[Federal Register: December 13, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 239)]
[Notices]
[Page 74923-74924]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13de06-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity: Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Title: Evaluation of the Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP)
Program.
OMB No. New Collection.
Description: The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments, as
reauthorized (2006), amended Title IV-B of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 629-629e) providing funding for nonprofit agencies that recruit,
screen, train, and support mentors for children with an incarcerated
parent or parents. The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) of the
Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of
Health and Human Services, administers the Mentoring Children of
Prisoners (MCP) program. The MCP program provides children of prisoners
with caring adult mentors, supporting one-to-one mentoring
relationships. Research in other populations has shown that such
relationships can lead to reductions in risk behaviors and improvements
in academic, behavioral and psychological outcomes in children and
youth. Although the MCP program was developed based on research
documenting the efficacy of mentoring as a general intervention
strategy, it is not yet known whether or not this particular
intervention yields positive outcomes for the children of prisoners
population. Little is known about how mentoring relationships work for
these youth, and how effective mentoring relationships for children of
prisoners differ from effective mentoring relationships for other
youth. In addition, little is known about children of prisoners in
general and thus a survey of MCP program youth has the potential to
provide important data about this relatively unstudied population.
The evaluation and data collection proposed in this notice are to
fulfill the statutory requirement under Section 8, subsection h(1) of
the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006, as amended, that
the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services evaluate
outcomes of the MCP program and report to Congress on the findings. The
proposed data collections will support a study of the MCP program that
measures the program's child outcomes and compares these outcomes in
similar programs. The data collection also will provide general
[[Page 74924]]
information about youth in the program. Finally, the study will include
an administrative survey of grantees participating in the study. The
proposed study will include baseline and follow-up surveys (to be
administered approximately 12 months apart) of youth ages 9-16 in the
MCP program and will compare changes in key behaviors for program youth
against changes in behaviors of similar youth not enrolled in mentoring
programs. By comparing changes for youth in the MCP program against
changes for youth not in the program, we will be able to determine if
MCP youths' behaviors are closer to the norm for their age group at
follow-up than at program intake. If MCP youths' behaviors and outcomes
are shown to improve relative to other groups, the MCP program has
demonstrated the potential for positive impacts. The survey also will
include some general informational questions about youth in the study
so that HHS, policy makers, and practitioners can have a greater
understanding of the life circumstances of these youth and of some of
the challenges they may face.
The youth surveys will focus on measuring both attitudinal and
behavioral changes in areas targeted by the MCP program including
attitudes towards and performance in school; relationships with
parents, peers and teachers; self-esteem; and engagement in a variety
of risk behaviors, including alcohol and drug use and physical
violence. They also will include questions about the living situations
of youth in the study, their relationships with both incarcerated and
non-incarcerated caregivers, and their relationships with other
supportive adults in their communities.
The administrative survey of grantees will include questions about
the programmatic structure of each grantee. It will provide information
about variations in program administration, mentor activities, and
youth served.
Respondents: The proposed study sample consists of a cohort of 625
youth ages 9-16 in MCP programs operated at 10 or more different
program sites. Survey data will also be collected from approximately 72
grantees.
Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Average burden
Instrument Number of responses per hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Baseline Survey....................... 625 1 .5 312.5
Student follow-up Survey...................... 500 1 .5 250
Grantee Survey................................ 72 1 1 72
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 634.5
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: infocollection@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: November 8, 2006.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-9666 Filed 12-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M