[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 73 (Friday, April 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19977-19978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8718]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects:
Title: Case Plan Requirement, Title IV-E of the Social Security
Act.
OMB No.: 0980-0140.
Description: Under section 471(a)(16) of title IV-E of the Social
Security Act (the Act), to be eligible for payments, states must have
an approved title IV-E plan that provides for the development of a case
plan for each child for whom the State receives foster care maintenance
payments and that provides a case review system that meets the
requirements in section 475(5) and 475(6) of the Act. The Fostering
Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L.
110-351) added a new section 479B to the Act providing authority at
479B(b) for an Indian Tribe, tribal organization or tribal consortia
(hereafter ``Tribe'') to elect to operate a title IV-E program with an
approved title IV-E plan. Tribes are to operate a program in the same
manner as states and must provide for a case plan for each child and
for a case review system.
The case review system assures that each child has a case plan
designed to achieve placement in a safe setting that is the least
restrictive (most family-like) setting available and in close proximity
to the child's parental home, consistent with the best interest and
special needs of the child. Through these requirements, States and
Tribes also comply, in part, with title IV-B section 422(b) of the Act,
which assures certain protections for children in foster care.
The case plan is a written document that provides a narrative
description of the child-specific program of care. Federal regulations
at 45 CFR 1356.21(g) and section 475(1) of the Act delineate the
specific information that should be addressed in the case plan. The
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) does not specify a
recordkeeping format for the case plan nor does ACF require submission
of the document to the Federal government. Case plan information is
recorded in a
[[Page 19978]]
format developed and maintained by the State or Tribal child welfare
agency.
Respondents: State and Tribe title IV-B and title IV-E agencies.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of Average
Instrument Number of responses per burden hours Total burden
respondents respondent per response hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case Plan..................................... 603,453 1 3.98 2,401,74, 2.94
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,401,74, 2.94.
In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(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: [email protected]. 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: April 13, 2010.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-8718 Filed 4-15-10; 8:45 am]
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