Family and Youth Needs Assessments
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the surveys?
The Maternal and Child Health Unit (MCH) has received a grant to improve access to pediatric mental health care. This survey will assist MCH to identify the barriers and the needs families and adolescents have to better access mental health care for children and youth.
Who is eligible?
Any Wyoming resident who is a parent or guardian of a child aged 0-21 is eligible to complete the family survey. Any Wyoming resident who is an adolescent or young adult aged 11-21 is eligible to complete the adolescent survey. A Wyoming person up to age 21 who is also a parent or guardian of a child is eligible to complete both surveys.
Is there a survey incentive?
All available survey incentives have been distributed. We encourage individuals to participate in the survey to provide us with the best possible understanding of family and youth needs.
How much time will it take to complete the survey?
The survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete, depending on how much information a respondent chooses to share in the open-ended questions.
What kinds of questions will be asked?
Survey drafts can be reviewed here:
All survey questions are optional (they can be skipped), and participants can leave the survey at any time without completing it.
What will happen with the survey results?
Results from these surveys, as well as similar surveys distributed to providers, will be reviewed and used to develop a plan to improve access to mental health care. Aggregate, not individual, results will be shared with stakeholders and the public in the form of published reports that should be available in early 2024.
Will my information or responses be shared?
No individual responses will be shared in their entirety. If a respondent provides a written response in the survey that illustrates a theme found in the aggregate data, that quote may be used in the report to reinforce the theme.
How are the surveys distributed?
The surveys are available online, and the link is being shared with parents and guardians both online and through flyers distributed in communities. Parents and guardians are asked to share the link for the adolescent survey with teens in their care.
Who is conducting the survey?
The Maternal and Child Health Unit has contracted with Health Management Associates to write and distribute the survey. Survey results will be housed at the Wyoming Department of Health.
Is the adolescent survey given in school?
No. Both surveys are available online, and should be completed on your own time.
Will parents/guardians be able to access adolescent results?
No. No identifying information is collected as part of the survey, so individual results cannot be connected with a specific individual. If your child takes the adolescents survey, we will not know which survey response is theirs.
How are my and my child’s information protected?
Survey responses are anonymous, and cannot be connected back to specific individuals. The survey response data will be kept on a protected server managed by the WDH, which adheres to all HIPAA protections.
What if my child’s answers suggest they are at risk of harming themselves or others?
The survey does not ask any questions that would solicit information about an immediate risk of harm to self or others. If a respondent shares in an open-ended question that they are at risk, the survey does not collect enough information to identify that respondent or their location. Survey participants are provided information within the survey about the availability of and how to access the Wyoming Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988).
Does my child need my permission to take the survey?
No. Requiring permission would remove the anonymity of the survey. WDH relies on parents’ and guardians’ judgment to determine if the survey is appropriate for their child, and then to share or not share the survey link as appropriate.
What if I don’t want my child to take the adolescent survey?
The survey is being distributed and advertised to parents and guardians, and parents/guardians are asked to share the survey with their child if they are eligible for the adolescent survey. To maintain anonymity of survey respondents, WDH will not ask for the identity of any survey respondent, and so cannot guarantee that any specific teen will be barred from completing the survey. Parents and guardians are encouraged to use their judgment and talk directly to their child if there are concerns about a child participating in the adolescent survey.