[Federal Register: October 18, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 200)]
[Notices]
[Page 61393-61394]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18oc04-79]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Title: Building Strong Families Demonstration and Evaluation--
Baseline Information.
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: The proposed information collection activity is for
baseline information during eligibility screening and enrollment in
local programs participating in the Building Strong Families (BSF)
evaluation. The BSF evaluation is an important opportunity to learn if
well-designed interventions can help low-income couples develop the
knowledge and relationship skills that research has shown are
associated with healthy marriages. BSF programs will provide
instruction and support to improve marriage and relationship skills and
enhance couples' understanding of marriage. In addition, BSF programs
will provide links to a variety of other services that could help
couples sustain a healthy relationship (e.g., employment assistance).
The evaluation's goal is to include a maximum of six programs that will
add a BSF component to existing services and enroll into the evaluation
approximately 2,000 couples into each program, i.e., 1,000 couples
randomly assigned to participate in BSF services and 1,000 couples in
the control group, for a total of 12,000 couples (24,000 individuals).
The evaluation will assess the net impact of the BSF interventions on
these two groups.
Respondents: The respondents for the baseline data collection will
be low-income, unmarried, expectant or recent parents who volunteer to
participate in the evaluation. (Some couples may have been recently
married since the conception of their child.) There will be four forms
used in the baseline data collection: (1) The Mother/Father Eligibility
Checklist; (2) the Consent to Participate in the BSF Study Form; (3)
the Baseline Information Form; and (4) the Contact Information Form.
The Mother/Father Eligibility Checklist will be used by program staff
to determine if respondents meet the minimum requirements for
participating in the BSF program. We estimate that about 25 percent of
couples interviewed will meet the eligibility criteria for the program.
The Consent to Participate in the BSF Study Form explains in detail the
design of the evaluation, the process for selection, and the results of
agreeing to participate in the study (e.g., being contacted for follow-
up information). The Baseline Information Form collects basic
demographic information about respondents, as well as brief information
concerning pregnancies and births, family structure, employment and
income, and emotional well-being, all of which is relevant for the
study. The Contact Information Form gathers information on friends and
relatives who can assist in locating respondents based on respondents'
agreements to participate in follow-up surveys that will be conducted
many months later. All forms will be administered to both members of
the couples by BSF program staff members. The forms will be
administered in a number of different settings, but we anticipate the
two most common will be in hospitals, following the birth of children,
and in the mother's/father's home shortly after births.
[[Page 61394]]
Annual Burden Estimates
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Average burden
Number of hours per Total
Instrument Number of responses response burden
respondents per participants + hours
respondent staff
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Mother/Father Eligibility Checklist........................ 96,000 1 0.03 + 0.06 8,640
Consent Form............................................... 24,000 1 0.08 + 0.12 4,800
Baseline Info Form......................................... 24,000 1 0.25 + 0.33 13,920
Contact Info Form.......................................... 24,000 1 0.03 + 0.06 2,160
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours........................ ........... .......... .............. 29,520
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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: grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. Al 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: October 12, 2004.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-23233 Filed 10-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M