[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54614-54615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17205]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Formative Data 
Collections for ACF Research and Evaluation (Office of Management and 
Budget #0970-0356)

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

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposes to 
extend data collection under the existing overarching generic clearance 
for Formative Data Collections for ACF Research and Evaluation (Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) #0970-0356). There are no changes 
proposed.

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: ACF programs promote the economic and social well-
being of families, children, individuals, and communities. The Office 
of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) studies ACF programs, and 
the populations they serve, through rigorous research and evaluation 
projects. These include evaluations of existing programs, evaluations 
of innovative approaches to helping low-income children and families, 
research syntheses, and descriptive and exploratory studies. OPRE's 
research

[[Page 54615]]

offers further understanding of current programs and service 
populations, explores options for program improvement, and assesses 
alternative policy and program designs. OPRE anticipates undertaking a 
variety of new research projects related to welfare, employment and 
self-sufficiency, Head Start, child care, healthy marriage and 
responsible fatherhood, family and youth services, home visiting, child 
welfare, trafficking, community services, and other areas of interest 
to ACF. Some ACF program offices conduct their own research and 
evaluation projects and may utilize this generic.
    Under this generic clearance, ACF engages in a variety of formative 
data collections with researchers, practitioners, technical assistance 
providers, service providers, and potential participants throughout the 
field to fulfill the following goals: (1) inform the development of ACF 
research, (2) maintain a research agenda that is rigorous and relevant, 
(3) ensure that research products are as current as possible, and (4) 
inform the provision of technical assistance and supports around 
research and evaluation. ACF envisions using a variety of techniques 
including semi-structured discussions, focus groups, surveys, and 
telephone or in-person interviews, in order to reach these goals. 
Information collected under this overarching generic is meant to inform 
ACF research activities and may be incorporated into documents or 
presentations that are made public.
    The following are some examples of ways in which we may share 
information resulting from these data collections: research design 
documents or reports; research or technical assistance plans; 
background materials for technical workgroups; concept maps, process 
maps, or conceptual frameworks; contextualization of research findings 
from a follow-up data collection that has full PRA approval; 
informational reports to TA providers; or project specific reports, or 
other documents relevant to the field, such as federal leadership and 
staff, grantees, local implementing agencies.
    Following standard OMB requirements, ACF has and will continue to 
submit to OMB information about individual information collection 
activities proposed under the generic clearance. ACF will provide OMB 
with a copy of the individual instruments or questionnaires, as well as 
other materials describing the project. ACF requests OMB's review 
within 10 days of submission of individual requests under this generic.
    Respondents: Respondents could include key groups involved in ACF 
projects and programs, state or local government officials, service 
providers, participants in ACF programs or similar comparison groups, 
experts in fields pertaining to ACF research and programs, or others 
involved in conducting ACF research or evaluation projects.
    Annual Burden Estimates
    Find currently approved information collections here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=0970-0356. The 
request to OMB will include an extension request for approved 
information collections that are planned to continue beyond November 
2023.

                                      Annual Burden Estimates--New Requests
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                                                                     Number of
                                                     Number of     responses per
                                                    respondents     respondent    Average burden   Total burden
                   Instrument                       (total over     (total over    per response     (in hours)
                                                      request         request       (in hours)
                                                      period)         period)
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Semi-Structured Discussions and Focus Groups....           3,000               1               2           6,000
Interviews......................................           1,500               1               1           1,500
Questionnaires/Surveys..........................           1,125               1              .5             563
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           8,063
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    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.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-17205 Filed 8-10-23; 8:45 am]
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