Development of Participant Surveys

When developing satisfaction surveys, it is important to think through what information is most valuable to obtain from participants and which methods will glean honest, constructive responses. However, this must also be balanced with a need to keep surveys concise and easy to use. Participants are more likely to complete short, direct surveys. Important questions to consider when developing surveys include the following:

What aspects of our behavioral health-criminal justice program are we assessing? Participant satisfaction surveys can cover many parts of a program experience, from referrals to quality of service to participant outcomes. However, individual programs may not oversee all aspects of service delivery. Consider and base questions only around the participant’s experience as a direct result of the services provided by the program.

What survey format/structure is easiest for participants to complete? Consider which format(s) works best for your participants (i.e., paper, online, telephone) and the implications of each. For example, if the survey is administered over the phone, staff conducting the survey will need to determine how responses are recorded, how to ensure that the participant understands the questions, and how the results will be shared. It’s also important to consider the number of questions participants will be able or willing to answer, as well as how these questions are structured, and what plans are in place if participants cannot answer the questions on their own. Yes/no answers to satisfaction surveys may not yield the most helpful information. So, think about using short answers and ranking questions for participant responses.

How can we assure participants that they can respond honestly without fear of ramifications? Understand that some may raise confidentiality concerns or worry that their candid responses will negatively impact their care. Consider how you will inform participants of the purpose of the survey, who will have access to their responses, and what rights they have to opt-out of the survey at any time.

Who should administer the surveys and when? Consider who is best positioned to administer surveys to participants. This is typically based on who has developed a rapport with participants to obtain honest, constructive responses and who has the capacity to administer them regularly. Common administrators are research partners, peer specialists, case managers, and probation officers. Relatedly, you will also need to determine when surveys will be administered and how often (e.g., every 6 months, 30 days after release from a correctional facility, at program completion). The timing of the survey is often connected to its purpose. For example, if a survey focuses solely on participants’ satisfaction with the service climate and their expectations for results, the survey will likely be administered early on.

Ways to Ensure Feedback Informs Programming

Well-crafted surveys will yield crucial information to help behavioral health-criminal justice programs identify service gaps and develop an effective action plan for quality improvement. However, to efficiently use this information, programs must have the following in place:

• Written and clear protocols for administering the survey on an ongoing basis;
• Information-sharing agreements that outline where the results are stored, who can access survey responses, and for what purposes;
• An established process for reporting survey results to key stakeholders (such as leadership and relevant frontline staff); and
• Engaged leaders and staff members who ensure that results from the survey are integrated into overall evaluation and quality assurance practices of the behavioral health programming. This might entail regular meetings to discuss survey results and specific, identified time periods to make necessary program changes to meet participant needs.