[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30498-30499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11892]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1122-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested

AGENCY: Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women 
(OVW) will be submitting the following information collection request 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
August 9, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written comments and/or suggestion 
regarding the items contained in this notice, especially the estimated 
public burden and associated response time, should be directed to Cathy 
Poston, Office on Violence Against Women, at 202-514-5430 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written comments and suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of 
information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of 
the following four points:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

Overview of This Information Collection

    (1) Type of Information Collection: New collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Advocate Skill & Knowledge Needs 
Assessment.
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: 1122-NEW. Sponsoring 
agency: U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, 
which has supplied grant funds to the National Crime Victim Law 
Institute for a project of which the proposed survey is one component.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Established in 1995, OVW administers 
financial and technical assistance to communities across the country 
that are developing programs, policies, and practices that combat 
domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. OVW administers 
both formula-based and discretionary grant programs, established under 
the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation. 
Recipients of OVW funds work through a coordinated community response 
to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable. The National 
Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) receives funding to provide training 
and technical assistance to help community-based and system-based 
advocates work collaboratively to support victims, particularly with 
regard to their legal rights in criminal justice. The training and 
technical assistance OVW award granted to NCVLI is the first award 
focused on system-based advocates and the dynamic relationship between 
system-based advocates and their community partners.
    The purpose of this collection is two-fold: (1) To determine front-
line advocates' (both system and community based) existing knowledge 
regarding victims' legal rights, particularly in criminal justice 
processes; and (2) the existence (or non-existence) and quality of 
relationships between community- and system-based advocates in a 
jurisdiction that can aid appropriate referrals for coordinated or 
complementary services. This collection will identify existing skills 
and knowledge as well as gaps, together with barriers to meaningful 
collaboration among and between advocates. This collection is critical 
because effective advocacy that promotes survivor agency and physical 
and emotional safety requires collaboration and coordination of 
community-based and system-based advocates and training and technical 
assistance provided should fill gaps and build upon existing knowledge 
and skills. The collection tool was developed in collaboration with an 
Advisory Committee of subject matter experts after determining that 
there has

[[Page 30499]]

been no comparable assessment of knowledge and skills conducted to 
date. The Advisory Committee developed the collection tool to ensure 
its language is accessible and understandable to advocates; its 
questions will result in collection of data needed to identify gaps in 
knowledge and skills; and its structure is streamlined to ease burden. 
The information will be used by NCVLI to determine what training and 
technical assistance (TTA) is needed to ensure that communities have 
collaborative partnerships between community-based and system-based 
advocates and other service professionals in order to provide trauma-
informed and survivor-centered services regarding victims' rights. This 
information will be used by OVW to ensure grantees are received 
targeted, informed training and technical assistance from NCVLI to 
ensure that grantees' professional and community needs are being met. 
The collection will be national in scope and will inform the 
development of TTA for NCVLI's national Project as well as future OVW 
criminal justice response programs.
    The affected public are victim advocates (both system-based and 
community-based).

Explain Why Information Is Necessary, How It Will Be Collected 
(Electronically), How It Will Be Used

    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond/reply: It is 
estimated that it will take the hoped for 150 respondents approximately 
10 minutes each to complete this one-time online survey, which will ask 
respondents about their knowledge of existing victims' rights laws as 
well as to evaluate their collaborative relationships. The survey will 
be a mix of multiple-choice, Likert scale and short narrative response 
questions. The information gathered will identify skill and knowledge 
gaps that can be addressed by OVW's Improving Criminal Justice Response 
TTA Program.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The total hour burden of this one-time data 
collection is 25 hours (150 respondents each taking 10 minutes each). 
Respondents will be responding to this information collection once.
    If additional information is required contact: Melody Braswell, 
Deputy Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, Justice 
Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two Constitution 
Square, 145 N Street NE, 3E, 405B, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: June 2, 2021.
Melody Braswell,
Department Clearance Officer, PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2021-11892 Filed 6-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-FX-P