[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 173 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53805-53807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22495]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects: ORR, Unaccompanied Children's Program, Division
of Children's Services (DCS)
Title: Information Collection and Record Keeping for the Timely
Placement and Release of Unaccompanied Children (UC) in ORR Care
OMB No.:
Description:
On March 1, 2003, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 462,
transferred responsibilities for the care and placement of
unaccompanied children from the Commissioner of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service to the Director of the Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR). ORR is also governed by the provisions established
by the Flores Agreement in 1997 and the William Wilberforce Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008.
The ORR Unaccompanied Children's Program provides placement, care,
custody and services for UC until they can be successfully released to
a sponsor, are repatriated to their home country, or able to obtain
legal status.
Through cooperative agreements and contracts, ORR funds residential
care providers that provide temporary housing and other services to
unaccompanied children in ORR custody. These care provider facilities
are State licensed and must meet ORR requirements to ensure a high
level quality of care. They provide a continuum of care for children,
including placements in ORR foster care, group homes, shelter, staff
secure, secure, and residential treatment centers. The care providers
provide children with classroom education, health care, socialization/
recreation, vocational training, mental health services, access to
legal services, and case management.
Under the law, ORR and its care providers are required to:
(1) Collect information about each UC who is entrusted to the care
of ORR in order to determine the most appropriate and least restrictive
placement, provide adequate services, and identify qualified sponsors
for the timely release of the child or youth. ORR has developed
instruments to assess the child or youth and his or her needs and
conditions throughout his or her stay with ORR as well as the
identification and assessment of potential sponsors. These instruments
allow for consistency and compliance of standards across care providers
and help ORR monitor programs and identify problems and issues that
need corrective action.
(2) Keep up-to-date records to ensure the child or youth's safety
and security and care and to provide accountability with all Federal
and State, licensing, and other standards by care providers.
(3) Notify UC of their rights and responsibilities under the law,
including notice about ORR services, the fact that that they have the
right to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status, and their
legal responsibility to attend an immigration hearing.
These tasks are mainly conducted through the ORR online database
(The UC Portal), which provides a central location for case records and
the documentation of other activities (for example, when a child or
youth is transferred to another facility). Many of these records are
``auto-populated'' on the UC Portal once the original data points are
completed (such as DOB, A number, date of initial placement).
The data collection described here pertains to activities involving
UC and care providers from initial intakes of UC into ORR care to his
or her release from ORR care. It does not cover information collection
for potential sponsors (Submitted via separate OMB request in January
2015.)
ORR has applied the following assumptions to this request:
(1) Items related to tasks that are routine and customary for care
providers and others are excluded. This includes quarterly or annual
financial or other reports, grant related requests from ORR Project
Officers or others for monitoring performance and progress, and third
party notifications to other government agencies, such as U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ). (For financial and other reports, Care Providers use templates
posted on http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html#reporting)
(2) Data collection and reporting requirements do not reflect those
required by State or local licensing or accreditation requirements.
(3) Acknowledgement of receipt of information or other
acknowledgements via signature by either the UC or the care provider or
others are not included in this information request as these are
administrative in nature in order to help care providers and UC track
personal belongings, DHS related documents, medical records, and other
important items required by the UC following release from ORR care.
The components of this information request include:
(1) UC Portal Capacity Report: Care providers complete the sections
on ``In Care'' and ``Beds in Reserve'' as well as the section recording
the UC who have been discharged on a daily basis so that ORR Intakes
has a complete picture of available beds for UC placements.
(2) The Further Assessment Swift Track (FAST) Placement Tool
(Versions for Secure and Staff Secure placements): Initially used by
ORR Intakes to determine when a UC warrants a placement in Secure or
Staff Secure Care. Care providers must use the tool to update a status
for UC who are placed in Secure Care at least every 30 days. (Care
providers are not required to re-use tool for UC who have been placed
in Staff Secure Care).
(3) Placement Authorization: Auto-generated. Requires a signature
from the care provider acknowledging a particular UC placement into
their facility.
(4) Notice of Placement in Secure or Staff Secure Facility:
Acknowledges UC's placement in a secure or staff secure care provider
facility with signature of UC and facility witness.
(5) Initial Intakes Assessment: Biographical information is auto-
[[Page 53806]]
populated for care providers based on ORR information obtained at
Intakes. Screens for trafficking or other safety concerns, special
needs, danger to self and others, medical conditions, mental health
concerns.
(6) UC Assessment: Care provider must complete within 7 days of
UC's admission, covers biographic, family, legal, migration, medical,
substance abuse, and mental health history.
(7) Individual Service Plan: Documents the services that have been
provided (for example, number of counseling sessions, educational
assessment and classes) and is updated every 30 days. When a child is
transferred to a new facility, a new ISP is developed.
(8) UC Case Review Form: Documents any new information not
indicated in the UC Assessment.
(9) New Sponsor Form: Identifies any potential sponsor(s) for a
particular UC. In addition to serving as a record for a particular
case, helps ORR track individuals who are attempting to sponsor
numerous UC, which may suggest a possible trafficking or abuse
situation.
(10) Transfer Request and Tracking Form: Auto-populated and used to
obtain ORR permission for transfer to another care facility. (Filled
out by both ORR and care providers) and used to document when a UC is
transferred from one facility to another (requires signatures of both
facilities).
(11) Long Term Foster Care Placement Memo: When ORR identifies a
placement of a UC with a long term foster care facility, the long term
foster care provider or national VOLAG receiving the transfer request
completes the memo and sends to ORR to ensure continuity of services
and tracking of records for a UC.
(12) Travel Request form for UC Long Term Foster Care: Must be
filled out by program at least 10 days prior to travel start date.
(13) Notice of Transfer to ICE Chief Counsel and Change of Address:
Required so that the Chief Counsel of ICE may file a Motion for Change
of Venue and/or Change of Address with the Executive Office for
Immigration Review (EOIR), if applicable, to ensure immigration hearing
may proceed.
(14) Care Provider Release Checklist: Care providers must complete
and affirm that all documents, forms, and steps are completed in the
release process.
(15) Release Request: Provides care provider recommendation for
release of a UC to a sponsor. All releases must be approved by ORR
prior to UC release.
(16) Discharge Notification: Includes date and type of discharge
(transfer, home country, sponsor release) and is sent to ICE.
(17) Verification of Release: Signed by sponsor as notification
that named UC has been released according to the law. Sponsor must also
acknowledge agreement with the provisions of the Sponsor Care Agreement
pertaining to the minor's care, safety, and well-being, and the
sponsor's responsibility for ensuring the minor's presence at all
future proceedings before the Department of Homeland Security and EOIR.
(18) Child Advocate Referral and Appointment Form: Used by the
Child Advocate Program to recommend that ORR appoint an independent
child advocate for a victim of child trafficking or in other cases
involving vulnerable children.
(19) Notice of Rights Handout and Notice of Rights and Provision of
Services: Care providers are required to provide to all UC under the
Flores v. Reno Settlement Agreement.
(20) Legal Service Provider List for UC: List of organizations who
offer free legal representation and help for UC with State and Federal
courts, immigration hearings, and appeals. Required under the Flores
Settlement Agreement.
(21) URM Application: Certain populations of children and youth in
ORR custody may become eligible for the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
Program, which is a State administered foster care program. In such
instances the care provider facility or other interested party may
complete this application form on behalf of the child.
(22) Withdrawal of Application or Declination of Placement Form: If
a youth who has submitted an application for the URM Program wishes to
withdraw this application, or if he or she has been offered placement
and wishes to decline this placement, the youth must complete this
form.
(23) Standard Shelter Tour Request: Used by members of the public
and the media to submit to care providers in order to tour a shelter
facility.
Respondents: UC in ORR care and custody (they are generally
referred to ORR from the DHS) and who are then referred to ORR's
Network of Care Providers.
Staff in ORR's Care Provider Network, including those in shelter
care, secure and staff secure care, foster care, and residential
treatment centers.
Approved sponsors of UC released from ORR care.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of
Instrument Number of responses per Average burden hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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UC Portal Capacity Report.......... 50 1 .16/hour................... 8
Further Assessment Swift Track 2,320 1 .25/hour................... 580
(FAST) Placement Tool.
Placement Authorization Form....... 58,000 1 .1/hour.................... 5,800
Notice of Placement in Secure or 2,320 1 .1/hour.................... 232
Staff Secure Facility.
Initial Intakes Form............... 58,000 1 .25/hour................... 14,500
UC Assessment...................... 58,000 1 .50/hour................... 29,000
Individual Service Plan............ 58,000 1 .25........................ 14,500
UC Case Review Form................ 58,000 1 .50/hour................... 29,000
New Sponsor Form................... 55,200 1 .25/hour................... 13,800
Transfer Request and Tracking Form. 1,000 1 .25/hour................... 250
Long Term Foster Care Placement 279 1 .1/hour.................... 28
Memo.
Travel Request Form for UC Long 20 1 .25/hour................... 5
Term Foster Care.
Notice of Transfer to ICE Chief 2,320 1 .1/hour.................... 232
Counsel and Change of Address.
Care Provider Release Checklist.... 55,200 1 .1......................... 5,520
Release Request.................... 55,200 3 .25 hour................... 41,400
Discharge Notification............. 716 1 .25/hour................... 179
Verification of Release............ 55,200 1 .1/hour.................... 5,520
Child Advocate Referral and 250 1 .50........................ 125
Appointment Form.
Notice of Rights Handout and Notice 58,000 1 .1/hour.................... 5,800
of Rights and Provision of
Services.
[[Page 53807]]
Legal Service Provider List for UC. 58,000 1 .1......................... 5,800
URM Application.................... 350 1 1.......................... 350
Withdrawal of Application or 10 1 .1/hour.................... 1
Declination of Placement Form.
Standard Shelter Tour Request...... 60 1 .1/hour.................... 6
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 172,636.
In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of
Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW.,
Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. Email
address: [email protected]. All requests should be identified
by the title of the information collection.
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.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-22495 Filed 9-4-15; 8:45 am]
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