[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 173 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53805-53807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22495]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Proposed Projects: ORR, Unaccompanied Children's Program, Division 
of Children's Services (DCS)
    Title: Information Collection and Record Keeping for the Timely 
Placement and Release of Unaccompanied Children (UC) in ORR Care
    OMB No.:
    Description:
    On March 1, 2003, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 462, 
transferred responsibilities for the care and placement of 
unaccompanied children from the Commissioner of the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service to the Director of the Office of Refugee 
Resettlement (ORR). ORR is also governed by the provisions established 
by the Flores Agreement in 1997 and the William Wilberforce Trafficking 
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008.
    The ORR Unaccompanied Children's Program provides placement, care, 
custody and services for UC until they can be successfully released to 
a sponsor, are repatriated to their home country, or able to obtain 
legal status.
    Through cooperative agreements and contracts, ORR funds residential 
care providers that provide temporary housing and other services to 
unaccompanied children in ORR custody. These care provider facilities 
are State licensed and must meet ORR requirements to ensure a high 
level quality of care. They provide a continuum of care for children, 
including placements in ORR foster care, group homes, shelter, staff 
secure, secure, and residential treatment centers. The care providers 
provide children with classroom education, health care, socialization/
recreation, vocational training, mental health services, access to 
legal services, and case management.
    Under the law, ORR and its care providers are required to:
    (1) Collect information about each UC who is entrusted to the care 
of ORR in order to determine the most appropriate and least restrictive 
placement, provide adequate services, and identify qualified sponsors 
for the timely release of the child or youth. ORR has developed 
instruments to assess the child or youth and his or her needs and 
conditions throughout his or her stay with ORR as well as the 
identification and assessment of potential sponsors. These instruments 
allow for consistency and compliance of standards across care providers 
and help ORR monitor programs and identify problems and issues that 
need corrective action.
    (2) Keep up-to-date records to ensure the child or youth's safety 
and security and care and to provide accountability with all Federal 
and State, licensing, and other standards by care providers.
    (3) Notify UC of their rights and responsibilities under the law, 
including notice about ORR services, the fact that that they have the 
right to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, and their 
legal responsibility to attend an immigration hearing.
    These tasks are mainly conducted through the ORR online database 
(The UC Portal), which provides a central location for case records and 
the documentation of other activities (for example, when a child or 
youth is transferred to another facility). Many of these records are 
``auto-populated'' on the UC Portal once the original data points are 
completed (such as DOB, A number, date of initial placement).
    The data collection described here pertains to activities involving 
UC and care providers from initial intakes of UC into ORR care to his 
or her release from ORR care. It does not cover information collection 
for potential sponsors (Submitted via separate OMB request in January 
2015.)
    ORR has applied the following assumptions to this request:
    (1) Items related to tasks that are routine and customary for care 
providers and others are excluded. This includes quarterly or annual 
financial or other reports, grant related requests from ORR Project 
Officers or others for monitoring performance and progress, and third 
party notifications to other government agencies, such as U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or U.S. Department of Justice 
(DOJ). (For financial and other reports, Care Providers use templates 
posted on http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html#reporting)
    (2) Data collection and reporting requirements do not reflect those 
required by State or local licensing or accreditation requirements.
    (3) Acknowledgement of receipt of information or other 
acknowledgements via signature by either the UC or the care provider or 
others are not included in this information request as these are 
administrative in nature in order to help care providers and UC track 
personal belongings, DHS related documents, medical records, and other 
important items required by the UC following release from ORR care.
    The components of this information request include:
    (1) UC Portal Capacity Report: Care providers complete the sections 
on ``In Care'' and ``Beds in Reserve'' as well as the section recording 
the UC who have been discharged on a daily basis so that ORR Intakes 
has a complete picture of available beds for UC placements.
    (2) The Further Assessment Swift Track (FAST) Placement Tool 
(Versions for Secure and Staff Secure placements): Initially used by 
ORR Intakes to determine when a UC warrants a placement in Secure or 
Staff Secure Care. Care providers must use the tool to update a status 
for UC who are placed in Secure Care at least every 30 days. (Care 
providers are not required to re-use tool for UC who have been placed 
in Staff Secure Care).
    (3) Placement Authorization: Auto-generated. Requires a signature 
from the care provider acknowledging a particular UC placement into 
their facility.
    (4) Notice of Placement in Secure or Staff Secure Facility: 
Acknowledges UC's placement in a secure or staff secure care provider 
facility with signature of UC and facility witness.
    (5) Initial Intakes Assessment: Biographical information is auto-

[[Page 53806]]

populated for care providers based on ORR information obtained at 
Intakes. Screens for trafficking or other safety concerns, special 
needs, danger to self and others, medical conditions, mental health 
concerns.
    (6) UC Assessment: Care provider must complete within 7 days of 
UC's admission, covers biographic, family, legal, migration, medical, 
substance abuse, and mental health history.
    (7) Individual Service Plan: Documents the services that have been 
provided (for example, number of counseling sessions, educational 
assessment and classes) and is updated every 30 days. When a child is 
transferred to a new facility, a new ISP is developed.
    (8) UC Case Review Form: Documents any new information not 
indicated in the UC Assessment.
    (9) New Sponsor Form: Identifies any potential sponsor(s) for a 
particular UC. In addition to serving as a record for a particular 
case, helps ORR track individuals who are attempting to sponsor 
numerous UC, which may suggest a possible trafficking or abuse 
situation.
    (10) Transfer Request and Tracking Form: Auto-populated and used to 
obtain ORR permission for transfer to another care facility. (Filled 
out by both ORR and care providers) and used to document when a UC is 
transferred from one facility to another (requires signatures of both 
facilities).
    (11) Long Term Foster Care Placement Memo: When ORR identifies a 
placement of a UC with a long term foster care facility, the long term 
foster care provider or national VOLAG receiving the transfer request 
completes the memo and sends to ORR to ensure continuity of services 
and tracking of records for a UC.
    (12) Travel Request form for UC Long Term Foster Care: Must be 
filled out by program at least 10 days prior to travel start date.
    (13) Notice of Transfer to ICE Chief Counsel and Change of Address: 
Required so that the Chief Counsel of ICE may file a Motion for Change 
of Venue and/or Change of Address with the Executive Office for 
Immigration Review (EOIR), if applicable, to ensure immigration hearing 
may proceed.
    (14) Care Provider Release Checklist: Care providers must complete 
and affirm that all documents, forms, and steps are completed in the 
release process.
    (15) Release Request: Provides care provider recommendation for 
release of a UC to a sponsor. All releases must be approved by ORR 
prior to UC release.
    (16) Discharge Notification: Includes date and type of discharge 
(transfer, home country, sponsor release) and is sent to ICE.
    (17) Verification of Release: Signed by sponsor as notification 
that named UC has been released according to the law. Sponsor must also 
acknowledge agreement with the provisions of the Sponsor Care Agreement 
pertaining to the minor's care, safety, and well-being, and the 
sponsor's responsibility for ensuring the minor's presence at all 
future proceedings before the Department of Homeland Security and EOIR.
    (18) Child Advocate Referral and Appointment Form: Used by the 
Child Advocate Program to recommend that ORR appoint an independent 
child advocate for a victim of child trafficking or in other cases 
involving vulnerable children.
    (19) Notice of Rights Handout and Notice of Rights and Provision of 
Services: Care providers are required to provide to all UC under the 
Flores v. Reno Settlement Agreement.
    (20) Legal Service Provider List for UC: List of organizations who 
offer free legal representation and help for UC with State and Federal 
courts, immigration hearings, and appeals. Required under the Flores 
Settlement Agreement.
    (21) URM Application: Certain populations of children and youth in 
ORR custody may become eligible for the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors 
Program, which is a State administered foster care program. In such 
instances the care provider facility or other interested party may 
complete this application form on behalf of the child.
    (22) Withdrawal of Application or Declination of Placement Form: If 
a youth who has submitted an application for the URM Program wishes to 
withdraw this application, or if he or she has been offered placement 
and wishes to decline this placement, the youth must complete this 
form.
    (23) Standard Shelter Tour Request: Used by members of the public 
and the media to submit to care providers in order to tour a shelter 
facility.
    Respondents: UC in ORR care and custody (they are generally 
referred to ORR from the DHS) and who are then referred to ORR's 
Network of Care Providers.
    Staff in ORR's Care Provider Network, including those in shelter 
care, secure and staff secure care, foster care, and residential 
treatment centers.
    Approved sponsors of UC released from ORR care.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Number of
             Instrument                 Number of     responses per   Average  burden hours  per   Total burden
                                       respondents     respondent              response                hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UC Portal Capacity Report..........              50               1  .16/hour...................               8
Further Assessment Swift Track                2,320               1  .25/hour...................             580
 (FAST) Placement Tool.
Placement Authorization Form.......          58,000               1  .1/hour....................           5,800
Notice of Placement in Secure or              2,320               1  .1/hour....................             232
 Staff Secure Facility.
Initial Intakes Form...............          58,000               1  .25/hour...................          14,500
UC Assessment......................          58,000               1  .50/hour...................          29,000
Individual Service Plan............          58,000               1  .25........................          14,500
UC Case Review Form................          58,000               1  .50/hour...................          29,000
New Sponsor Form...................          55,200               1  .25/hour...................          13,800
Transfer Request and Tracking Form.           1,000               1  .25/hour...................             250
Long Term Foster Care Placement                 279               1  .1/hour....................              28
 Memo.
Travel Request Form for UC Long                  20               1  .25/hour...................               5
 Term Foster Care.
Notice of Transfer to ICE Chief               2,320               1  .1/hour....................             232
 Counsel and Change of Address.
Care Provider Release Checklist....          55,200               1  .1.........................           5,520
Release Request....................          55,200               3  .25 hour...................          41,400
Discharge Notification.............             716               1  .25/hour...................             179
Verification of Release............          55,200               1  .1/hour....................           5,520
Child Advocate Referral and                     250               1  .50........................             125
 Appointment Form.
Notice of Rights Handout and Notice          58,000               1  .1/hour....................           5,800
 of Rights and Provision of
 Services.

[[Page 53807]]

 
Legal Service Provider List for UC.          58,000               1  .1.........................           5,800
URM Application....................             350               1  1..........................             350
Withdrawal of Application or                     10               1  .1/hour....................               1
 Declination of Placement Form.
Standard Shelter Tour Request......              60               1  .1/hour....................               6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 172,636.
    In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(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: ACF 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. 2015-22495 Filed 9-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-01-P