[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 19 (Friday, January 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4603-4604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01777]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[OMB #0970-0531]


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Formative Data 
Collections for ACF Program Support

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration 
for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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[[Page 4604]]

SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) plans to 
submit a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend 
approval of the existing overarching generic clearance for Formative 
Data Collections for ACF Program Support (OMB #0970-0531; expiration 
date 7/31/2022). ACF proposes minor updates to the description of 
potential generic information collections under the overarching generic 
and to the estimated number of respondents.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is 
soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information 
collection described above.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing 
[email protected]. Identify all requests by the title of 
the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Description: The goals of the generic information collections under 
this approval are to obtain information about program and grantee 
processes or needs and to inform the following types of activities, 
among others:
     Delivery of targeted assistance and/or workflows related 
to program and grantee processes. This could include the development 
and refinement of recordkeeping and communication systems.
     Planning for provision of programmatic or evaluation-
related training or technical assistance (T/TA).
     Obtaining input on the development of program performance 
measures from grantees or others with experience or vested interest.
     Obtaining feedback about processes and/or practices to 
inform ACF program development or support, or ACF research.
     Use of rapid-cycle testing activities to strengthen 
programs in preparation for summative evaluations.
    ACF uses a variety of techniques such as semi-structured 
discussions, focus groups, surveys, templates, open-ended requests, and 
telephone or in-person interviews in order to reach these goals.
    Information collected under this overarching generic is meant to 
inform ACF activities and may be incorporated into documents or 
presentations that are made public such as through conference 
presentations, websites, or social media. The following are some 
examples of ways in which we may share information resulting from these 
data collections: Technical assistance plans, presentations, 
infographics, project specific reports, or other documents relevant to 
those involved with or interested in ACF programs such as federal 
leadership and staff, grantees, local implementing agencies, and/or T/
TA providers.
    Following standard OMB requirements, the Office of Planning, 
Research, and Evaluation will submit a change request for each 
individual data collection activity under this generic clearance. Each 
request will include the individual instrument(s), a justification 
specific to the individual information collection, and any 
supplementary documents. OMB should review requests within 10 days of 
submission.
    The proposed types and the purpose of generic information 
collections submitted under this umbrella generic remain the same. 
Minor revisions are based on experiences over the past 3 years. These 
include:

 Updated burden estimates
 Broadened the description to make clearer the intention to 
broadly include respondents with knowledge, experience, or interest in 
ACF programs to allow ACF to learn about needs and processes related to 
ACF programs from those not necessarily funded by ACF

    Respondents: Example respondents include current or prospective 
service providers, training or T/TA providers, grantees, contractors, 
current and potential participants in ACF programs or similar 
comparison groups, experts in fields pertaining to ACF programs, key 
groups involved in ACF projects and programs, individuals engaged in 
program re-design or demonstration development for evaluation, state or 
local government officials, or others involved in or prospectively 
involved in ACF programs.

                                                Burden Estimates
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                                                                   Number of
                                                Number of        responses per        Average
                Instrument                     respondents         respondent       burden per     Total burden
                                               (total over        (total over      response  (in    (in hours)
                                             request period)    request period)       hours)
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Semi-Structured Discussions and Focus                  10,000                  1               2          20,000
 Groups...................................
Interviews................................              4,500                  1               1           4,500
Questionnaires/Surveys....................              8,000                1.5              .5           6,000
Templates and Open-ended Requests.........              1,000                  1              10          10,000
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 40,500.
    Comments: 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.
    Authority: Social Security Act, Sec 1110 [42 U.S.C. 1310].

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-01777 Filed 1-27-22; 8:45 am]
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