[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42741-42742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17699]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Title: National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.
OMB No. 0980-0229.
Description: The Children's Bureau of the Administration on
Children, Youth and Families in the Administration for Children and
Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collects
national child abuse and neglect statistics through the National Child
Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). NCANDS was established in
response to the 1988 amendment (Pub. L. 100-294) to the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.), which
called for the creation of a coordinated national data collection and
analysis program, both universal and case specific in scope, to examine
standardized data on false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated reports.
The 1996 CAPTA amendment (42 U.S.C. 5106a(d)) required all States
that receive Basic State Grant funds to provide specific data elements,
to the extent practicable, to the Federal Government. These data items
were incorporated into NCANDS. Since that time, other CAPTA revisions
that pertain to child welfare have been included in NCANDS. This
application is related to the most recent reauthorization of CAPTA
during 2010 (Pub. L. 113-320).
The CAPTA provisions included in NCANDS state that each State to
which a grant is made under this section shall annually work with the
Secretary to provide, to the maximum extent practicable, a report that
includes the following:
1. The number of children who were reported to the State during the
year as victims of child abuse or neglect.
2. Of the number of children described in paragraph (1), the number
with respect to whom such reports were--
A. Substantiated;
B. Unsubstantiated; or
C. Determined to be false.
3. Of the number of children described in paragraph (2)--
A. The number that did not receive services during the year under
the State program funded under this section or an equivalent State
program;
B. The number that received services during the year under the
State program funded under this section or an equivalent State program;
and
C. The number that were removed from their families during the year
by disposition of the case.
4. The number of families that received preventive services,
including use of differential response, from the State during the year.
5. The number of deaths in the State during the year resulting from
child abuse or neglect.
6. Of the number of children described in paragraph (5), the number
of such children who were in foster care.
7.
A. The number of child protective service personnel responsible for
the--
i. Intake of reports filed in the previous year;
ii. Screening of such reports;
iii. Assessment of such reports; and
iv. Investigation of such reports.
B. The average caseload for the workers described in subparagraph
(A).
8. The agency response time with respect to each such report with
respect to initial investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect.
9. The response time with respect to the provision of services to
families and children where an allegation of child abuse or neglect has
been made.
10. For child protective service personnel responsible for intake,
screening, assessment, and investigation of child abuse and neglect
reports in the State--
A. Information on the education, qualifications, and training
requirements established by the State for child protective service
professionals, including for entry and advancement in the profession,
including advancement to supervisory positions;
B. Data of the education, qualifications, and training of such
personnel;
C. Demographic information of the child protective service
personnel; and
D. Information on caseload or workload requirements for such
personnel, including requirements for average number and maximum number
of cases per child protective service worker and supervisor.
11. The number of children reunited with their families or
receiving family preservation services that, within five years, result
in subsequent substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect,
including the death of the child.
12. The number of children for whom individuals were appointed by
the court to represent the best interests of such children and the
average number of out of court contacts between such individuals and
children.
13. The annual report containing the summary of activities of the
citizen review panels of the State required by subsection (c)(6).
14. The number of children under the care of the State child
protection system who are transferred into the custody of the State
juvenile justice system.
15. The number of children referred to a child protective services
system under subsection (b)(2)(B)(ii).
16. The number of children determined to be eligible for referral,
and the number of children referred, under subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxi),
to agencies providing early intervention services under part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.).
The Children's Bureau proposes continue collecting NCANDS data
using two files of the Detailed Case Data Component (DCDC): (1) Child
File, the case-level component of NCANDS and (2) Agency File, the
aggregate data component. The Children's Bureau is not proposing to
continue collecting NCANDS data via the Summary Data Component (SDC),
as States will no longer be using this file to submit data.
The Children's Bureau is seeking reapproval of these instruments
with modifications. Modifications are being proposed to meet
requirements of the amendments in the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010
(Pub. L. 111-320) passed on December 20, 2010 and to clarify existing
reporting. The Children's Bureau proposes to modify the Child File as
follows:
Field 147, Report Time: The Report Time field will collect
the exact time (hour and minute) that a report was received by the
hotline or other intake unit. CAPTA requires that each State submits
the time from the report of abuse or neglect to the start of the
initial child protective services (CPS) agency's response (42 U.S.C.
5106a(d)(8)). Currently, NCANDS only collects the date a report was
received. Adding the time field will improve reporting for the Child
and Family Services reviews and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010
(Pub. L. 111-352).
Field 148, Investigation Start Time: The Investigation
Start Time field will collect the exact time (hour and minute) that the
CPS agency's response was
[[Page 42742]]
initiated. CAPTA requires that each Sate report the time from the
report of abuse or neglect to the start of the CPS agency response (42
U.S.C. 5106a(d)(8)). Currently, NCANDS collects the CPS response start
date. Adding the time field will enable a more accurate computation of
the time between receipt of the report and the start of the CPS
response. This addition will improve reporting for the Child and Family
Services Reviews and GPRA.
Field 149, Maltreatment Death Date: The Maltreatment Death
Date field will collect the exact date (day, month, and year) that a
child died due to child abuse or neglect. CAPTA requires that each
State report the number of deaths in the State during the year
resulting from child abuse or neglect (42 U.S.C. 5106a(d)(5)).
Currently, NCANDS collects that the child was determined to have died
due to maltreatment, but does not collect the date of death. Because
determinations of the cause of death can take several months, adding
the date of death will ensure a more accurate reporting of child
fatality data.
Field 150, Foster Care Discharge Date: The Foster Care
Discharge Date field will collect the exact date (day, month, and year)
that a child exits from foster care. This field will be completed for
those children who were removed from their homes and have entries in
the removal date and foster care services fields. Currently, NCANDS
collects the exact date (day, month, and year) that a child entered
foster care, but not the exact date (day, month, and year) when the
child exited foster care. This addition will improve reporting for the
Child and Family Services Reviews.
The reauthorization of CAPTA asks for the number of children who
are eligible for referral and the number of children referred to Part C
agencies (42 U.S.C. 5106a(d)(16)).The Children's Bureau proposes to
modify the Agency File by adding two new fields to meet these
requirements:
Field 5.1, Number of Children Eligible for Referral to
Agencies Providing Early Intervention Services Under Part C of the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: This field will collect
the number of children who were the subject of a CPS response, received
a disposition, and were considered by the State to be eligible for
referral to Part C agencies during the reporting period.
Field 5.2, Number of Children Referred to Agencies
Providing Early Intervention Services Under Part C of the Individuals
With Disabilities Education Act: This field will collect the number of
children who were considered eligible and actually were referred to
Part C agencies during the reporting period.
The information collected by NCANDS will be used to better
understand the experiences of children and families served by State and
local child protective services agencies and to guide policy and
program development at the national and local levels. Data collected
through the NCANDS will also be used to support HHS with responding to
the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA);
reporting to Congress on States' performance on national child welfare
outcomes; and monitoring States through the CFSRs.
Respondents: State governments, the District of Columbia, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Average
Instrument Number of responses per burden hours Total burden
respondents respondent per response hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detailed Case Data Component Child 52 1 112.3 5,841
File and Agency File.............
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,841.
Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be
obtained by writing the Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant
Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance
Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the
information collection. Email address: [email protected]
OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent directly to the following:
Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Fax:
202-395-6974, Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for Children
and Families.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-17699 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
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