Rollout Announcement: Senior Companion Program Independent Living Performance Measurement Study
Dear Senior Companion Program grantees,
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is pleased to announce the Senior Companion Program (SCP) Independent Living Performance Measurement Study will start July 8, 2013. The purpose is to learn how the support of a Senior Companion may affect a person’s life. We will use this information to demonstrate the value of national service and to improve Senior Corps Programs.
Two surveys will measure the benefits that individuals experience as a result of companionship (independent living) and respite care services provided by SCP volunteers. If you are a new SCP grantee, or beginning a new SCP grant cycle in 2013, you are required to use these surveys for your performance measures. Our goal is to obtain completed surveys from at least 85 percent of clients and caregivers who have been receiving SCP services for at least a year.
You will use a spreadsheet to calculate and report survey results for your SCP project. Information on how to access and use the spreadsheet will be made available to you in early August, and you will email the completed spreadsheet to CNCS by September 30, 2013.
There are several opportunities to learn about the surveys and strategies for collecting the data. Beginning the week of July 8, web-based teleconferences are available to SCP project staff to learn more about the survey and the training and technical assistance. Please view the teleconference schedule at www.nationalservice.gov/resources/sc-evaluations.
Survey materials will be available to download on July 8. Grantees can download the surveys and supporting materials from the website listed below. We are committed to supporting you in this effort and have developed resources to help you. Free training and technical assistance is available to SCP grantees:
NOTE: If you downloaded a SCP Performance Measure Survey prior to July 8, please be sure it says “Official Form July 2013” in the document header (English language only). If it does not, download the correct English language form at http://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/sc-evaluations.
Please refer to the attached Frequently Asked Questions for additional information about the SCP Independent Living Performance Measurement Study and the two surveys.
CNCS looks forward to seeing everyone’s survey results and sharing the study’s findings.
Best,
Erwin J. Tan, MD
Director, Senior Corps
The Senior Companion Program Performance Measure Surveys: FAQ’s for Project Directors
Who is required to use the surveys?
Senior Companion Program grantees that began a new grant (3 year cycle) in 2013 must use the surveys to measure outcomes they have included in their grant—H9 and/or H14. Grantees that are not beginning a new grant in 2013 may use the surveys but are not required to. Grantees that begin a new grant in FY 2014 and FY 2015 will begin to use the surveys at that time, when they implement the new Performance Measures.
Where do we find the surveys?
Surveys are available July 8, 2013. The Senior Companion Program Independent Living Performance Measure Survey and Senior Companion Program Respite Performance Measure Survey can be downloaded at http://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/sc-evaluations. A blank copy of the survey forms and completed examples are included in Appendices B, C, D, and E of this information packet.
The surveys are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
NOTE: If you downloaded a SCP Performance Measure Survey prior to July 8, please be sure it says “Official Form July 2013” in the document header (applies to English language only). If it does not, download the correct English language form at http://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/sc-evaluations.
Can we change the surveys?
No, do not change the surveys. It is very important that the survey questions are NOT altered in any way. Changing a question will prevent CNCS from combining the data from all SCP grantees. However, if you would like to add questions, put them at the end of the survey on a separate page.
Who should complete the surveys?
Clients (if you are measuring H9) and caregivers (if you are measuring H14) who have been receiving SCP services for at least one year should complete the surveys. If clients are unable to complete the survey themselves, a family member or caseworker may complete the survey for them. The surveys are voluntary. If a client or caregiver chooses not to do a survey, their access to services will not be affected.
When do clients and caregivers complete the surveys?
Clients and caregivers should complete the survey in July - September 2013.
What are the options for conducting the surveys?
You can give the survey to the client or caregiver in any of the following ways:
- In person, by handing it to them to fill out;
- In person or over the telephone, by reading it to the client or caregiver and taking down their answers on paper or on a computer/mobile device using an electronic version of the survey;
- Sending it to them through the mail; or
- Emailing them a link to the survey which they would fill out online.[1]
Regardless of how you conduct the survey, surveys must be kept confidential. This means there are no names on the completed surveys and they are stored in a safe place.
Who can help with survey data collection?
Senior Companion volunteers and project staff can hand out the survey to clients/caregivers to do it on their own. However, Senior Companions cannot help their own clients/caregivers to complete the survey, or do the survey for them. For example, Senior Companions cannot read the questions to their clients and take down the answers for them. SCP staff may ask questions and record them for the clients and caregivers.
What do we do with the completed surveys?
If you are a SCP grantee starting year one in 2013, you are required to enter the survey responses into a spreadsheet and email a copy of that spreadsheet to CNCS by September 30, 2013. If you are not a new grantee/beginning a new award in 2013, you may use the spreadsheet, but do not email it to CNCS.
The Client-Caregiver Surveys Spreadsheet will be available in August 2013 at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/sc-evaluations.
How do we report results?
Report results for H9/H14 in eGrants when you complete your Progress Report (PPR). For grantees that started a new grant in FY 2013, you will use the new PPR Performance Measures Module to enter your results. If you are a continuing grantee who chose to use the survey, you will enter the results as part of your PPR work plan results. The summary page of the spreadsheet automatically calculates the numbers to report based on the survey data you enter.
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[1] You can get an electronic version of the survey by calling the Senior Corps Survey Help Desk at 1-800-207-0750. You will need a paid account with SurveyMonkey.
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