[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 53 (Monday, March 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13508-13510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5476]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Proposed Projects:
    Title: Data Collection for the Fourth National Incidence Study of 
Child Abuse and Neglect.
    OMB No.: New collection.
    Description: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
intends to collect data for the next National Incidence Study of Child 
Abuse and Neglect (NIS). This will be the fourth cycle of this periodic 
study. NIS-1, mandated under Public Law (Pub. L.) 93-247 (1974), was 
conducted in 1979 and 1980, and reported in 1981. NIS-2, mandated under 
(Pub. L.) 100-294 and the Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Adoption, and 
Family Services Act of 1992 (Pub. L.) 102-295, was conducted between 
1993 and 1995, and reported in 1996. NIS-4, mandated by the Keeping 
Children and Families Save Act of 2003 (Pub. L.) 108-36, will gather 
data in 2005 and 2006, and be reported in 2008.
    NIS is unique in that it goes beyond the abused and neglected 
children who come to the attention of the Child Protective Services 
(CPS) system. In contrast to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data 
Systems (NCANDS), which rely solely on reported cases, the NIS design 
assumes that reported children represent only a portion of the children 
who actually are maltreated. NIS estimates the scope of the maltreated 
child population by combining information about reported cases with 
data on maltreated children identified by professionals (called 
``sentinels'') who encounter them during the normal course of their 
work in a wide range of agencies in representative communities. 
Sentinels are asked to remain on the lookout for children whom they 
believe are maltreated during the study reference period and to provide 
information about these children.
    Children identified by sentinels and those whose alleged 
maltreatment is investigated by CPS during the same period are 
evaluated against standardized definitions, and only children who meet 
the study standards are used to develop the study estimates. The study 
estimates are couched in

[[Page 13509]]

terms of nunmbers of maltreated children, with data unduplicated s o 
that a given child is counted only once. Confidentiality of all 
participants is carefully protected through study procedures and with a 
Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH).
    A nationally representative sample of 122 counties has been 
selected and all 125 local CPS agencies serving the selected counties 
have been identified. Plans have been developed to obtain data on cases 
investigated during the period, September 4, 2005 through January 3, 
2006. Sentinels in the selected counties are being identified through 
samples of agencies in 11 categories: County juvenile probation 
departments, sheriff (and/or state police) departments, public health 
departments, public housing departments, municipal police departments, 
hospitals, schools, day care centers, social service and mental health 
agencies, and shelters for battered women or runaway/homeless youth. 
Over 1,700 sentinel agencies are being selected. Plans are being 
developed to identify staff in these agencies that have direct contact 
with children to serve as sentinels during the study by submitting data 
on maltreated children they encounter during the study reference 
period.
    In addition to the main NIS-4 study to measure the incidence of 
maltreated children, two related surveys of participation CPS agencies 
will be conducted to enhance the interpretability of the findings: (1) 
The CPS Screening Records Survey will collect information on the CPS 
agencies' screening practices to understand the kinds of reports they 
would not accept for investigation but would instead screen out or 
refer for an alternative agency response. (The main NIS-4 will collect 
data from CPS agencies only on investigated children.) This survey will 
be conducted through telephone interviews with intake supervisors in 
the participating CPS agencies serving the NIS-4 counties; and (2) The 
Surveyon CPS Structure and Policies will collect information on the CPS 
agency context during NIS-4 to provide a basis for relating 
jurisdictional differences in the NIS incidence findings to the 
operational structure and practices of the local CPS agencies. This 
will be implemented through a mail survey to participating NIS-4 CPS 
agencies. The survey will be organized into four topical modules 
(covering administration, screening, investigation, and alternate 
response policies and practices) and the agencies will be asked to have 
agency staff with the appropriate expertise complete each module.
    The respondents and data collection instruments are as follows:
    Respondents: Nationally Representative CPA Agencies and Nationally 
Representative Sentinel Agency Staff.
     The CPS Maltreatment Form will collect details from CPS 
agencies concerning the children and maltreatment events in a sample of 
cases and will be used in characterizing maltreated children and 
generating national estimates of their numbers in different categories 
of abuse and neglect.
     The CPS Summary data Form will be completed on all non-
sampled cases investigated by CPS during the reference period and will 
be used for unduplicating multiple records on the same child both 
within the CPS data and between the CPS and sentinel data. The CPS 
Summary Data Form data will be collected electronically whenever 
possible.
     The Sentinel Data Form will obtain details from sentinels 
concerning each maltreated child they encounter during the reference 
period.
     The CPS Screening Records Survey will be administered to 
CPS agencies as described above.
     The Survey on CPS Structures and Policies will be 
administered to CPS agencies as described above.

                                       NIS-4 Annual Burden Hour Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                   Instrument                        Number of     responses per     hours per     Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPS Maltreatment Data Form......................             125             a80            b.55           5,500
CPS Summary Forms, hard copy c..................              31          d1,056            e.08           2,619
CPS Summary Forms, electronic c.................              94               1              20          f1,880
Sentinel Data Form..............................          12,000             g.8            h.35           3,360
CPS Screening Records Survey....................             125               1              i1             125
Survey on CPS Structures and Policies...........             125               1           j2.89             361
                                                 -----------------
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours.........  ..............  ..............  ..............         13,845
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a Estimated by dividing 10,000 (estimated number of sampled cases) by 125 (number of CPS agencies). The actual
  sample sizes within the CPS agencies may diverge from this average of 80.
b Based on CPS workers' average estimate of 33 minutes per form.
c Assumes that on-fourth of the 125 agencies will only be able to submit hard-copy forms while three-fourths
  will be capable of submitting the data electronically. (Note: electronic submission will be used with every
  agency that has the capability to do so.)
d Based on NCANDS caseload data, we estimate that we will receive a total of 132,000 CPS Summary Forms, or an
  average of about 1,056 from each of the 125 agencies.
e Based on CPS workers' average estimate of 5 minutes per form.
fBased on an estimated 20 hours per agency for working out the specifications, programming, review, and
  documentation to produce the files with the summary form information.
g Using the NIS-3 average of .8 form per recruited sentinel.
h Based on sentinels' average estimate of 21 minutes per form.
i Based on simulated interviews conducted by contractor staff.
j Based on the contractor's estimate of 2.25 hours for the administration, screening, and investigation modules
  (completed by 100 percent of agencies) and 1 hour for the alternative response module (completed by 64 percent
  of agencies, based on findings from the Local Agency Survey in the National Study of CPS Systems and Reforms
  Efforts).

    Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be 
obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, 
Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant 
Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance 
Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the 
information collection. E-mail address: [email protected].

[[Page 13510]]

    In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction act of 1995, the Administration for Children and 
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of 
Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, 
SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail 
address: [email protected]. All requests should be identified by 
the title of the information collection.
    The department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.

    Dated: March 14, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-5476 Filed 3-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M