[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76499-76500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30994]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Title: Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services
(STREAMS) Evaluation
OMB No.: New Collection
Description: The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) within the
Administration for Children and Familes (ACF) at the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services has issued grants to 46 organizations to
provide healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) services.
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within ACF
proposes data collection activity in six HMRE grantees as part of the
Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services (STREAMS)
evaluation. The purpose of STREAMS is to measure the effectiveness and
quality of HMRE programs designed to strengthen intimate relationships.
In particular, the evaluation will examine HMRE programs for youth in
high school, at-risk youth, and adults. The study will fill knowledge
gaps about the effectiveness of HMRE programming for youth and adults
and strategies for improving program delivery and participant
engagement in services. The STREAMS evaluation will include two
components, an impact study and a process study.
1. Impact Study. The goal of the impact study is to provide
rigorous estimates of the effectiveness of program services and
interventions to improve program implementation. The impact study will
use an experimental design. Eligible program applicants will be
randomly assigned to either a program group that is offered program
services or a control group that is not. Grantee staff will use an add-
on to an existing program MIS (the nFORM system, OMB no. 0970-0460) to
conduct random assignment in sites enrolling at-risk youth and adults.
STREAMS will use classroom-level or school-level random assignment for
programs serving youth in high school. STREAMS will collect baseline
information from eligible program applicants prior to random assignment
and administer a follow-up survey to all study participants 12 months
after random assignment.
2. Process study. The goal of the process study is to support the
interpretation of impact findings and document program operations to
support future replication. STREAMS will conduct semi-structured
interviews with program staff and selected community stakeholders,
conduct focus groups with program participants, administer a paper-and-
pencil survey to program staff, and collect data on adherence to
program curricula through an add on to an existing program MIS (nForm,
OMB no. 0970-0460).
This 60-Day Notice includes the following data collection
activities: (1) Introductory script that program staff will use to
introduce the study to participants, (2) the MIS functions for
conducting random assignment, (3) a baseline survey for youth, (4) a
baseline survey for adults, (5) a follow-up survey for youth, (6) a
follow-up survey for adults, (7) a topic guide for semi-structured
interviews with program staff and community stakeholders, (8) focus
group guides for program participants, (9) a staff survey, and (10) the
MIS functions for collecting data on adherence to program curricula.
Respondents: Program applicants, study participants, grantee staff,
and local stakeholders (such as staff at referral agencies).
Annual Burden Estimates
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Annual number Number of Average
Instrument Total number of responses per burden hours Annual burden
of respondents respondents respondent per response hours
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Impact Study, Introductory Script and Random Assignment
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1. Grantee staff................ 24 12 313 .08 301
2. Program applicants........... 7,500 3,750 1 .08 300
3. Study MIS for grantee to 16 8 313 .08 200
conduct random assignment......
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Impact Study, Baseline Surveys
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4. Baseline Survey for Youth.... 3,100 1,550 1 .5 775
5. Baseline Survey for Adults... 4,000 2,000 1 .5 1,000
6. Follow-up Survey for Youth... 2,790 1,395 1 .5 698
7. Follow-up Survey for Adults.. 3,200 1,600 1 .75 1,200
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Process Study
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8. Topic guide for process study 150 75 1 1 75
staff and stakeholder
interviews.....................
9. Focus group guide for adults. 90 45 1 1.5 68
10. Focus group guide for youth 60 30 1 1.5 45
in schools.....................
11. Focus group guide for youth 30 15 1 1.5 23
out of schools.................
12. Staff survey................ 120 60 1 .5 30
[[Page 76500]]
13. Study MIS nFORM for grantees 48 24 312 .08 599
to report session adherence to
curriculum.....................
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,314
In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(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: OPRE 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,
ACF Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-30994 Filed 12-8-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-73-P