[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7970-7971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1399]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Proposed Projects

    Title: National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.
    OMB No.: 6980-0229.
    Description: The Administration on Children, Youth and Families 
established the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) 
to respond to the 1988 and 1992 amendments (Pub. L. 100-294 and Pub. L. 
102-295) to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 
5101 et seq.), as amended, which called for the creation of a 
coordinated national data collection and analysis program, both 
universal and case-specific in scope, to examine standardized data on 
false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated reports. In 1988, ACYF embarked on 
a collaborative effort with the States to develop a voluntary national 
data collection and analysis program to collect, compile, and make 
available State child abuse and neglect reporting information from 
Child Protective Services agencies in the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, and the territories. The first request for annual data was in 
July 1991. Data collection has continued on an annual basis. The 
Children's Bureau is currently preparing the 15th annual report based 
on the NCANDS date.
    In 1996, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was ameanded 
by Public Law 104-235 to require that any State receiving the Basic 
State Grant work with the Secretary of the Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS) to provide specific data on child maltreatment to 
the extent practicable. The legislation specified the following data 
elements:

    (1) The number of children who were reported to the State during 
the year as abused or neglected.
    (2) Of the number of children described in paragraph (1), the 
number with respect to whome such reports were--
    (A) Substantiated;
    (B) Unsubstantiated; or
    (C) Determined to be false.
    (3) Of the number of children described in paragraph (2)--
    (A) The number who did not receive services during the year 
under the State program funded under this section or an equivalent 
State program;
    (B) The number who received services during the year under the 
State program funded under this section or an equivalent State 
program; and
    (C) The number who were removed from their families during the 
year by disposition of the case.
    (4) The number of families who received preventive services from 
the State during the year.
    (5) The number of deaths in the State during the year resulting 
from child abuse or neglect.
    (6) Of the number of children described in paragraph (5), the 
number of such children who were in foster care.
    (7) The number of Child Protective Services workers responsible 
for the intake and screening of reports filed in the previous year.
    (8) The agency response time with respect to each such report 
with respect to initial investigation of reports of child abuse or 
neglect.
    (9) The response time with respect to the provision of services 
to families and children where an allegation of abuse or neglect has 
been made.
    (10) The number of Child Protective Services workers responsible 
for intake, assessment, and investigation of child abuse

[[Page 7971]]

and neglect reports relative to the number of reports investigated 
in the previous year.
    (11) The number of children reunited with their families or 
receiving family preservation services that, within five years, 
result in subsequent substantiated reports of child abuse and 
neglect, including the death of the child.
    (12) The number of children for whom individuals were appointed 
by the court to represent the best interests of such children and 
the average number of out-of-court contacts between such individuals 
and children.
    States that receive the Basic State Grant meet this information 
requirement by submitting the NCANDS data.
    The Children's Bureau proposes to continue collecting the NCANDS 
data through the two files of the Detailed Case Data Component, the 
Child File (the case-level component of NCANDS), and the Agency File 
(additional aggregate data that cannot be collected at a case level). 
It also proposes to continue to accept the Summary Data Component 
Survey from States that are unable to submit the Child File for another 
three data submission cycles (FFY 2005-FFY 2007). Technical assistance 
will continue to be provided to States so that all States can provide 
the Child File and Agency File for FFY 2005 data.
    No changes are proposed for any of the data collection instruments.
    The information collected by NCANDS will be used to understand 
better the experiences of children and families served by Child 
Protective Services and to guide policy and program development at the 
national and local levels. An annual report, entitled Child 
Maltreatment, will continue to be published. Data collected through the 
NCANDS will also be used to support the Department in responding to the 
requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and 
the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), publishing State data in the 
report to Congress on child welfare outcomes, and monitoring States 
through the Child and Family Services Review process.
    Respondents: State governments, the District of Columbia, and 
Puerto Rico.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                     Number of        Average
                   Instrument                        Number of     responses per   burden hours    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detailed Case Data Component (Child File and                  48               1             110           5,280
 Agency File by 48 States starting with
 reporting for FFY 2006)........................
Summary Data Component Survey (by 4 States).....               4               1              32             128
                                                 -----------------
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:........  ..............  ..............  ..............           5,408
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    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 
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].
    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: February 9, 2006.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-1399 Filed 2-14-06; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M