06-4634. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Title: Needs Assessment for Promoting Cultural Competence and Diversity in Youth Mentoring Programs Toolkit.

OMB No. New Collection.

Description: The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program, administered under the Family Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), was authorized by the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Act of 2001 (SSFA, Pub. L. 107-133). The MCP program is designed to nurture children who have one or both parents incarcerated. The Secretary of HHS is mandated to appropriate funds for the MCP grant program, specifically for evaluation, research, training, and technical assistance. In FY 2004, grantees began submitting progress reports to HHS.

FYSB will conduct an assessment of the mentoring community to identify and assess needs for the purpose of building a toolkit of practical information and tools to assist mentoring programs in promoting cultural competence and diversity in their programs. The toolkit modules address recruiting minority mentors, assessing and matching mentors and mentees, training, educating program staff and participants, and promoting ethnic identity development.

Respondents: Mentoring Children of Prisoners grantees and National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) affiliated mentoring organizations.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total burden hours
Mentoring ToolKit Web-based Needs Assessment Questionnaire	442	1	.75	332
Mentoring ToolKit Web-based focus group	40	1	1	40
Mentoring ToolKit Web-based Feedback Questionnaire	100	1	.25	25
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours				397

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 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: (1) 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: May 12, 2006.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.