[Federal Register: May 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 94)]
[Notices]
[Page 28352-28353]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16my06-91]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Title: building Strong Families (BSF) Demonstration and
Evaluation--Implementation and Impact Study.
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: This proposed information collection activity is for
two types of data collections: (1) Interview and focus group protocols
for use with program staff and couples enrolled in BSF programs and (2)
a telephone survey to be administered (about 15 months after
enrollment) to both partners of couples enrolled in the BSF research
sample.
[[Page 28353]]
These data collections are part of the BSF evaluation, which 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 BSF evaluation uses an experimental design
that randomly assigns couples who volunteer to participate in BSF
programs to a program or to a control group.
The BSF evaluation has two parts, an implementation study and an
impact study. For the implementation study, the BSF evaluation will use
the interview and focus-group protocols to document how the programs
worked and the experiences of staff and couples enrolled. For the
impact study, the BSF evaluation will use telephone surveys to
determine whether the BSF programs helped couples form healthier
marriages.
Respondents: for the implementation study, respondents will be BSF
program managers and staff, couples who participated in the BSF group
sessions, and couples who dropped out of the program or never
participated in the BSF groups. Information from staff will be obtained
in face-to-face interviews. Information from participating couples will
be collected in focus groups. Non-participating couples and couples who
dropped out of the program will be interviewed by phone. For the impact
study, the respondents for the 15-month survey will be all couples in
the BSF evaluation. They will be interviewed by telephone. Both types
of information collection will take place over about a 24-month period.
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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Implementation Study
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Staff interview protocol........................ 126 1 1.5 189
Focus group protocol............................ 70 1 1.5 105
Telephone interview protocol (non-participants/ 84 1 .17 14
dropouts)......................................
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Impact Study
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15-month Survey (females)....................... 1,434 1 .91 1,305
15-month Survey (males)......................... 1,434 1 .83 1,190
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours......... .............. .............. .............. 2,803
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Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be
obtained 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. All requests should be identified by the title of the
information collection. E-mail address: infocollection@acf.hhs.gov.
OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office
of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Attn: Desk
Officer for ACF, E-mail address: Katherine_T._Astrich@omb.eop.gov.
Dated: May 11, 2006.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-4584 Filed 5-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M