E9-96. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Proposed Projects

Title: Mentoring Children of Prisoners Relationship Quality Survey.

OMB No.: 0970-0308.

Description: The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001 (Pub. L. 107-133) amended Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629-629e) to provide funding for nonprofit agencies that recruit, screen, train, and support mentors for children with an incarcerated parent or parents. The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) of the Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program. The MCP program creates lasting, high-quality one-to-one mentoring relationships that provide young people with caring adult role models. The quality of these relationships is an important indicator of success in mentoring programs. Previous research has shown an association between high-quality mentoring relationships and positive changes in youth behavior associated with positive youth benefits, such as improved school attendance, reductions in risk behavior, and other benefits.

The Relationship Quality Instrument consists of 15 rigorously field-tested questions about the relationship, plus several questions that establish context (age, gender, duration of relationship and frequency of contacts, etc.). The answers to the questions help assess how satisfied the youth (mentee) is with the relationship; whether the mentee is happy in the relationship; whether the mentee trusts the mentor; and whether the mentor has helped the mentee to cope with problems. Researchers in the field of mentoring have tested and validated the questions.

FYSB requires grantees receiving funding to provide information that can be used to evaluate outcomes for participating children. FYSB will use the information provided by the instrument to assure effective service delivery and program management and to guide the development of national monitoring and technical assistance systems. Finally, FYSB will use data from this collection for reporting program outcomes to Congress in the FY 2006 Performance Report during the budget process and as the basis for outcome evaluation of the program over the long term.

Rhodes J., Reddy R., Roffman J., and Grossman J.B. (March 2005). Promoting Successful Youth Mentoring Relationships: A Preliminary Screening Questionnaire. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 26:2, 147-167.

Respondents: Public, community- and faith-based organizations receiving funding to implement the MCP program.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total burden hours
Relationship Quality Instrument for Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program	215	1	116	24,940

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 24,940.

In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(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 Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail address: [e-mail]. 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.

Dated: January 5, 2009.

Janean Chambers,

Reports Clearance Officer.