[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 381-382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28374]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Title: Evaluation of the Family Unification Program.
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is
proposing an information collection activity to assess the impact,
through rigorous evaluation, of participation in the Family Unification
Program (FUP) on child welfare involvement and child maltreatment. The
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds and administers
FUP. Through the program, vouchers are provided to families for whom
the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in (a) the imminent
placement of the family's child, or children, in out-of-home care or
(b) the delay in the discharge of the child, or children, to the family
from out-of-home-care. The program aims to prevent children's placement
in out-of-home care, promote family reunification for children placed
in out-of-home care, and decrease new reports of abuse and neglect.
Vouchers may also be provided to youth transitioning from foster care
who do not have adequate housing, although this population is not the
focus of this evaluation.
The evaluation will contribute to understanding the effects of FUP
on project participants' child welfare involvement. The evaluation will
be conducted in approximately ten sites, with random assignment of FUP-
eligible families to program and control groups. The evaluation
consists of both an impact study and an implementation study. Data
collection for the impact study will be exclusively through
administrative data. Data collection for the implementation study will
be through site visits and collection of program data. Data collection
activities will span 3 years.
Implementation study data collection will occur at three points in
time: (1) Prior to the implementation (``preliminary''), (2) 6-9 months
into the implementation (``first''), and (3) 18-21 months into
implementation (``follow-up'') time periods. Semi-structured interviews
will be conducted with agency/organization management (preliminary,
first) and FUP management (first, follow-up), and focus groups will be
conducted with front-line staff (first, follow-up). Program data,
including a referral form and questionnaires regarding housing
assistance and other services, will be collected through forms
completed by frontline staff. FUP management staff will also complete
an online randomization tool and a form (``dashboard'') to facilitate
monitoring of the evaluation.
This evaluation is part of a larger project to help ACF build the
evidence base in child welfare through rigorous evaluation of programs,
practices, and policies. It will also contribute to HUD's understanding
of how housing can serve as a platform for improving quality of life.
Respondents: Public housing authority staff, public child welfare
agency staff, and other service provider staff.
[[Page 382]]
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of Average burden
Total number Annual number responses per hour per Annual burden
of respondents of respondents respondent response hours
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Guide for Recruitment with PHA 20 7 1 1.00 7
and PCWA Administrators........
Guide to Develop an Evaluation 10 4 1 1.00 4
Plan for PCWA FUP Management...
Guide to Develop an Evaluation 10 4 1 1.00 4
Plan for PHA FUP Management....
Guide for Implementation Study 10 4 1 1.00 4
for PCWA Management............
Guide for Implementation Study 10 4 1 1.00 4
for PHA Management.............
Guide for Implementation Study 4 2 1 1.00 2
for Referral Provider
Administrators.................
Guide for Implementation Study 10 4 1 1.00 4
with PCWA FUP Management
(First)........................
Guide for Implementation Study 10 4 1 1.00 4
for PHA FUP Management.........
Guide for Implementation Study 320 107 1 1.50 161
Focus Groups with Frontline
Workers........................
Guide for Implementation Study 30 10 1 1.50 15
Focus Groups with PHA Frontline
Workers........................
Guide for Implementation Study 10 4 1 1.00 4
for PCWA FUP Management (Follow
Up)............................
Guide for Implementation Study 8 3 1 1.00 3
for Service Provider Management
Referral Form................... 200 67 6 0.17 68
Randomization Tool.............. 10 4 106 0.02 8
Housing Assistance Questionnaire 200 67 3 0.09 18
Ongoing Services Questionnaire.. 200 67 3 0.09 18
Dashboard....................... 20 7 27 0.17 32
Administrative Data List........ 30 10 2 5.00 100
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 460.
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, 330 C St SW, Washington, DC 20201,
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.
Mary Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-28374 Filed 1-2-18; 8:45 am]
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