[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69343-69344]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22625]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: Evaluation of the Refugee Social Service (RSS) and Targeted 
Assistance Formula Grant (TAG) Programs: Data Collection.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funds the Refugee 
Social Services (RSS) and Targeted Assistance Formula Grant (TAG) 
programs, which are designed to help refugees achieve economic success 
quickly following their arrival in the U.S. through employment 
services, English-language instruction, vocational training, and other 
social services. ORR is sponsoring a project to (1) conduct a 
comprehensive

[[Page 69344]]

evaluation of the effectiveness of ORR employability services through 
RSS and TAG, and (2) propose options for institutionalizing ongoing 
evaluation and performance assessment into the programs. ORR is 
requesting OMB clearance for three methods of information collection: 
(1) Interviews with state and local refugee program administrators and 
service providers in three sites to learn about service delivery and 
organizational arrangements, and with a small number of local employers 
who work with RSS- and TAG-funded service providers to learn about 
their experiences with the programs; (2) a sample of 1,125 refugees to 
collect data on refugees' employment an earnings outcomes; (3) two to 
four focus groups with seven to ten program clients in each of the 
three sites to obtain customer perspectives of the services they 
received and their adjustment experiences.

Respondents

    (1) Interviews will be conducted with three state refugee 
coordinators, voluntary agency (VOLAG) and Mutual Assistance 
Association (MAA) staff, local RSS and TAG service providers, and 
employers who employ significant numbers of refugees.
    (2) The respondents of the survey are refugees who have been in the 
United States for fewer than five years, and, thus, are eligible for 
RSS and TAG services. The survey relies on a mixed-mode data collection 
method that involves both telephone and in-person interviews. If 
individuals cannot be reached by phone, an attempt will be made to 
contact them in person. Approximately 900 of the 1,125 refugees sampled 
will complete the survey over a nine-week period.
    (3) Respondents of the focus groups will include refugees who have 
received RSS- and TAG-funded services. Approximately 70 refugees will 
participate in the focus groups.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of        Average
                   Instrument                        Number of     responses per   burden hours    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interviews with program staff...................              60               1            1                 60
Interviews with employers.......................              12               1            2                 24
Survey of refugees..............................             900               1            0.75             675
Focus group with program clients................              70               1            2                140
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 899.

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].

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, Attn: Desk Officer 
for ACF, E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: November 8, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-22625 Filed 11-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M