[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 93 (Monday, May 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30978-30979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10240]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Chafee Strengthening 
Outcomes for Transition to Adulthood Project Overarching Generic (New 
Collection)

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration 
for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human 
Services.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of 
Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) requests Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) approval for an overarching generic clearance to 
collect data on programs serving youth transitioning out of foster care 
as part of the Chafee Strengthening Outcomes for Transition to 
Adulthood (Chafee SOTA) Project. The generic mechanism will allow ACF 
to conduct rapid-cycle evaluations that would not otherwise be feasible 
under the timelines associated

[[Page 30979]]

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The purpose of the data 
collections submitted under the generic will be to inform ACF 
programming by building the evidence about what works to improve 
outcomes for the target population and to identify innovative learning 
methods that address common evaluation challenges.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the PRA, 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: Under the proposed umbrella generic, OPRE intends to 
conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of program services and 
components in improving outcomes for youth and young adults 
transitioning out of foster care. To address challenges identified in 
previous studies, the proposed evaluations will use innovative methods 
tailored to each participating program, including rapid cycle learning 
techniques that require an iterative approach. Due to the rapid and 
iterative nature of this work, OPRE is seeking approval for a generic 
clearance to conduct this research. Intended use of the resulting data 
is to identify practices and program components that have the potential 
to improve the delivery and/or quality of services administered by 
human service programs and agencies in the areas of child welfare and 
independent living services for youth and young adults with foster care 
experience. Potential data collection efforts include conducting 
interviews, focus groups, and surveys with program directors (e.g., 
from programs serving youth with foster care experience and from their 
partner agencies) and current, past, or potential participants in 
programs serving youth with foster care experience (e.g., including 
potential participants who are included in comparison groups), as well 
as extracting administrative or other program data.
    Under this generic clearance, information 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 (TA) plans, webinars, presentations, infographics, issue 
briefs/reports, project specific reports, or other documents relevant 
to the field, such as federal leadership and staff, grantees, local 
implementing agencies, researchers, and/or training/TA providers. We 
may also request information for the sole purpose of publication in 
cases where we are working to create a single source for users 
(clients, programs, researchers) to find information about resources 
such as services in their area, TA materials, different types of 
programs or systems available, or research using ACF data. In sharing 
findings, we will describe the study methods and limitations regarding 
generalizability and as a basis for policy.
    Following standard OMB requirements, OPRE will submit an individual 
request for each specific 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.
    Respondents: Staff and administrators of programs serving youth and 
young adults with foster care experience; current, former, or potential 
participants in programs serving youth; and young adults with foster 
care experience.

                                                Burden Estimates
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                                                                    Number of
                                                   Number of      responses per      Avgerage
                  Instrument                      respondents       respondent      burden per     Total burden
                                                  (total over      (total over     response (in     (in hours)
                                                request period)  request period)      hours)
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Administrator Interviews......................               40                4            1.00             160
Staff Discussions and Focus Groups............               80                4            1.50             480
Youth Discussions and Focus Groups............              160                4            1.50             960
Youth Surveys.................................            1,800                3            0.50           2,700
Administrative Data Extraction................               10                4            4.00             160
Document Delivery.............................               10                4            1.00              40
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    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 4,500.
    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: Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, IV-E 477(g)(1-2), 
as amended by the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-10240 Filed 5-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P