2019-00942. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Assessing Models of Coordinated Services for Low-Income Children and Their Families (AMCS) (New Collection)

AGENCY:

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration for Children and Families; HHS.

ACTION:

Request for Public Comment.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to collect data for a new study, Assessing Models of Coordinated Services for Low-Income Children and Their Families (AMCS).

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. 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.

ADDRESSES:

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 Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email address: [e-mail]. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: Through AMCS, ACF seeks to learn more about how states and communities coordinate early care and education, family economic security, and/or other health and human services to most efficiently and effectively serve the needs of low-income children and their families. ACF aims to understand strategies used to support partnerships, including the federal barriers to agency collaboration. In support of achieving these goals, the study team will conduct site visits to six programs that offer coordinated services. The study team will gather information through interviews with program staff members, such as agency leaders or frontline staff, and focus groups with parents.

Data collection activities will include up to six program site visits. Programs will be identified through a scan of publicly available information about programs, recommendations from stakeholders, and proposed telephone interviews (the information collection request for these interviews will be submitted under the generic clearance: Formative Data Collections for ACF Research, OMB #0970-0356). Once potential programs are identified, agency leaders will be invited to participate in the site visit. Site visits will include semi-structured interviews with up to 30 total staff at each site. Staff invited will include lead program and partner staff to include agency leaders (including program directors, executive directors, or CEOs), directors of programs within the site, frontline staff (including service navigators or coordinators), and focus groups with 8-10 parents at each site. Semi-structured interviews with program and partner staff will obtain in-depth information about the goals and objectives of programs, the services provided, how the coordinated services are implemented, how staffing is managed, data use, and any facilitators and barriers to coordination. Focus groups with parents participating in the program will provide the opportunity to learn about how parents perceive the program, how it meets their needs, what benefits they gain from the program, and how they enroll, participate, and progress through the program.

Respondents: Lead program and partner program staff members working in six programs across the United States that coordinate early care and education services with family economic security services and/or other health and human services, as well as parents receiving services from these programs. Staff respondents will be selected with the goal of having staff represent each level of the organization. Parents who have participated in the program for at least six months and who have received early childhood services and at least one other program service will be invited to participate in focus groups.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Total/annual number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Annual burden hours
Master Interview Protocol	180	1	2	360
Parent Focus Group Protocol	60	1	1	60

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 420.

Comments: 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.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9858(a)(5).

Mary B. Jones,

ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.