82 FR 48234 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 199 (October 17, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48234-48235]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22422]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.
    OMB No.: 0970-0424.
    Description: The Administration on Children, Youth and Families in 
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the 
National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to respond to the 
1988 and 1992 amendments (Pub. L. 100-294 and Pub. L. 102-295) to the 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.), 
which called for the creation of a coordinated national data collection 
and analysis program, both universal and case specific in scope, to 
examine standardized data on false, unfounded, or unsubstantiated 
reports.
    In 1996, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was amended 
by Public Law 104-235 to require that any state receiving the Basic 
State Grant work with the Secretary of the Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS) to provide specific data on child maltreatment, to 
the extent practicable. These provisions were retained and expanded 
upon in the 2010 reauthorization of CAPTA (Pub. L. 111-320). Item (17) 
below was enacted with the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 
2015 (Pub. L. 114-22). The law goes into effect in 2017 and it is 
anticipated that states will begin reporting with FFY 2018 data. Item 
(18) below was enacted with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery 
Act of 2016 (CARA) (Pub. L. 114-198). The law goes into effect in 2017 
and it is anticipated that states will begin reporting with FFY 2018 
data. Each state to which a grant is made under this section shall 
annually work with the Secretary to provide, to the maximum extent 
practicable, a report that includes the following:
    1. The number of children who were reported to the state during the 
year as victims of child abuse or neglect.
    2. Of the number of children described in paragraph (1), the number 
with respect to whom such reports were--
    A. substantiated;
    B. unsubstantiated; or
    C. determined to be false.
    3. Of the number of children described in paragraph (2)--
    A. the number that did not receive services during the year under 
the state program funded under this section or an equivalent state 
program;
    B. the number that received services during the year under the 
state program funded under this section or an equivalent state program; 
and
    C. the number that were removed from their families during the year 
by disposition of the case.
    4. The number of families that received preventive services, 
including use of differential response, from the state during the year.
    5. The number of deaths in the state during the year resulting from 
child abuse or neglect.
    6. Of the number of children described in paragraph (5), the number 
of such children who were in foster care.
    7.
    A. The number of child protective service personnel responsible for 
the--
    i. intake of reports filed in the previous year;
    ii. screening of such reports;
    iii. assessment of such reports; and
    iv. investigation of such reports.
    B. The average caseload for the workers described in subparagraph 
(A).
    8. The agency response time with respect to each such report with 
respect to initial investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect.
    9. The response time with respect to the provision of services to 
families and children where an allegation of child abuse or neglect has 
been made.
    10. For child protective service personnel responsible for intake, 
screening, assessment, and investigation of child abuse and neglect 
reports in the state--
    A. information on the education, qualifications, and training 
requirements established by the state for child protective service 
professionals, including for entry and advancement in the profession, 
including advancement to supervisory positions;
    B. data of the education, qualifications, and training of such 
personnel;
    C. demographic information of the child protective service 
personnel; and
    D. information on caseload or workload requirements for such 
personnel, including requirements for average number and maximum number 
of cases per child protective service worker and supervisor.
    11. The number of children reunited with their families or 
receiving family preservation services that, within five years, result 
in subsequent substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect, 
including the death of the child.
    12. The number of children for whom individuals were appointed by 
the court to represent the best interests of such children and the 
average number of out of court contacts between such individuals and 
children.
    13. The annual report containing the summary of activities of the 
citizen review panels of the state required by subsection (c)(6).
    14. The number of children under the care of the state child 
protection system who are transferred into the custody of the state 
juvenile justice system.
    15. The number of children referred to a child protective services 
system under subsection (b)(2)(B)(ii).
    16. The number of children determined to be eligible for referral, 
and the number of children referred, under subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxi), 
to agencies providing early intervention services under part C of the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.).
    17. The number of children determined to be victims described in 
subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxiv).
    18. The number of infants--
    (A) identified under subsection (b)(2)(B)(ii);
    (B) for whom a plan of safe care was developed under subsection 
(b)(2)(B)(iii); and
    (C) for whom a referral was made for appropriate services, 
including services for the affected family or caregiver, under 
subsection (b)(2)(B)(iii).

[[Page 48235]]

    The Children's Bureau proposes to continue collecting the NCANDS 
data through the two files of the Detailed Case Data Component, the 
Child File (the case-level component of NCANDS) and the Agency File 
(additional aggregate data, which cannot be collected at the case 
level). Technical assistance will be provided so that all states may 
provide the Child File and Agency File data to NCANDS.
    The reauthorization of CAPTA, subsection (b)(2)(B)(xxiv), specifies 
for ``requiring identification and assessment of all reports involving 
children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking (as 
defined in section 103(10) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102 (10)); and S. 178-38.'' To comply with the new 
reporting requirements for item 17, NCANDS will use a new field in the 
Child File.
    The Children's Bureau proposes to modify the Child File by 
modifying the maltreatment fields.
     Add a new maltreatment type code, 7=sex trafficked, to the 
existing Fields 26, 28, 30, 32 (Maltreatment-1 Type, Maltreatment-2 
Type, Maltreatment-3 Type, Maltreatment-4 Type).
    The reauthorization of CAPTA, subsection (b)(2)(B)(ii), specifies 
collecting the number of (A) screened-in and screened-out referrals 
from healthcare providers involved in the delivery or care of infants 
and who referred such infants born with and identified as being 
affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from 
prenatal drug exposure, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; (B) of 
those screened-in, for whom a plan of safe care was developed, under 
subsection (b)(2)(B)(iii); and (C) of those screened-in, for whom a 
referral was made for appropriate services, including services for the 
affected family or caregiver, under subsection (b)(2)(B)(iii). To 
comply with the new reporting requirements for item 18, NCANDS will use 
a combination of existing fields in the Child File and a new field in 
the Agency File.
    The Children's Bureau proposes to modify the Agency File by adding 
1 new field, under Section 2, Referrals and Reports.
     2.5. Number of screened-out referrals from healthcare 
providers involved in the delivery or care of infants and who referred 
such infants born with and identified as being affected by substance 
abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, or 
a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
    The Children's Bureau proposes to modify the Child File by adding 
two new fields.
     Field 151, Has A Safe Care Plan: The Safe Care Plan field 
will establish a flag as to whether a child has a safe care plan.
     Field 152, Referral to CARA-Related Services: The Referral 
to CARA-related Services field will establish a flag as to whether a 
referral was made for appropriate services, including services for the 
affected family or caregiver.
    Respondents: State governments, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                  Number of      Average burden
                 Instrument                      Number of      responses per      hours per       Total burden
                                                respondents       respondent        response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detailed Case Data Component (Child File and              52                1              149            7,717
 Agency File)...............................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,717.
    Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the 
Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research 
and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20201. Attention 
Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be identified by the 
title of the information collection. Email address: 
[email protected].
    OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the 
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of 
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best 
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office 
of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Email: 
[email protected] Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration 
for Children and Families.

Mary Jones,
ACF/OPRE Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-22422 Filed 10-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-29-P