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Community Engagement Strategies for Sensitive Research Studies

15th National Indian Nations Pre-Conference Institute, Wednesday, December 7, 2016 1

Community Engagement Strategies for Sensitive

Research Studies with

Christine Crossland, NIJ Ada Pecos Melton, AIDA

DeeJay Chino, AIDA

15th National Indian Nations Pre-Conference Institute, Wednesday, December 7, 2016


Why is it necessary to research sensitive topics? •  Raise awareness •  Give voice •  Improve our understanding •  Educate and inform •  Recommend and create appropriate responses

•  Prevention and intervention efforts •  Implement or improve needed services •  Develop appropriate policies




What is Sensitive Research?

•  Problems considered private, stressful, or sacred

•  Issues that cause stigmatization or fear •  Matters related to the presence of

political threat


Who is impacted? •  Individual Level

•  Victims, perpetrator, bystanders •  Community Level

•  Relatives, support groups, healers, citizens

•  Government Level •  Leadership, program staff

•  Other •  Non governmental entities




Best Practices When Conducting Sensitive Studies

1.  Provide necessary information for informed decision-making

2.  Obtain tribal government approval 3.  Follow all research policies or

requirements (e.g., tribal IRB) 4.  Draw on community based participatory

research practices


4.  Obtain and maintain tribal community involvement

5.  Provide community education and awareness

6.  Build community capacity

Best Practices When Conducting Sensitive Studies (cont.)




•  Overcoming negative research experience •  Data sharing agreements/ownership •  Ensuring confidentiality and privacy of

tribal nations and participants •  Accessing available data or building the

infrastructure to collect data •  Communicating research findings

Challenges When Conducting Sensitive Studies


Available Study Templates •  Sample Tribal Resolution •  Sample Executive Order •  Sample Participatory Agreement •  Point of Contact Letter •  FAQs •  Sample News Article




Questions?

VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIAN WOMEN NATIONAL BASEL INE STUDY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Introduction The Violence Against Indian Women (VAIW) National Baseline Study (NBS) is being conducted as part of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Program of Research Examining Violence Against American Indian (AI) and Alaskan Native (AN) Women living in Indian communities and Alaska Native villages. NIJ has contracted with the American Indian Development Associates (AIDA), LLC an American Indian owned research, evaluation, training, and technical assistance firm to serve as the NBS Research Contractor (NBSRC). The NBSRC will work closely with the NIJ and the NBS Data Center Contractor, RTI International (RTI), to implement a study of public safety and public health among AI and AN women living in Indian Country and Alaska Native villages. Purpose The purpose of this study is to conduct a survey of adult AN and AK women (18 years and older) to gain information that will produce a deeper understanding of the experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native women living in tribal communities and in Alaska Native villages, including their opinions about safety issues in their communities, the kinds of support available to them and their experiences with violence. Potential Benefit to Tribe While, there are no direct benefits to the Tribe for participating, the NBS will provide important and valid information regarding the prevalence, rate and nature of violence against AI and AN women living in tribal communities. The NBS is designed to inform tribal, state and national public policies and prevention strategies by providing reliable data for important analysis that can inform effective policies and effective strategies aimed at decreasing the incidence of violence against AI and AN women. The NBS will provide important documentation on the study methodology for purposes of informing future research in AI and AN communities.

Goals • To conduct a household survey of 25 households

within the tribal community or Alaska Native village with all adult women (18 years and older) living in the household.

• The VAIW NBS is expected to gain a deeper understanding of the health and safety issues faced by AI and AN women living within Indian communities and Alaska Native villages.

• The NBS will provide accurate data that can be used to formulate public policies and prevention strategies to decrease the incidence of violent crimes against AI and AN women.

Supporting Healthier and Safer Tribal Communities Using Tribal Data

Roles of NIJ, Tribe, and NBSRC • NIJ and the NBSRC will work closely with the

selected tribes to inform Tribal Leaders and stakeholders, such as tribal programs and the community regarding the NBS.

• The NBSRC will work closely with the selected tribes to obtain formal written approval from

Tribal Leadership through an MOU/MOA prior to conducting any research activities.

• The NIJ, NBSRC and selected tribes will participate in telephone and onsite informational and coordination meetings.

• The NBSRC will provide informational materials, i.e. articles, factsheets, and/or brochures, to inform tribal programs and the tribal community about the NBS.

• The selected tribes will provide the NBSRC household information, such as census roles, or enrollment lists in order to draw a simple random sample of households to participate in the study.

• The NBSRC will maintain the selected tribes household information, i.e. census roles or enrollment lists in a secure location at the NBSRC headquarters. Only the NBSRC will have access to these records.

• The NBSRC will work closely with the selected tribes to identify private locations to conduct the interviews.

• The NBSRC will work closely with the selected tribes to identify trauma support and childcare resources for respondents taking part in the study.

• The NBSRC will provide updates to the selected tribes regarding the NBS study progress through ongoing communication with designated tribal staff.

Proposed Time Line for Each Site Objective Timeframe Conduct on and off site informational meetings

1-2 months

Obtain Tribal Leadership Approvals 1-2 months Prepare site for data collection 1-2 months Onsite Data Collection 3 weeks Closeout Data Collection 1 month For more information please visit the NBS website: http://www.nij.gov/topics/tribal-justice/vaw-research/Pages/welcome.aspx Contact Information: NBSRC • Ada Pecos Melton Office: (505) 842-1122 • E-mail: [email protected]

This research document was developed for the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice by the American Indian Development Associates, LLC for Contract No. DJO-NIJ-14-D-0071.

TRIBAL COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 2016-____

Authorization to Participate in the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Violence Against Indian Women (VAIW) National Baseline Study

At a duly called meeting of the <Tribal Governing Body> on <Date>:

WHEREAS, the <Tribe> is a federally recognized sovereign tribal government with a <Tribal Leader Title> and <Governing Body> empowered to initiate, carry out, support and oversee research for the benefit of the <Tribe> citizens; and

WHEREAS, the <Tribe> <Governing Body> is authorized to represent, act on behalf of the

Tribe, and negotiate how and who may conduct research with the Tribe and/or that may impact the Tribe or its citizens; and

WHEREAS, the <Tribe> desires to increase its understanding of effective system response to

address domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence for American Indian and Alaska Native women throughout the U.S. The <Tribe> understands that the National Baseline Study (NBS) is aimed at estimating an accurate national rate of violence against Indian women (VAIW). Prevalence data will not be available for individual Tribes; rather data obtained from the NBS will be used collectively to estimate a national rate.

WHEREAS, theTribesunderstandsthatNIJismandatedtoconductthestudyas

stipulatedinTitle IX, Section 904(a) of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), Pub. Law No. 109-162 (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 3796gg-10 note), as amended by Section 907 of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, Pub. L. No. 113-4. Further,the<Tribe>understandstheneedforculturallyrespectfulresearchtoaddressviolenceagainstIndianwomenandsupportsNIJ’sefforts,workingthroughitscontractedresearcherstoimplementtheVAIWNBS;and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the <Governing Body> proclaims its support and authorization of the USDOJ, VAIW NBS to occur in the <Tribe> community and further allows the contracted NIJ researchers access to the Tribal data needed to conduct the study in <Tribe>.

FURTHERMORE, the <Tribe> authorizes and assigns the <Tribal Programs> to jointly

assist the NIJ contracted researchers to obtain the relevant Tribal data, identify interview sites, assist with respondent participation, provide support services to respondents, and other onsite research activities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the <Governing Body> hereby authorizes the <Tribal

Leader Title> or his designee to sign all pertinent documents thereof.


WE THE UNDERSIGNED, as the <Tribal Leader Title> and <Governing Body> of the <Tribe>, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was passed at a duly called meeting of the <Governing Body> on the ____ day of <Month>, 2016, at which a quorum was present with ____ voting for and ____ opposing said resolution.

______________________ <Tribal Leader Title> GOVERNING BODY: _________________________ ________________________ Member Member _________________________ ________________________ Member Member


EXECUTIVEORDERNO.___________NATIONALBASELINESTUDYONPUBLICSAFETY,PUBLICHEALTHANDWELLNESSOFAMERICANINDIANANDALASKANATIVEWOMENLIVINGINTRIBALCOMMUNITIES

ANDALASKANATIVEVILLAGES.

<TRIBE>EXECUTIVEORDERNO._____________

<Date>

_________________________________________________________________________________________________WHEREAS:

1. The<TribalLeader>servesastheChiefExecutiveOfficerforthe<TribalGoverningBody>withfullauthoritytoconduct,superviseandcoordinatepersonnelandprogrammatters;

2. The<TribalLeader>shallhavetheenumeratedpowerofissuinganexecutiveorder

forthepurposeofinterpreting,implementingorgivingadministrativeeffecttothestatutesofthe<Tribe>inthemannersetforthinsuchstatus;

3. Anexecutiveordershallhavetheforceoflawupontherecipient;4. The U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is authorized to

conduct the National Baseline Study (NBS) as stipulated in Title IX, Section 904(a) of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), Pub. Law No. 109-162 (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 3796gg-10 note), as amended by Section 907 of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, Pub. L. No. 113-4;

5. The<Tribe>hassupportedthegrassrootseffortsofAmericanIndian(AI)and

AlaskaNative(AN)womenandtheirsupporterstoaddresspublicsafety,healthandwellnessofNativewomenlivingintribalcommunities.

6. The<Tribe>desirestoincreaseitsunderstandingofeffectivesystemresponseto

addressdomesticviolence,sexualassault,stalking,datingviolenceforAIandANwomennationwide.

7. TheNationalBaselineStudyisaimedatestimatinganaccuratenationalrateof

violenceagainstAIandANwomenspecificallylivingintribalcommunities.


THEREFORE:

I,<TribalLeader>ofthe<Tribe>,bytheauthorityvested,Iherebyissuethefollowingorder:

1. The<TribalLeaderOffice>extendsitsfullsupportandapprovaloftheNBSresearchactivitiesneededtoimplementthestudyinthe<Tribe>.

2. TheNBSResearchContractor(NBSRC),AmericanIndianDevelopmentAssociates,

LLCisauthorizedtoconductoutreachandeducationofthestudywithvarioustribalprogramsand<Tribe>communities.

3. TheNBSRCisdirectedtosubmitaNBSIRBProposaltotheInstitutionalReview

Board(IRB)forreviewoftheNBSresearchdesignandstudymaterialsandtoinformthe<TribalLeaderOffice>oftheIRB’sapprovaldecision.

4. TribalPointofContact(TPOC):The<TribalProgram>isdesignatedtoserveasthe

TribalPointofContacttoprovideguidanceandsupporttotheNBSRC.TheTPOCandNBSRCaredirectedtoinformthe<TribalLeaderOffice>abouttheprogressofthestudyduringitimplementationandatitsconclusion.

ExecutedattheOfficeofthe<TribalLeader>ofthe<Tribe>

Onthis_______dayof_____________2016.

_____________________________________________________<TribalLeader>

ATTEST:____________________________________________________

<TribalCounsel>

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Participatory Agreement Regarding the Violence Against Indian Women National Baseline Study (NBS) Between the <Tribe>, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of

Justice, and American Indian Development Associates, LLC This Participatory Agreement is between the <Tribe> and the U.S. Department of Justice’s

(USDOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and American Indian Development Associates, LLC (AIDA) acting as the NBS Research Contractor (hereafter, NBSRC). The following sections describe the conditions and understandings covered by this Agreement.

Background The Violence Against Indian Women (VAIW) National Baseline Study (NBS) is funded by

NIJ as part of their research examining violence against American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) Women living in Indian communities and Alaska Native villages. The study purpose is to conduct a survey of adult AI and AN women (18 years and older) to gain information that will produce a deeper understanding of the experiences of Native women living in tribal communities and in Alaska Native villages, including their opinions about safety issues in their communities, the kinds of support available to them, and their experiences with violence.

Purpose The purpose of this Agreement is to set forth the process for joint development of NBS

parameters in the following areas: 1. Outreach Strategies: The Tribe will identify culturally appropriate outreach methods for

the NBSRC to inform Tribal leadership and stakeholders (such as tribal programs and the community), about the research, including use and creation of informational materials, i.e. articles, factsheets, brochures, or flyers to inform tribal programs and the tribal community about the NBS.

2. Communications Plan: The Tribe and the NBSRC will collaboratively develop the communications plan that NIJ, NBSRC and <Tribe> will follow for telephone and onsite informational and coordination meetings, and strategies for updating tribal leadership about the NBS progress, including identification of a tribal point of contact (POC) that the NBSRC will work with to implement the NBS in this tribal community.

3. Tribal Approval Plan: The Tribe will identify the procedures the NBSRC will use to obtain tribal approval for the NBS. These may include submission of a tribal research application, review by the Tribe’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), and presentations by NIJ and the NBSRC to the appropriate governing body.

4. Information Sharing: The Tribe will identify procedures the NBSRC will follow to obtain tribal information that can be used to identify household information, such as census roles, enrollment and housing lists, or other records that can be used to draw a simple random sample of households to participate in the study. Additional information will include relevant descriptive information about the Tribe, such as the different branches of government, justice and public safety, tribal programs and services, and demographics.

5. Data Protection: The Tribe will identify additional protocols for the protection of Tribal data. The NBSRC will maintain the selected Tribes household information, e.g., census roles or enrollment lists in a secure location at the NBSRC headquarters. Only the

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NBSRC will have access to this information, which will only be used to identify households for the NBS. Tribal community information will be used to complete a tribal profile that is being used to describe collectively all the Tribes participating in the NBS. The data from specific Tribes will not be shared with others and will be used only in aggregate descriptions. Data collected for the survey with participants will follow protocols developed by the NIJ NBS Data Center.

6. Field Staff Recruitment: The Tribe will provide recommendations for recruitment of local AI or AN adult women to fill positions as Site Coordinators, Field Interviewers, and Interpreters.

7. Stakeholder Engagement: The Tribal POC will guide the NBSRC in developing and documenting procedures for obtaining support from community stakeholders to assist with identification and/or provision of support services for trauma support and possible transportation for NBS participants, and to identify private locations to conduct interviews.

8. Closeout Procedures: The Tribe will assist the NBSRC Field Operations Manager and Site Coordinator in determining closeout procedures for the Tribe’s NBS activities.

Addendum Procedures Additional procedures and protocols covering the above parameters will become a part of

this Agreement upon review by <Tribal Leader>, Christine Crossland, NIJ and Ada Pecos Melton, NBSRC Project Director.

DECLARATION The below signature indicates agreement to above noted parameters for implementation of

the Violence Against Indian Women National Baseline Study. For the <Tribe>: DATE: <Tribal Leader> For the National Institute of Justice: DATE: Christine R. Crossland, Director American Indian and Alaska Native Violence Prevention Research Program Office of Research & Evaluation U.S. Department of Justice (OJP/NIJ)

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For the American Indian Development Associates, LLC: DATE: Ada Pecos Melton, Project Director National Baseline Study Research Contractor

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ATTACHMENT 1 – NBS TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT PLAN

NBS TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE <TRIBE> OF INDIANS COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

The communication plan was developed in partnership with the Tribal point of contact

(POC) to determine the most appropriate means of effective and efficient communication methods. Based on this plan, the Field Operations Manager will set up tribal site visits, follow-up meetings, and ongoing technical assistance. Below are the specific individuals or groups the NBSRC Team will be working with onsite:

1. Tribal POC:

2. Stakeholder Group(s):

3. Frequency of communication: a. Frequency by email:

b. Frequency by telephone:

c. Frequency by teleconference or web meetings:

4. Documentation of Communication a. Stakeholder Group Meetings: The Field Operations Manager or the NBSRC Site

Manager will provide Meeting Minutes for stakeholder meetings they attend.

b. Additional Information:

c. Other Stakeholder meetings:

d. Distribution of Meeting Notes: Meeting notes will be provided as appropriate to

participants by the host NBSRC or the Tribal POC, the exceptions for distribution may be discussion of sensitive information, such as household or respondent information, which are protected for confidentiality reasons.

e. Additional Information:

f. Action Items:

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5. Roles and Responsibilities: a. Field Operations Manager:

b. Tribal POC:

INFORMATION SHARING PLAN

The Tribe authorizes the Department or Office to provide an electronic copy of the following (e.g., enrollment, household, voter list) to American Indian Development Associates, LLC for use in developing a sample of households to be included in the NBS. The sample households will be the source used to select eligible AI or AN women to participate in the NBS survey.

No one other than the American Indian Development Associates, LLC acting as the NBS

Research Contractor shall have access to the list, the Household Sample, or the list of selected survey respondents. Only AIDA hired Field Staff, such as the local Site Coordinator and Field Interviewers will have access to the Household Sample for the purposes of identifying the household that will be contacted and the eligible women to recruit as survey respondents. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN

As appropriate or feasible, local groups that already exist in the community, such as a

victims' advisory groups, support groups, or multidisciplinary teams may be enlisted to serve on the Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) for the NBS. If such a group is not available, advice will be sought on best ways to obtain local input on research tasks and activities.

The Stakeholders Roles will assist in delivering the following activities for each tribal site:

1. Identify culturally relevant community NBS awareness strategies and outreach materials, such as a tribal newsletter articles, public service announcements, and other informational materials.

2. Identify local facilities to conduct the study.

3. Identify potential Field Staff—Site Coordinators, Field Interviewers, and Interpreters.

4. Identify potential Field Support Staff or resources for trauma support and possible transportation resources.

5. As feasible and appropriate, participate in community meetings or tribal leadership meetings.

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Data Collection

1. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will provide ongoing assistance for the local field staff during data collection and, if necessary, modify procedures based on tribal input that are deemed appropriate for the <Tribe>.

2. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will work closely during the data collection phase to continually engage tribal stakeholders to ensure that the site procedures are appropriate and technical assistance is provided.

OUTREACH STRATEGIES

Written Information 1. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will obtain instructions for preparation and

prepare a tribal newsletter article and submit to the Tribal POC for review and dissemination to relevant community stakeholders.

2. The Tribal POC will arrange for review and comment by relevant stakeholders and send

them to the NBSRC Field Operations Manager. 3. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will revise and resubmit to the Tribal POC who

will submit the revised article to the tribal newsletter editor.

a. The final article should be included as part of the final closeout documents provided to the tribe.

Preparation of Public Service Announcements 1. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will work with the Tribal POC and relevant

stakeholders to determine whether local radio stations should be used for Public Service Announcements (PSA). If the group agrees, the follow steps should be followed: a. Create a list of stations to be contacted. b. Determine methods for obtaining a spot on the station for the PSA, such as a letter,

personal meetings, phone calls, etc. c. Determine who should make the contacts with the station manager.

2. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will work with the Tribal POC and relevant stakeholders to prepare a PSA script for use with the local radio station(s).

3. The Tribal POC will submit the final agreed upon PSA script to the tribal radio station.

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a. The final PSA script should be included as part of the final closeout documents provided to the tribe.

CLOSEOUT PROCEDURES

1. The NBSRC Field Operations Manager will work with Site Coordinator to arrange for

appropriate Site Closeout Procedures.

2. The Site Coordinator will conduct Closeout Update meetings, with assistance from NBSRC Field Operations Manager, to inform the tribal government representatives about how the study was conducted in their community.


Sample - Tribal NBS News Article Study on Public Health, Wellness and Public Safety in Tribal Communities The <Tribe> is supporting grassroots initiated research on public safety, health and wellness affecting Indian women. This research was requested by Indian women and tribal leaders during consultations held by the U.S. Department of Justice and with separate visits to various congressional delegates. These advocacy efforts caused Congress to mandate the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) conduct national research to study the public safety, public health and wellness needs of Indian women living on tribal lands. The <Tribe> desires to understand more thoroughly and address the public safety, health and wellness needs of <Tribe> women is reflected in their agreement to participate in the study efforts during [meeting date and forum] meeting. The research activities will begin this [season] and conclude by [projected date of completion]. The activities include interviews with a random sample of <Tribe> women living in the <Tribe>. Trained Indian women interviewers will conduct the interviews. We look forward to implementing this research in <Tribe>and hope to learn about effective ways the <Tribe> can improve response to the public safety, public health and wellness needs of Indian women. By participating in the study of this research, the <Tribe> will be helping to advance the best ways to conduct culturally effective and respectful research in tribal communities that will be used for policy development, program improvements, and the enhancement of Indian women’s public safety, public health and wellness needs.

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