ones? Why?
5. Do you have a case manager? If yes --
a. How did you get your case manager?
b. Did you have a choice of case managers?
c. Do you like the case manager that you got? Why?
d. How often do you see your case manager? Where do you usually meet? What do you
usually discuss?
e. Has your case manager ever met your family?
f. Did you get a service plan? Do you know what is in your service plan? Who was there
when your service plan was developed?
g. To what kinds of services did the case manager refer you? Were the services to which
you were referred appropriate?
D. PROGRAM OUTCOMES
1. How have you been helped by participating in the responsible fatherhood
program? Has participation in program made a difference for you in any of
the following areas?
a. Responsible Father Behavior (e.g., safe sex behavior, reduced unplanned child-bearing,
marriage/stable relationships, reduced substance abuse, reduced criminal involvement, and
community connectedness).
b. Father's Relationship with Child (e.g., paternity status, contact/visitation, type of
child-related activities in which the father participates, parenting skills, and closeness).
c. Father's Financial Capabilities/Support (e.g., child support, employment and earnings,
work ethic/attitude, education/training activities, housing, other responsibilities, physical
health, mental health, self-awareness/self-esteem, anger management, and ability to deal
with racism).
d. Child Well-Being (e.g., safety in the household, physical health, emotional/mental health,
academic achievement, social behavior, and problem behavior).
e. Co-Parenting Relationship (e.g., arrangement for child access, agreement on child
support, agreement/cooperation concerning child-rearing, parents' feelings toward each
other, father's attitudes toward significant others, and quantity and quality of
communication between parents).
f. Other Perceived Impacts/Effects.
2. How do you feel the program helped other participants?
3. Do you see any general improvements in your community because of the
responsible fatherhood program?
4. a. Do you think that individuals such as yourself in other communities
would benefit from participation in a responsible fatherhood program such as
the one you have participated in? If so, how?
b. Is there anything you would change before setting the program up in another locality?
1. Tell me about your community. Describe its residents. What are the
strengths of the community? What are the weaknesses?
2. How long have you lived here? If you've lived here over five years, have you
noticed any changes in characteristics of the population over the past five
years?
3. What would you consider the top three problems within your community
today? How do you think these problems should be addressed?
4. Is fatherlessness (i.e., the lack of a father within a home where children are
present) a major problem within the community? If so, what are its impacts?
5. Have you ever heard of the <formal name for responsible fatherhood
program>? If yes, how did you hear about the program? Do you have any
ongoing involvement with the program?
[Note: Continue if the respondent has heard of the program; otherwise stop the interview.]
6. Can you identify some of the goals that the responsible fatherhood program
is hoping to achieve within your community? Do you think that these are
appropriate goals?
7. Do you have any general impressions about the fatherhood program and
how it might be affecting your community?
8. Are there other approaches, strategies, or services that you feel are needed
within your community to address the problem of fatherlessness?
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