Appendix F: Interview schedule-telephone interview with service managers
Name of Service/Program:
Name of Service Manager:
Contact Number:
Date of Phone Interview:
No. and Code of Interview:
Thank you for making the time to contribute to AI ES' study on father participation in the Stronger Eamilies and Communities Strategy. We are very pleased that your service has agreed to be involved. An important part of the fieldwork section of the study is to gain insight from the provider and the consumer perspective on issues relating to engaging and servicing fathers in SECS funded programs and services. The purpose of this interview is to learn more about the managerial experience and perspective surrounding working with fathers.
The interview will take around 20 minutes to half an hour to complete. Do you have any questions you would like to ask me before we begin?
As you are aware, this interview is being recorded by an external conferencing service. They will provide me with a sound file of the interview which will be transcribed and used as data in our study. Are you happy to proceed?
- On your survey reply you provided a description of some of your service's activities. Can you tell me a little more about the SECS funded activities that fathers are involved in your service?
- What information, skills and resources does it deliver?
- What are the intended objectives and outcomes?
- When does the service operate?
- How is it facilitated?
- What size groups does it service?
- How do fathers find out about your service/program?
- What do you hope fathers will gain from participating in the service?
- What do you hope children and families gain from fathers participating in the service?
- Is the number of fathers accessing the service an issue?
- For example, could more fathers be participating in the service or is the service experiencing high demand?
- How do you feel that meeting the needs of fathers differs from providing a service or program to other client groups?
- What about in terms of the specific group you service, do they have additional or specific needs? How have you responded to these needs and issues?
- What are the types of skills you feel project workers need to effectively engage with fathers? How do they gain these skills?
- Have your staff received any training or professional development on engaging with fathers?
- Has father participation in the service been discussed at team meetings or other forums? What issues were raised?
- [IF THE SERVICE HAS EMPLOYED STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITiNG FATHERS] How did you develop ideas for increasing father participation?
- How have these strategies worked in practice? Do you feel that they have been successful?
- What else do you think could be effective to increase the number of fathers accessing the service?
- Do you have any mechanisms in place to gather feedback from participants?
- What sort of feedback have you had from fathers and their families about your service?
- If yes, have you changed anything in response to feedback from participants?
- Do you feel that it is important that fathers are encouraged to engage with family and child services? Why?
- What barriers do you feel exist that can effect fathers in terms of seeking support or participating in family and child services and programs?
- Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
As we have discussed in previous conversations we would like to visit your program to interview workers and hold a focus group with some fathers.
What is the best way to organise to meet with staff and fathers?
Arrangements for fieldwork:
We would like to contact project workers/facilitators directly to discuss their interest in taking part in face-to-face interviews and to ask them to help us recruit fathers to take part in focus groups. We will send project workers an information sheet outlining the study and a second information sheet that can be distributed to fathers.
Project worker name:________________________ Phone:___________
Project worker name:________________________ Phone:___________
Project worker name:________________________ Phone:___________
Would it be useful to have this information sheet in any languages other than English?
Would it be useful for us to organise a translator to attend the focus group?