[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32128-32129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14792]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: Evaluation of the Family Unification Program.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is 
proposing an information collection activity to assess the impact, 
through rigorous evaluation, of participation in the Family Unification 
Program (FUP) on child welfare involvement and child maltreatment. The 
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds and administers 
FUP. Through the program, vouchers are provided to families for whom 
the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in (a) the imminent 
placement of the family's child, or children, in out-of-home care or 
(b) the delay in the discharge of the child, or children, to the family 
from out-of-home-care. The program aims to prevent children's placement 
in out-of-home care, promote family reunification for children placed 
in out-of-home care, and decrease new reports of abuse and neglect. 
Vouchers may also be provided to youth transitioning from foster care 
who do not have adequate housing, although this population is not the 
focus of this evaluation.
    The evaluation will contribute to understanding the effects of FUP 
on project participants' child welfare involvement. The evaluation will 
be conducted in approximately ten sites, with random assignment of FUP-
eligible families to program and control groups. The evaluation 
consists of both an impact study and an implementation study. Data 
collection for the impact study will be exclusively through 
administrative data. Data collection for the implementation study will 
be through site visits and collection of program data. Data collection 
activities will span 3 years.
    Implementation study data collection will occur at three points in 
time: (1) Prior to the implementation (``first site visit''), (2) 6-9 
months into the implementation (``second site visit'', and (3) 18-21 
months into implementation (``third site visit''). Semi-structured 
interviews will be conducted with agency/organization management (first 
and second site visits) and FUP management (second and third site 
visits), and focus groups will be conducted with front-line staff 
(second and third site visits). In addition, semi-structured interviews 
will be conducted with parents (second and third site visits). Program 
data, collected using a housing status form, a referral form and 
questionnaires about housing assistance and other services, will be 
completed by frontline staff. FUP management staff will complete an 
online randomization tool and a form (``dashboard'') to facilitate 
monitoring of the evaluation.
    This evaluation is part of a larger project to help ACF build the 
evidence base in child welfare through rigorous evaluation of programs, 
practices, and policies. It will also contribute to HUD's understanding 
of how housing can serve as a platform for improving quality of life.
    Respondents: Public housing authority staff, public child welfare 
agency staff, Continuums of Care (CoC) staff, other service provider 
staff, and the parent of families housed using FUP vouchers.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                                   Total number    Annual number   responses per     hour per      Annual burden
                                  of respondents  of respondents    respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guide for Recruitment with PHA                30              10               1            1.00              10
 and PCWA Administrators........
Guide to Develop an Evaluation                10               4               1            1.00               4
 Plan for PCWA FUP Management...
Guide to Develop an Evaluation                10               4               1            1.00               4
 Plan for PHA FUP Management....
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 for PCWA Management............
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 for PHA Management.............
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 for CoC Management.............
Guide for Implementation Study                14               5               1            1.00               5
 for Referral Provider
 Administrators.................
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 with PCWA FUP Management
 (Second).......................
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 for PHA FUP Management.........
Guide for Implementation Study                30              10               1            1.50              15
 Focus Groups with PHA Frontline
 Workers........................
Guide for Implementation Study               120              40               1            1.50              60
 for Parents (Second, Third)....
Guide for Implementation Study               440             147               1            1.50             221
 Focus Groups with Frontline
 Workers........................
Guide for Implementation Study                10               4               1            1.00               4
 for PCWA FUP Management (Third)
Guide for Implementation Study                18               6               1            1.00               6
 for Service Provider Management
Housing Status Form.............             616             206              31            0.04             255
Referral Form...................             200              67               6            0.17              68
Randomization Tool..............              10               4             106            0.02               9
Housing Assistance Questionnaire             200              67               3            0.09              18
Ongoing Services Questionnaire..             200              67               3            0.09              18
Dashboard.......................              20               7              27            0.17              32

[[Page 32129]]

 
Administrative Data List........              30              10               2            5.00             100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 849.
    Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be 
obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, 
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. All 
requests should be identified by the title of the information 
collection. Email 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, Email: 
[email protected]. Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration 
for Children and Families.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-14792 Filed 7-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-25-P