80 FR 76499 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 236 (December 9, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76499-76500]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Annual  number     Number of        Average
           Instrument              Total number         of         responses per   burden hours    Annual burden
                                  of respondents    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Impact Study, Introductory Script and Random Assignment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Impact Study, Baseline Surveys
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.....................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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