Information Statement  

Family Civil Legal Problems Survey
IRB Approval: STUDY00148832
   
KEY INFORMATION
• This research is to study the impact of family civil legal problems such as custody disputes, debt-collection, housing/eviction problems, and challenges obtaining benefits such as SSI or IEP benefits.
• Your participation in this research project is completely voluntary.  • Your participation will take approximately 30 minutes or less, dependent upon the number and type of legal issues you have experienced.
  • You will be asked to take an online survey about the types of civil legal issues you have experienced. More detailed information on the procedures can be found below. • There are no risks anticipated from taking this survey.
  • There are no direct benefits for participating in this survey but you might feel a sense of agency when sharing about your civil legal problem experiences.
 • Your alternative to participating in this research study is not to participate.

INTRODUCTION  
The Center for Public Partnerships and Research at the University of Kansas supports the practice of protection for human subjects participating in research. The following information is provided for you to decide whether you wish to participate in the present study. You should be aware that even if you agree to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time without penalty.
We are conducting this study to better understand consequences of family civil legal issues such as increased debt and family destabilization. This will entail your completion of a survey. Your participation is expected to take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. The content of the survey should cause no more discomfort than you would experience in your everyday life.
 
 Although participation may not benefit you directly, we believe that the information obtained from this study will help us gain a better understanding of the prevalence of family civil legal issues, consequences of experiencing these problems, and possible interventions to prevent these challenges. Your participation is solicited, although strictly voluntary. Your name will not be associated in any way with the research findings. This survey does not ask for any identifying information and is completely anonymous. It is possible, however, with internet communications, that through intent or accident someone other than the intended recipient may see your responses. Ensuring Internet connection security will decrease the likelihood of this.

 If you would like additional information concerning this study before or after it is completed, please feel free to contact us by phone or mail.  

Completion of the survey indicates your willingness to take part in this study and that you are at least 18 years old. If you have any additional questions about your rights as a research participant, you may call (785) 864-7429 or write the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP), University of Kansas, 2385 Irving Hill Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7563, email irb@ku.edu.

Sincerely,

Stef Sloan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Center for Public Partnerships and Research
 University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
 (785) 864-9775
  stefsloan@ku.edu