Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)

Federal Register Volume 81, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)

Notices

Pages 67353-67354

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2016-23628

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Title: National Study of Title IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations.

OMB No.: New Collection.

Description: The National Study of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations is sponsored by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and involves the conduct of a cross-site study of jurisdictions (referred to as waiver jurisdictions) approved to operate demonstrations authorized by section 1130 of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, Public Law 112-34. The demonstrations involve waivers of certain provisions of the foster care program authorized by title IV-E of the Social Security Act. Child welfare agencies in waiver jurisdictions are operating demonstrations to implement a variety of programs and interventions that serve children and families in an effort to improve their safety, permanency, and well-being. Each waiver jurisdiction is required to conduct a third-party evaluation of its demonstration. The National Study will examine the extent to which safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes have improved for children and families; the characteristics of waiver jurisdictions where improvements in outcomes have occurred; expenditure patterns and the types of activities for which waiver jurisdictions have increased funding; and the extent to which waiver jurisdictions have experienced practice and systems-level changes.

The National Study uses a mixed-method approach to examine 25 waiver jurisdictions (including 23 states, the District of Columbia and one tribal government) with Terms and Conditions approved in Federal Fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Proposed data collection methods are two topically-focused telephone surveys: (a) A telephone survey of waiver jurisdiction representatives and evaluators who are focused on measuring well-being, and (b) a second telephone survey of waiver jurisdiction representatives and evaluators that is focused on understanding practice and systems-level changes within child welfare service systems. Also proposed is a Web-based survey of waiver jurisdiction representatives and evaluators that will look more broadly at the implementation of waiver demonstrations and corresponding changes in child welfare policy, practice, and financing. Two sampling survey forms are being proposed to collect the necessary contact information for respondents to the Web-based survey and the telephone survey focused on understanding practice and systems-level changes within child welfare service systems. Data collected through these instruments will be used by the Children's Bureau to gain an understanding of the jurisdictions' collective experience with implementing their demonstrations.

Respondents: The respondents to the Web-Based Survey will be a purposive sample of an estimated 250 waiver jurisdiction representatives and evaluators drawn from the 25 waiver jurisdictions with waiver demonstration projects (Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin). The respondents will be identified by the 25 jurisdiction demonstration project leaders using the Web-Based Survey Sampling Form. The Web-Based Survey Sampling Form and the Web-Based Survey will be administered once during the National Study. The respondents to the Measuring Well-Being telephone survey will be a census sample of the 23 evaluators identified from the 23 waiver jurisdictions who are involved with the assessment of child and family well-being in their waiver jurisdictions. The Measuring Well-

Being telephone survey will be administered once during the National Study. The respondents to the Practice and Systems-Level Change telephone survey will be a purposive sample of 60 respondents identified from 14 waiver jurisdictions who are knowledgeable about practice, policy, and organizational changes in their respective waiver jurisdictions. The respondents will be identified by the 14 jurisdiction demonstration project leaders using the Practice- and Systems-Level Change Survey Sampling Form. The Practice- and Systems-

Level Change Survey Sampling Form and the Practice and Systems-Level Change telephone survey will be administered once during the National Study.

Annual Burden Estimates

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Number of Average burden

Instrument Number of responses per hours per Total burden

respondents respondent response hours

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Web-Based Survey Sampling Form.................. 25 1 0.33 8.25

Web-Based Survey................................ 250 1 0.33 82.5

Measuring Well-Being Telephone Survey........... 23 1 1 23

Practice- and Systems-Level Change Survey 14 1 0.25 3.5

Sampling Form..................................

Page 67354

Practice- and Systems-Level Change Telephone 60 1 1 60

Survey.........................................

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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 177.25.

Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20201. Attention Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection. Email address: infocollection@acf.hhs.gov.

OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Email: OIRA_SUBMISSION@OMB.EOP.GOV, Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for Children and Families.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.

FR Doc. 2016-23628 Filed 9-29-16; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P

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