03-26471. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on [phone].

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of information are 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) ways to enhance 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.

Proposed Project: National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, Phase Four—New—SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is conducting Phase IV of this national evaluation project among grantees newly funded in FY 2002 and 2003. The national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program will collect data on child mental health outcomes, family life, and service system development and performance.

Data will be collected on 23 service systems, and approximately 5,281 children and families. Data collection for this evaluation will be conducted over a five-year period. The core of service system data will be collected every 18 months throughout the 5-year evaluation period, with a sustainability survey conducted in selected years. Service delivery and system variables of interest include the following: Maturity of system of care development, adherence to the system of care program model, and client service experience. The length of time that individual families will participate in the study ranges from 18 to 36 months depending on when they enter the evaluation.

Child and family outcomes of interest will be collected at intake and during subsequent follow-up sessions at six-month intervals. The outcome measures include the following: Child symptomatology and functioning, family functioning, material resources, and caregiver strain. In addition, an evidence-based treatment study will examine the relative impact of evidence-based treatments focused on substance use prevention within 2 systems of care. Time-limited studies addressing the cultural competence of services and the role of primary care providers in systems of care will be conducted at selected points during the evaluation period. Internet-based technology will be used for collecting data via Web-based surveys and for data entry and management. The average annual respondent burden is estimated below. The estimate reflects the average number of respondents in each respondent category, the average number of responses per respondent per year, the average length time it will take for each response, and the total average annual burden for each category of respondent, and for all categories of respondents combined.

Respondent	Number of respondents	Number of responses/respondent	Average burden/response (hrs.)	Total average annual hours
Caregiver	5281	1.016	2.066	11,086
Youth	3169	0.998	1.053	3,333
Provider/Administrator	483	0.453	2.594	568
Total				14,987

Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Dated: October 14, 2003.

Anna Marsh,

Acting Executive Officer, SAMHSA.