[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44686-44687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11077]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Behavioral 
Interventions To Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation (BIAS-NG) 
(Office of Management and Budget #0970-0502)

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.

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

SUMMARY: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) requests Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) approval to modify and extend the approval of the ACF 
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation 
(BIAS-NG) Project Overarching Generic (OMB #: 0970-0502; Expiration 
date: 8/31/2025.) Under this overarching clearance, ACF collects data 
as part of rapid cycle testing and evaluation, to inform the design of 
interventions informed by behavioral science and to better understand 
the mechanisms and effects of such interventions.
    Interventions have been and will continue to be developed in the 
program area domains of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 
child welfare, and Early Head Start/Head Start (EHS/HS). This revision 
would also allow for collection of data in the child care program area, 
and would extend the approval of the overarching generic. These 
interventions are intended to improve outcomes for participants in 
these programs.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ACF is 
soliciting public comment on the

[[Page 44687]]

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: OPRE is conducting the BIAS-NG project, which uses 
behavioral insights to design and test interventions intended to 
improve the efficiency, operations, and efficacy of human services 
programs. The BIAS-NG project is applying and testing behavioral 
insights to ACF programs including TANF, child welfare, and EHS/HS, and 
intends to expand these efforts to child care. This notice is a request 
for comments on ACF's proposal to revise and extend a previously 
approved collection, which included data collection to design and test 
interventions in the TANF, child welfare, and EHS/HS domains. Under the 
approved pilot generic clearance, OPRE has already conducted work with 
seven sites to conduct seven tests, and is planning to continue to work 
with at least one additional site, conducting one or more tests of 
behavioral interventions for a total of nine tests of behavioral 
interventions. All approved information collection activities can be 
found here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAICList?ref_nbr=202206-0970-002.
    In addition to extending approval, this approval would also allow 
OPRE to conduct tests in the newly added program area of child care. 
The design and testing of BIAS-NG interventions is rapid and, to the 
extent possible, iterative. Each specific intervention is designed in 
consultation with agency leaders and launched as quickly as possible. 
To maximize the likelihood that the intervention produces measurable, 
significant, and positive effects on outcomes of interest, rapid cycle 
evaluation techniques will be employed in which proximate outcomes will 
be measured to allow the research team to more quickly iterate and 
adjust the intervention design, informing subsequent tests. Due to the 
rapid and iterative nature of this work, OPRE sought and received 
approval for an overarching generic clearance to conduct this research. 
Following standard OMB requirements for generic clearances, once 
instruments subject to PRA are tailored to a specific site and the 
site's intervention, OPRE submits an individual generic information 
collection request under this umbrella clearance. Each request includes 
the individual instrument(s), a justification specific to the 
individual information collection, a description of the proposed 
intervention, and any supplementary documents. Each specific 
information collection includes up to two submissions--one submission 
for the formative stage research and another submission for any further 
data collection requiring burden during the testing phase. The type of 
information to be collected and the uses of the information is 
described in the supporting statements, found here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=202206-0970-002.
    Respondents: (1) Program Administrators, (2) Program Staff, and (3) 
Program Clients.

                        Annual Burden Estimates (TANF, Child Welfare, EHS/HS, Child Care)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Number of       Number of
                                    respondents    responses per  Average burden
                                  (TANF, CW, EHS/   respondent       hours per     Total burden    Annual burden
           Instrument             HS, CC) (total    (total over    response (in     (in hours)      (in hours)
                                   over request       request         hours)
                                      period)         period)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Phase 3: Diagnosis and Design
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator interviews/focus                48               1               1              48              16
 groups.........................
Staff interviews/focus groups...             400               1               1             400             133
Client interviews/focus groups..             400               1               1             400             133
Client survey...................             400               1             .25             100              33
Staff Survey....................             400               1             .25             100              33
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Phase 4: Evaluation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator interviews/focus                96               1               1              96              32
 groups.........................
Staff interviews/focus groups...             800               1               1             800             267
Client interviews/focus groups..             800               1               1             800             267
Client survey...................          12,000               1             .25           3,000           1,000
Staff Survey....................           1,200               1             .25             300             100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,014.
    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: 42 U.S.C. 1310.

Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-11077 Filed 5-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-07-P