[Federal Register: March 9, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 46)]
[Notices]
[Page 10766-10767]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09mr07-82]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
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
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
[[Page 10767]]
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: Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) grantees and
non-MCP mentoring organizations.
Annual Burden Estimates:
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Number of Average burden
Instrument Number of responses per hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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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.
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, FAX: 202-395-
6974, Attn: Desk Officer for ACF.
Dated: March 5, 2007.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 07-1101 Filed 3-8-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-07-M