[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 95 (Tuesday, May 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28438-28439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11995]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System 
(SACWIS) Assessment Review Guide (SARG).
    OMB No.: 0970-0159.
    Description: For HHS to fulfill its obligation to effectively serve 
the nation's Adoption and Foster Care populations, and to report 
meaningful and reliable information to Congress about the extent of 
problems facing these children and the effectiveness of assistance 
provided to this population, the agency must have access to timely and 
accurate information about child welfare service populations and child 
welfare services. Section 476(b) of the Social Security Act requires 
that States submit statistical reports for child welfare populations, 
and Section 479 of the Act details State responsibilities to report 
specific information related to child abuse and neglect. CFR 1355.52 
provides funding authority for statewide automated child welfare 
information systems (SACWIS) that meet Federal requirements for child 
welfare data collection. If a State chooses to implement a SACWIS, that 
system serves as the primary data source for Federal reporting.
    Currently, States use their SACWIS to support their efforts to meet 
the following Federal reporting requirements related to child welfare: 
The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) 
required by section 479(b)(2) of the Social Security Act; the National 
Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS); Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act (CAPTA); and the Chafee Independent Living Program's 
National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). These systems also 
support State efforts to provide the information to conduct the Child 
and Family Service Reviews. Currently, forty-two States and the

[[Page 28439]]

District of Columbia have developed, or are developing, a SACWIS with 
Federal financial participation.
    45 CFR 1355.55 provides for continuing review, assessment and 
inspection of SACWIS. The purpose of this review is to determine 
whether the system, as described in the approved Advance Planning 
Document has been adequately completed and conforms to applicable 
regulations and policies.
    To initiate a review, States complete and submit the SACWIS 
Assessment Review Guide (SARG) and other system documentation when they 
have completed system development and the system is operational 
statewide. The SARG template provides a format for State description of 
system functionality, operation, and outputs such as reports. The 
additional materials submitted as part of this process, such as system 
design documentation, are typically readily available to the State as a 
result of good project management practices.
    The information collected in the SACWIS Assessment Review Guide 
will allow Federal reviewers to determine if the State's SACWIS meets 
the requirements for title IV-E Federal Financial Participation (FFP) 
defined at 45 CFR 1355.50, and that systems meet the goals and 
objectives of the approved Advance Planning Documents (APD) and 
conforms to the schedule, budget, and other conditions of their 
approved APDs. Additionally, other States may be able to use the 
documentation provided as part of their preparation for the review 
process of their own system development efforts.
    Respondents: Title IV-E Agencies.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Number of        Average burden
             Instrument                   Number of        responses per        hours per         Total burden
                                         respondents         respondent          response            hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SACWIS Assessment Review Guide......                 3                  1                250                750
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 750.
    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, Fax: 202-395-
7285, E-mail: [email protected], Attn: Desk Officer for the 
Administration for Children and Families.

Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-11995 Filed 5-16-11; 8:45 am]
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