2013-29083. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Proposed Projects

Title: Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP), Annual Progress and Services Review (APSR), and Annual Budget Expenses Request and Estimated Expenditures (CFS-101).

OMB No.: 0970-0426.

Description: Under title IV-B, subparts 1 and 2, of the Social Security Act (the Act), States, Territories, and Tribes are required to submit a Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP). The CFSP lays the groundwork for a system of coordinated, integrated, and culturally relevant family services for the subsequent five years (45 CFR 1357.15(a)(1)). The CFSP outlines initiatives and activities the State, Tribe or territory will carry out in administering programs and services to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. By June 30 of each year, States, Territories, and Tribes are also required to submit an Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR) and a financial report called the CFS-101. The APSR is a Yearly report that discusses progress made by a State, Territory or Tribe in accomplishing the goals and objectives cited in its CFSP (45 CFR 1357.16(a)). The APSR contains new and updated information about service needs and organizational capacities throughout the five-year plan period. The CFS-101 has three parts. Part I is an annual budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. Part II includes a summary of planned expenditures by program area for the upcoming fiscal year, the estimated number of individuals or families to be served, and the geographical service area. Part III includes actual expenditures by program area, numbers of families and individuals served by program area, and the geographic areas served for the last complete fiscal year.

The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 amended Title IV-B, subparts 1 and 2, adding a number of requirements that affect reporting through the APSR and the CFS-101. Of particular note, the law added a provision requiring States (including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) to report data on caseworker visits (section 424(e) of the Act). States must provide annual data on 1) the percentage of children in foster care under the responsibility of the State who were visited on a monthly basis by the caseworker handling the case of the child; and 2) the percentage of the visits that occurred in the residence of the child. In addition, by June 30, 2008, States must set target percentages and establish strategies to meet the goal that; by October 1, 2011; at least 90 percent of the children in foster care are visited by their caseworkers on a monthly basis and that the majority of these visits occur in the residence of the child (section 424(e)(2)(A) of the Act).

Respondents: States, Territories, and Tribes must complete the CFSP, APSR, and CFS-101. Tribes and territories are exempted from the monthly caseworker visits reporting requirement of the APSR. There are approximately 180 Tribal entities that are eligible for IV-B funding. There are 52 States (including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) that must complete the CFSP, APSR, and CFS-101. There are a total of 232 possible respondents.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total burden hours
APSR	232	1	76.58	17,766.56
CFSP	232	1	120.25	27,898
CFS-101, Parts I, II, and III	232	1	4.38	1,016.16
Caseworker Visits	52	1	99.33	5,165.16
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:				51,845.88

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 Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. Email 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.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.