[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 217 (Tuesday, November 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69689-69692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28558]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish periodic summaries of
proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects
or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the
SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of
information are 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) ways to enhance 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.
Proposed Project: Now Is the Time (NITT)--Healthy Transitions (HT)
Evaluation--New
SAMHSA is conducting a national evaluation of the Now is the Time
(NITT) initiative, which includes separate programs--NITT Project AWARE
(Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education)--State Educational
Agency (SEA), Healthy Transitions (HT), and two Minority Fellowship
Programs (Youth and Addiction Counselors). These programs are united by
their focus on capacity building, system change, and workforce
development.
NITT-HT, which is the focus of this data collection, represents a
response to the fourth component of President Obama's NITT Initiative:
Increasing access to mental health services. The purpose of the NITT-HT
program is to improve access to treatment and support services for
youth/young adults 16-25 years that either have, or are at risk of
developing a mental illness or substance use disorder, and are at high
risk of suicide. NITT-HT grants were made to 17 state or local
jurisdictions, each of which include 2-3 learning laboratories (n =
43), which are the local communities of practice responsible for
implementing the NITT-HT approach. The NITT-HT program aims to increase
awareness about early signs and symptoms of mental health conditions in
the community; identify action strategies to use when a mental health
concern is detected; provide training to provider and community groups
to improve services and supports for youth/young adults; enhance peer
and family supports; and develop effective services and interventions
for youth and young adults with a serious mental health condition and
their families. The NITT-HT evaluation is designed to understand
whether and how NITT-HT grantees reach these program goals by examining
system- and grantee-level processes and system- and client-level
outcomes. Data collection efforts that will support the evaluation are
described below.
The Community Support for Transition Inventory (CSTI) will assess
systems change for communities implementing comprehensive, community-
based approaches to improve outcomes for emerging adults with serious
mental health conditions. The CSTI is organized around seven themes:
Community partnership, collaborative action, transition planning
quality assurance and support, workforce, fiscal policies and
sustainability, access to needed support and services, and
accountability. The CSTI is a web-based survey to be completed by 1,075
community leaders (15-25 community leaders per 43 learning
laboratories) once during Year 2 and once during Year 4 of the grant
period. Community leaders include members of the local advisory or
steering committee, staff of the NITT-HT program, staff of agencies
providing portions of the services, and young adult and family members'
advocates.
The State Support for Transition Inventory (SSTI) will assess state
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support for systems change and is organized around six themes
(partnership, collaborative action, workforce, fiscal policies &
sustainability, access to needed supports & services, and
accountability). The SSTI is a web-based survey to be completed by 425
state leadership members (20-25 state leaders per 17 grantees) once
during Year 2 and once during Year 4 of the grant period. State
leadership members include administrators or staff from state agencies
responsible for aspects of services to youth/young adults (e.g., mental
health, child welfare, education), youth/young adult and adult allies
who are active in promoting, planning, or overseeing services at the
state level, as well as other members of state-level advisory groups or
governing bodies.
The Collaborative Member Survey is designed to assess specific team
processes that contribute to collaboration outcomes at the systems
level and will be administered to a subset of CSTI respondents who
participate in a NITT-HT grantee's Advisory Team. The Collaborative
Member Survey emphasizes aspects of Advisory Teams' climate
(participatory decision-making, structure, management of conflict,
reflexivity). A maximum of 1,075 respondents (15-25 advisory team
members per 43 learning laboratories) are expected to complete the web-
based survey once during Year 3 and once during Year 5 of the grant
period.
The Collaborative Self-Assessment assesses collaborative
functioning and accomplishments, and specific tasks completed by NITT-
HT grantee stakeholders and the leadership team including progress in
each of the primary ``functions'' for the NITT-HT grantees (i.e.,
specific, discrete achievements or steps toward strategic and fiscal
planning, expansion of services, early identification outreach, and
reduction of barriers to access). The web-based Collaborative Self-
Assessment Survey will be completed by one advisory team member per
learning laboratory (n = 43) once in Year 3 and once in Year 5 of the
grant period.
The Project Director Web Survey will collect information on
planning, coordination, leadership processes, fiscal planning, and
sustainability. The brief Project Director Web Survey will be completed
by all grantee project directors (n = 17) once during each of Years 2,
3, and 4 of the grant period. The web survey includes prompts designed
to assist the project director in gathering and recalling information
to be discussed during the subsequent Project Director Telephone
Interview. Upon completion of the web survey, the project director will
be asked to schedule a telephone interview, which will focus on
gathering more in depth information to complement information gathered
via the web survey. The Project Director Telephone Interview includes
information on state/local implementation, fiscal planning,
coordination and organizational challenges, workforce development,
quality assurance procedures, sustainability planning, and leadership
and political issues. The telephone interview will also be completed by
all grantee project directors (n = 17) once during each of Years 2, 3,
and 4 of the grant period. The web survey and telephone interview are
slightly different at each time point to reflect varying annual changes
in program implementation emphasis.
The Core Staff Web Survey will be administered to core NITT-HT
staff to assess characteristics of person-centered practice and
barriers to this practice. ``Core staff'' are defined as staff members
serving as primary providers of planning, case management and
coordination services to youth/young adults (``life coaches,''
``transition facilitators,'' or ``transition specialists''). A maximum
of 430 core staff (no more than 10 core staff per 43 learning
laboratories) are expected to complete the Core Staff Survey once
during the grant period.
In the Multi-Media Project, youth/young adults will be invited to
voluntarily provide information about their experiences working with or
being served by NITT-HT grantee communities using multi-media outlets.
Youth/young adult involvement is a priority both for the NITT-HT
national evaluation and for NITT-HT grantees. Consequently, it will be
important to offer youth/young adults opportunities to participate in
national evaluation activities in developmentally-appropriate and
engaging ways. These outlets could include videos, photos, blogs, or
poems (at the choice of the participating youth/young adult). Youth/
young adults will be given informational probes (e.g., what keeps you
involved in NITT-HT activities?) in grantee Years 2, 3, and 4; an
estimated 510 youth/young adults (30 youth/young adults per 17
grantees) will participate in the Multi-Media Project.
The Supplemental Youth and Youth Adult Interview (SYAI) will assess
key client-level outcomes of interest for the NITT-HT program,
including: School/home/daily living functioning, emotional/behavioral
health, vocation and education status, housing stability, criminal or
juvenile justice involvement, psychotic symptoms, substance use/abuse,
trauma symptoms, victimization experiences and propensity to commit
violent acts. In addition to primary outcomes of interest, the SYAI
also assesses intermediate outcomes thought to be critical in
influencing change in behavioral health and functioning, including:
Self-efficacy (mental health, school, career and social), and
perceptions of social support, person-centered care, and service
alliance. The SYAI includes standardized instruments as well as
project-developed items and does not duplicate the client-level data
collection required separately by SAMHSA (OMB No. 0930-0346). The SYAI
will be conducted with 90 service recipient youth/young adults per
NITT-HT grantee (n = 17), for a total of 1,530 youth/young adults, at
program enrollment (Baseline) and 12- and 24-months after enrollment.
These 90 cases will be evenly distributed across the grantee's 2-3
learning laboratories. The SYAI is designed for administration as an
audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) survey. This mode was
selected to offer participating youth/young adults maximum privacy
while completing the interview and to present minimal survey
administration burden to NITT-HT grantee staff.
Grantee Visit In-Person Interviews and Focus Group Guides
All NITT-HT grantees (n = 17) will be visited once during the 5-
year grant period. Activities associated with the grantee visit (i.e.,
a pre-planning inventory, interviews, focus groups, and document
review) are described below.
Prior to the grantee visit, the Services & Supports Inventory will
be administered one time by telephone to a representative from each of
the NITT-HT grantees (n = 17) to identify specific providers and other
stakeholders to participate in the grantee visit. Respondents will also
provide information about specific services, especially evidence-based
and evidence-informed practices being provided to youth/young adults
through NITT-HT associated behavioral health or other professional
agencies, and provide a preliminary assessment of the frequency and
quality of implementation of the practice(s).
During the one-time grantee visit, several in-person interviews and
two client-oriented focus groups will be conducted with NITT-HT program
staff. The Core Staff In-Person Interview will be conducted with core
staff members (i.e., ``transitions specialists,'' ``transition
facilitators,'' or ``life coaches'') to examine their experiences
providing person-centered planning
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services to youth/young adults served within the NITT-HT grantee
communities and ask about successes and challenges in creating and
implementing youth/young adult service plans. A total of 215 core staff
(five core staff per 43 learning laboratories) are expected to
participate.
The Youth Coordinator In-Person Interview will be conducted with
three staff members (one youth coordinator and up to two peer workers)
to elicit staff experiences working with the NITT-HT grantee with a
focus on the Youth Coordinator functions including participation in
planning and coordination, outreach, mentoring, and other activities. A
total of 129 staff members (three per 43 learning laboratories) are
expected to participate.
The Provider In-Person Interview will be conducted with individuals
who provide behavioral health services/treatment directly to youth/
youth adults served within the NITT-HT community, other than the
transition facilitators. These individuals will likely come from NITT-
HT partner organizations. Interviews will focus on two areas: (1)
Perceptions of organizational support by the collaborative, and (2)
implementation of evidence-based practices (e.g., general attitudes,
types of practices being used, implementation supports). A total of 85
key provider informants (five key providers per 17 grantees) are
expected to participate.
The Stakeholder In-Person Interview will be conducted with other
key stakeholders (e.g., board members for agencies, leaders or liaisons
for advocacy groups, leaders or advocates with religious or charitable
organizations), as identified by grantee leadership. The interview will
elicit experiences contributing to systems development, including
history of involvement, their specific contributions to the systems
development effort, and strategies, barriers and facilitators to making
these contributions. A total of 51 community stakeholders (3
stakeholders per 17 grantees) are expected to participate.
Two Young Adult Focus Groups will be conducted during the grantee
visit--one for youth/young adults directly involved in NITT-HT system
change efforts, and one for youth/young adults who are recipients of
NITT-HT services. The focus groups are designed to elicit perceptions
based on youth/young adult lived experience about resources to support
successful youth/young adult transition at NITT-HT sites, whether
practices are well aligned to address needs and cultivate resources,
and ideas about how to build on these achievements in the future. An
information form will be completed by each participant to gather
general background information (e.g., demographics, extent of
experience with the mental health system and grantee community). A
total of 860 youth/young adult participants (20 participants per 43
learning laboratories) are expected to participate.
Two Family/Adult Ally Focus Groups will be conducted during the
grantee visit--one focused at the client-level (for family members of
youth/young adults service recipients), and one focused at the systems
level (for family members involved in NITT-HT grantee planning and
systems change efforts). The focus groups will gather information about
family member perceived needs and resources to support youth/young
adults at the NITT-HT sites. An information form will be completed by
each participant to gather general background information (e.g.,
demographics, extent of experience with the mental health system and
grantee community). A total of 860 family/adult allies (20 participants
per 43 learning laboratories) are expected to participate.
Grantee Visit Document Review. Files or charts of a subset of
youth/young adults participating in the SYAI will be reviewed during
the grantee visit. This document review will be designed to ascertain
types of standard documentation routinely completed for youth/young
adult clients served as well as the consistency of completion of these
documents. Information extracted from client charts will be
programmatic only; there will be no identifying or personal information
extracted from these client charts.
Annualized Burden Hours for the NITT-Healthy Transitions Evaluation
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Number of Responses per Total number Hours per Total burden
Instrument/activity respondents respondent of responses response hours
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Community Support for Transition 1,075 1 1,075 0.4 430
Inventory......................
State Support for Transition 425 1 425 0.32 136
Inventory......................
Collaborative Member Survey..... 1,075 1 1,075 0.25 269
Collaborative Self-Assessment 43 1 43 0.83 36
Survey.........................
Project Director Web Survey..... 17 1 17 0.33 6
Project Director Telephone 17 1 17 1.5 26
Interview......................
Core Staff Web Survey........... 430 1 430 0.33 142
Grantee Visits: .............. .............. .............. .............. ..............
Services & Supports 17 1 17 0.67 11
Inventory..................
Core Staff In-Person 215 1 215 0.33 71
Interview..................
Youth Coordinator In-Person 129 1 129 1 129
Interview..................
Provider In-Person Interview 85 1 85 0.75 64
Stakeholder In-Person 51 1 51 0.75 38
Interview..................
Young Adult Focus Group..... 860 1 860 1.75 1,505
Family/Adult Ally Focus 860 1 860 1.75 1,505
Group......................
Document Review............. 43 1 43 0.25 11
Supplemental Youth & Young Adult 1,530 1 1,530 0.67 1,025
Interview......................
Multi-Media Project Young Adult 510 1 510 0.33 168
Probes.........................
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Total....................... * 5,522 .............. 7,382 .............. 5,572
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* This is an unduplicated count of total respondents.
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Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer,
Room 2-1057, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857 or email her a
copy at [email protected]. Written comments should be received
by January 11, 2016.
Summer King,
Statistician.
[FR Doc. 2015-28558 Filed 11-9-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P