[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78927-78928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32489]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation 
(OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing data collection 
activity as part of the Parents and Children Together (PACT) 
Evaluation.
    The overall objective of the PACT evaluation is to document and 
evaluate Responsible Fatherhood (RF) and Healthy Marriage (HM) grants 
that were authorized under the 2010 Claims Resolution Act. This 
information will inform decisions related to future investments in this 
kind of programming as well as the design and operation of such 
services.
    To meet the objective of the study, experimental impact studies 
with complementary implementation studies will be conducted, along with 
separate qualitative studies:
     Impact studies, with complementary implementation studies. 
The goal of the impact component is to provide rigorous estimates of 
the effectiveness of the programs. This component will use an 
experimental design. Program applicants who are interested in and 
eligible for the RF or HM program will be randomly assigned to either a 
program group and be offered participation in the program, or a control 
group and not be offered participation in the program. Information will 
be collected twice for the impact component. First, baseline 
information will be collected from all fathers or couples prior to 
random assignment. Second, follow-up data will be collected from sample 
members at about 12 months after enrollment in the program. A wide 
range of outcomes (e.g., father involvement; parenting and co-
parenting; economic self-sufficiency) will be evaluated. The goal of 
the complementary implementation component is to provide a detailed

[[Page 78928]]

description of the programs included in the impact study component--how 
they are implemented, their participants, the contexts in which they 
are operated, and their promising practices. The detailed descriptions 
will assist in interpreting program impacts and identifying program 
features and conditions necessary for effective program replication or 
improvement. Data collection for this component will include site 
visits, Management Information Systems (MIS), and partner organization 
surveys.
     Qualitative studies. The goal of the qualitative component 
is to provide a deeper understanding of the organizations operating RF 
and HM programs, as well as the lives of participants--their 
relationships, the challenges they face, the influences of the 
community in which they live, and how programs touch their lives. Data 
collection for this component will include site visits, MIS, 
participant characteristics survey, partner organization surveys, 
nonparticipant telephone interviews, in-depth in-person conversations 
with program participants, and diary studies.
    This 60-Day Notice covers (a) instruments for the impact studies' 
baseline, (b) site Management Information Systems (MIS) for the impact/
implementation and qualitative studies, (c) program participant 
characteristics survey for the qualitative studies, and (d) a request 
for OMB to waive subsequent 60-day Federal Register notices pertaining 
to the PACT Evaluation.

Respondents

    For the baseline, information will be collected from all fathers or 
couples prior to random assignment. Program staff will be responsible 
for collecting and transferring the information.
    For the Management Information Systems (MIS), program staff will be 
asked to record information on the services received by study 
participants in the impact/implementation and qualitative studies in 
the study MIS.
    For the program participant characteristics survey in the 
qualitative studies, information will be collected from participants. 
Program staff will be responsible for collecting and transferring the 
information.

Annual Burden Estimates

    A discussion guide, to assist in selecting sites for the impact/
implementation and qualitative studies, is currently under review at 
OMB. A 60-Day Federal Register Notice for this instrument was published 
on August 12, 2011.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Number of
           Instrument              Annual number of      responses per    Average burden per     Total annual
                                      respondents         respondent      response (minutes)     burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discussion guide for grantees                   150                   1                  60                 150
 and partner organization staff.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The following instruments, part of the baseline data collection and 
site Management Information Systems (MIS), are proposed for public 
comment under this 60-Day Federal Register Notice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Number of        Average burden
             Instrument                Annual number of    responses per       per response       Total annual
                                         respondents         respondent         (minutes)         burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Impact/Implementation Component
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline for program applicants.....              3,000                  1                 35              1,750
Baseline for grantee staff..........                 30                100                 35              1,750
Study MIS for grantee staff.........                 30              5,200                  2              5,200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Qualitative Component
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study MIS for grantee staff.........                 15                867                  2                434
Program participant characteristics                 250                  1                 25                104
 survey.............................
Program participant characteristics                  15               16.7                 25                104
 survey for grantee staff...........
                                     --------------------
    Total...........................  .................  .................  .................              9,342
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours (for instruments currently under review and those associated with this 60-
  Day Notice): 9342.

    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 
Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., 
Washington, DC 20447, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email 
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.

Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-32489 Filed 12-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-37-P