[Federal Register: November 1, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 210)]
[Notices]
[Page 63400-63401]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01no04-94]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Title: Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect.
OMB No.: 0970-0276.
Description: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
intends to issue letters to recruit agencies for participation in the
next National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS). This
will be the fourth cycle of this periodic study. NIS-1, mandated under
Public Law (Pub. L.) 93-247 (1974), was conducted in 1979 and 1980 and
reported in 1981. The NIS-2, mandated under (Pub. L. 98-457 (1984), was
conducted in 1986 and 1987, and reported in 1988. NIS-3, mandated under
both the Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption, and Family Services Act of
1988 (Pub. L.) 100-294)
[[Page 63401]]
and the Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Adoption and Family Services
Act of 1992 (Pub. L.) 102-295, conducted between 1993 and 1995, and
reported in 1996. NIS-4, mandated by the Keeping Children and Families
Safe Act of 2003 (Pub. L.) 108-36), will be reported in 2006.
NIS is unique in that it goes beyond the abused and neglected
children who come to the attention of the Child Protective Services
(CPS) system. In contrast to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data
Systems (NCANDS), which rely solely on reported cases. The NIS design
assumes that reported children represent only a portion of the children
who actually are maltreated. Following the implications of its
assumptions, NIS estimates the scope of the maltreated child population
by combining information about reported cases with data on maltreated
children identified by professionals (called ``sentinels'') who
encounter them during the normal course of their work in a wide range
of agencies in representative communities. Sentinels are asked to
remain on the lookout for children whom they believe are maltreated
during the study reference period and to provide information about
these children. Children identified by sentinels and those children
whose alleged maltreatment is investigated by CPS during the same
period are evaluated against standardized definitions, and only
children who meet the study standards are used to develop the study
estimates. The study estimates are couched in terms of numbers of
maltreated children, with data unduplicated so that a given child is
counted only once. Confidentiality of all participants is carefully
protected.
A nationally representative sample of 120 counties will be selected
and all local CPS agencies serving the selected counties will be
identified. Plans will be developed to obtain data on cases
investigated during the study reference period, September 4, 2005 to
December 3, 2005. Sentinels in the selected counties will be identified
through samples of agencies in 11 categories: county juvenile probation
departments, sheriff (and/or state police) departments, public health
departments, public housing departments, municipal police departments,
hospitals, schools, day care centers, social service agencies, mental
health agencies, and shelters for battered women or runaway/homeless
youth. A total of approximately 1,600 sentinel agencies will be
sampled. Plans will be developed to identify staff in these agencies
who have direct contact with children to serve as sentinels during the
study by submitting data on maltreated children they encounter during
the study reference period. In preparation for the study, letters will
be sent to the directors of the selected agencies asking them to permit
their agencies to participant in NIS-4, and describing the general
nature of the data collection effort. HHS will issue a subsequent
notice of proposed data collection for this study after data collection
plans are developed.
Respondents:
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of Average
Instrument Number of responses per burden hours Total burden
respondents respondent per response hours
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Letter to CPS Agencies.......................... 120 1 .20 24
Letter to Sentinel Agencies..................... 1,600 1 .20 320
12,000 1 .20 2,400
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours............. .............. .............. .20 2,744
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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. 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.
Dated: October 26, 2004.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-24348 Filed 10-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M