Federal Monitoring of Child and Family Service Programs; Request for Public Comment and Consultation Meetings, 18677-18679 [2011-8044]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Proposed Rules
standards would be inconsistent with
applicable law or otherwise impractical.
Voluntary consensus standards are
technical standards (e.g., specifications
of materials, performance, design, or
operation; test methods; sampling
procedures; and related management
systems practices) that are developed or
adopted by voluntary consensus
standards bodies.
This proposed rule does not use
technical standards. Therefore, we did
not consider the use of voluntary
consensus standards.
Environment
We have analyzed this proposed rule
in accordance with Department of
Homeland Security Management
Directive 023–01 and Commandant
Instruction M16475.lD, which guide the
Coast Guard in complying with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f)
and have made a preliminary
determination that this action is one of
a category of actions which the Coast
Guard concluded do not normally have
individual or cumulative significant
effects on the human environment.
Since the proposed action involves
establishment of security zones, the
applicable categorical exclusion is
found in Figure 2–1, paragraph 34(g) of
the Commandant Instruction. An
environmental analysis checklist
supporting this preliminary
determination is available in the docket
where indicated under ADDRESSES. We
seek any comments or information that
may lead to the discovery of a
significant environmental impact from
this proposed rule.
List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165
Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation
(water), Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Security measures,
Waterways.
For the reasons discussed in the
preamble, the Coast Guard proposes to
amend 33 CFR part 165 as follows:
PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION
AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS
1. The authority citation for part 165
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1231; 46 U.S.C.
Chapter 701, 3306, 3703; 50 U.S.C. 191, 195;
33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5;
Pub. L. 107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department
of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.
2. Add § 165.123 to read as follows:
§ 165.123 Cruise Ships, Sector
Southeastern New England Captain of the
Port (COTP) Zone.
(a) Location. The following areas are
security zones: All navigable waters
VerDate Mar<15>2010
13:08 Apr 04, 2011
Jkt 223001
within the Southeastern New England
Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone,
extending from the surface to the sea
floor:
(1) Within a 200-yard radius of any
cruise ship that is underway and is
under escort of U.S. Coast Guard law
enforcement personnel or designated
representative, or
(2) Within a 100-yard radius of any
cruise ship that is anchored, at any
berth or moored.
(b) Definitions. For the purposes of
this section—
‘‘Cruise ship’’ means a passenger
vessel as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(22),
that is authorized to carry more than
400 passengers and is 200 or more feet
in length. A cruise ship under this
section will also include ferries as
defined in 46 CFR 2.10–25 that are
authorized to carry more than 400
passengers and are 200 feet or more in
length.
‘‘Designated representative’’ means
any Coast Guard commissioned,
warrant, or petty officer who has been
designated by the COTP to act on the
COTP’s behalf. The designated
representative may be on a Coast Guard
vessel, or onboard federal, state, or a
local agency vessel that is authorized to
act in support of the Coast Guard.
‘‘Southeastern New England COTP
Zone’’ is as defined in 33 CFR 3.05–20.
(c) Enforcement. The security zones
described in this section will be
activated and enforced upon entry of
any cruise ship into the navigable
waters of the United States (see 33 CFR
2.36(a) to include the 12 NM territorial
sea) in the Southeastern New England
COTP zone. This zone will remain
activated at all times while a cruise ship
is within the navigable waters of the
United States in the Sector Southeastern
New England COTP Zone. In addition,
the Coast Guard may broadcast the area
designated as a security zone for the
duration of the enforcement period via
Broadcast Notice to Mariners.
(d) Regulations. (1) In accordance
with the general regulations in 33 CFR
part 165, subpart D, no person or vessel
may enter or move within the security
zones created by this section unless
granted permission to do so by the
COTP Southeastern New England or the
designated representative.
(2) All persons and vessels granted
permission to enter a security zone must
comply with the instructions of the
COTP or the designated representative.
Emergency response vessels are
authorized to move within the zone, but
must abide by the restrictions imposed
by the COTP or the designated
representative.
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
18677
(3) No person may swim upon or
below the surface of the water within
the boundaries of these security zones
unless previously authorized by the
COTP or his designated representative.
(4) Upon being hailed by a U.S. Coast
Guard vessel or the designated
representative, by siren, radio, flashing
light or other means, the operator of the
vessel shall proceed as directed.
(5) Vessel operators desiring to enter
or operate within the security zone shall
contact the COTP or the designated
representative via VHF channel 16 or
508–457–3211 (Sector Southeastern
New England command center) to
obtain permission to do so.
Dated: March 23, 2011.
V.B. Gifford, Jr.,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the
Port Southeastern New England.
[FR Doc. 2011–8003 Filed 4–4–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and
Families
45 CFR Parts 1355, 1356 and 1357
Federal Monitoring of Child and Family
Service Programs; Request for Public
Comment and Consultation Meetings
Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), Administration
for Children and Families (ACF),
Administration on Children, Youth and
Families (ACYF), Children’s Bureau
(CB)
ACTION: Request for public comment and
consultation meetings.
AGENCY:
The Children’s Bureau is
interested in improving the process by
which we review title IV–B and IV–E
plan requirements. CB currently reviews
a State’s compliance through Child and
Family Service Reviews (CFSRs).
Following two rounds of CFSRs in every
State and the passage of several
amendments to Federal child welfare
laws since the CFSRs began, we believe
it is time to reassess how CB reviews
title IV–B and IV–E programs through
the CFSR and identify enhancements
and system improvements we could
make.
SUMMARY:
Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before
May 20, 2011. Please see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
additional details on consultation
meetings.
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\05APP1.SGM
05APP1
18678
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Proposed Rules
Interested persons may
submit written comments by any of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• E-mail: CBComments@acf.hhs.gov.
Please include ‘‘Comments on CFSR
Federal Register Notice’’ in the subject
line of the message.
• Mail or Courier Delivery: Jan
Rothstein, Division of Policy, Children’s
Bureau, Administration on Children,
Youth and Families, Administration for
Children and Families, 1250 Maryland
Avenue, SW., 8th Floor, Washington,
DC 20024
Instructions: If you choose to use an
express, overnight, or other special
delivery method, ensure that delivery
may be made at the address listed under
the ADDRESSES section. We urge
interested parties to submit comments
electronically to ensure that they are
received in a timely manner. All
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov. This will include
any personal information provided.
Comments provided during a meeting,
or in writing, in response to this Federal
Register notice will receive equal
consideration by ACF.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan
Rothstein, Children’s Bureau, 1250
Maryland Ave., SW., 8th Floor,
Washington, DC 20024, (202) 401–5073.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Child and Family Service Review
Background: Section 1123A of the
Social Security Act (the Act) requires
the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services to issue
regulations for the review of programs
under titles IV–B and IV–E to determine
whether such programs are in
substantial conformity with title IV–B
and IV–E plan requirements,
implementing regulations and relevant
title IV–B and IV–E plans. ACF issued
regulations implementing such reviews,
known as the CFSRs, in the Federal
Register on January 25, 2000 (65 FR
4020). The review process, as regulated,
grew out of extensive consultation with
interested groups, individuals and
experts in the field of child welfare and
related areas. The consultation affirmed
that the broad goals of child welfare
systems are to: Assure safety for all
children; to assure permanent, nurturing
homes for all children; and to enhance
the well-being of children and their
families. The reviews reinforce those
goals.
The existing CFSRs enable CB to: (1)
Ensure conformity with Federal child
welfare requirements; (2) determine
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
13:08 Apr 04, 2011
Jkt 223001
what is actually happening to children
and families as they are engaged in
child welfare services; and (3) assist
States to enhance their capacity to help
children and families achieve positive
outcomes. CB conducts the reviews in
partnership with State child welfare
agency staff and other stakeholders
involved in the provision of child
welfare services. We have structured the
reviews to help States identify strengths
as well as areas needing improvement
within their agencies and programs.
Each CFSR is a two-stage process
consisting of a Statewide Assessment
and an onsite review of child and family
service outcomes and program systems.
For the Statewide Assessment, CB
prepares and transmits data profiles that
contain aggregate data on the State’s
foster care and in-home service
populations. The data profiles allow
each State to compare certain safety and
permanency data indicators with
national standards determined by CB.
The on-site review includes case record
reviews, interviews with children and
families engaged in services and
interviews with other stakeholders.
States determined not to have achieved
substantial conformity in all the areas
assessed are required to develop and
implement Program Improvement Plans
(PIPs) within two years addressing the
areas of nonconformity. CB supports the
States with technical assistance and
monitors implementation of their plans.
States that are unable to complete their
PIPs successfully have some of their
Federal child welfare funds withheld
until they are found to be in substantial
conformity or have successfully
completed a PIP as prescribed in the
Federal regulations.
We believe that the CFSR has been a
factor contributing to increased State
and local attention to child welfare
practice improvement and a renewed
focus on child and family outcomes and
the systems supporting positive
outcomes. Stakeholders have also noted
that there are areas where the CFSRs
could contribute to even more positive
changes. To that end, we are interested
in learning from stakeholders in
response to the questions below how
they would envision a Federal review
process that meets the statutory
requirements in section 1123A of the
Act and holds child welfare agencies
accountable for achieving positive
outcomes for children and families and
continuously improving the quality of
their systems for doing so.
In addition to the foregoing, we would
like to clarify that, although several of
the questions below address Tribal
involvement in Federal reviews of title
IV–B and IV–E plan requirements, until
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
regulations are in effect otherwise,
Indian Tribes operating title IV–E
programs of their own are not subject to
CFSRs. However, Indian Tribes have
participated in CFSRs in the past and
Indian children are part of the CFSRs.
Therefore, we are interested at this time
in gaining their insight into how the
process could be improved.
Questions
Please identify the question to which
you are responding. If you have
additional comments, please identify
them by citing to the appropriate section
of the regulations or review process, if
appropriate:
1. How could ACF best promote and
measure continuous quality
improvement in child welfare outcomes
and the effective functioning of systems
that promote positive outcomes for
children and families?
2. To what extent should data or
measures from national child welfare
databases (e.g., the Adoption and Foster
Care Analysis and Reporting System,
the National Child Abuse and Neglect
Data System) be used in a Federal
monitoring process and what measures
are important for State/Tribal/local
accountability?
3. What role should the child welfare
case management information system or
systems that States/Tribes/local
agencies use for case management or
quality assurance purposes play in a
Federal monitoring process?
4. What roles should State/Tribal/
local child welfare agencies play in
establishing targets for improvement
and monitoring performance towards
those targets? What role should other
stakeholders, such as courts, clients and
other child-serving agencies play?
5. In what ways should targets and
performance goals be informed by and
integrated with other Federal child
welfare oversight efforts?
6. What specific strategies, supports,
incentives, or penalties are needed to
ensure continued quality improvement
and achievement of positive outcomes
for children and families that are in
substantial conformity with Federal
child welfare laws?
7. In light of the ability of Tribes to
directly operate title IV–E programs
through recent changes in the statute, in
what ways, if any, should a Federal
review process focus on services
delivered to Indian children?
8. Are there examples of other review
protocols, either in child welfare or
related fields, in which Tribal/State/
local governments participate that might
inform CB’s approach to reviewing child
welfare systems?
E:\FR\FM\05APP1.SGM
05APP1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 5, 2011 / Proposed Rules
We welcome any other comments you
have about Federal review of child
welfare programs, including the current
CFSR process.
Additional Consultation
Opportunities: In addition to this
opportunity to comment, CB plans to
hold four in-person consultations in
ACF Regions III, VI, VIII and IX and two
meetings in our offices in Washington,
DC.
CB invites State representatives,
Tribal leaders and/or their
representatives, judges, families and
youth served by the child welfare
system and other interested
stakeholders to attend these in-person
meetings or call in via the conference
call number to provide their input on
the questions raised above. Registration
for the meetings and calls must be
completed in advance per the details
below. You may also provide written
comments as noted in the ADDRESSES
section, regardless of participation in an
in-person session or conference call.
Finally, please note that Federal
representatives attending the
consultation sessions will not be able to
respond directly during the session to
the concerns or questions raised by
participants. The consultation sessions
and contact information are listed
below:
CB meeting/conference call–1: April 26,
2011, 12–2 EDT.
CB meeting/conference call–2: May 3,
2011, 1–3 EDT.
Register for the meeting/call of your
choice by sending an e-mail to:
cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region III—April 20, 2011, 10:00–12:00
EDT
150 S. Independence Mall West, Suite
864, Philadelphia, PA 19106–3499,
Please send an e-mail to:
cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with PROPOSALS
Region VI—April 18, 2011, 10:00–12:00
CDT
1301 Young Street, Room 1119, Dallas,
TX 75202, Please send an e-mail to:
cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region VIII—April 27, 2011, 10:00–
12:00 MDT
999 18th Street, South Terrace, Suite
499, Denver, CO 80202, Please send
an e-mail to: cw@jbsinternational.com
to register.
Region IX—April 20, 2011, 10:30–12:30
PDT
90 7th Street, 9th Floor, San Francisco,
CA 94103, Please send an e-mail to:
cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
The Children’s Bureau is also hosting
Tribal Roundtables for Tribal leaders
VerDate Mar<15>2010
13:08 Apr 04, 2011
Jkt 223001
and/or their representatives. The dates
of these sessions are listed below:
August 2–3 in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma;
August 16–17 in Seattle, Washington;
September 13–14 in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
A portion of the agenda for these
roundtables will be set aside to discuss
Federal monitoring of child and family
services programs under titles IV–B and
IV–E. The Children’s Bureau will send
information directly to Tribal leaders
regarding attendance at these
roundtables.
Dated: March 31, 2011.
Bryan Samuels,
Commissioner, Administration on Children,
Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 2011–8044 Filed 4–4–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184–25–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Parts 1, 17, 22, 24, 25, 27, 80,
87, and 90
[WT Docket Nos. 08–61 and 03–187; DA
11–558]
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Invites Comment on Draft
Environmental Notice Requirements
and Interim Procedures Affecting the
Antenna Structure Registration
Program
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
In this document, the Bureau
invites comment, pursuant to the rules
of the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ), on draft rules and
interim procedures designed to ensure
that the environmental effects of
proposed communications towers,
including their effects on migratory
birds, are fully considered prior to
construction.
SUMMARY:
Submit comments on or before
May 5, 2011.
ADDRESSES: All filings should refer to
WT Docket Nos. 08–61 and 03–187.
Comments may be filed using: (1) The
Commission’s Electronic Comment
Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal
Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3)
by filing paper copies. See Electronic
Filing of Documents in Rulemaking
Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
• Electronic Filers: Comments may be
filed electronically using the Internet
by accessing the ECFS: https://
fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/or the Federal
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
18679
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
• Paper Filers: Parties who choose to
file by paper must file an original and
four copies of each filing. If more than
one docket or rulemaking number
appears in the caption of this
proceeding, filers must submit two
additional copies for each additional
docket or rulemaking number. Filings
can be sent by hand or messenger
delivery, by commercial overnight
courier, or by first-class or overnight
U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings
must be addressed to the
Commission’s Secretary, Office of the
Secretary, Federal Communications
Commission.
• All hand-delivered or messengerdelivered paper filings for the
Commission’s Secretary must be
delivered to FCC Headquarters at
445 12th St., SW., Room TW–A325,
Washington, DC 20554. The filing
hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. All hand
deliveries must be held together
with rubber bands or fasteners. Any
envelopes must be disposed of
before entering the building.
• Commercial overnight mail (other
than U.S. Postal Service Express
Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent
to 9300 East Hampton Drive,
Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
• U.S. Postal Service first-class,
Express, and Priority mail must be
addressed to 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554.
People with Disabilities: To request
materials in accessible formats for
people with disabilities (braille, large
print, electronic files, audio format),
send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call
the Consumer & Governmental Affairs
Bureau at 202–418–0530 (voice), 202–
418–0432 (tty).
Parties should send a copy of each
filing to the Spectrum and Competition
Policy Division, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, Federal
Communications Commission, 445 12th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or
by e-mail to mania.baghdadi@fcc.gov.
Parties shall also serve one copy with
the Commission’s copy contractor, Best
Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), Portals
II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554, (202) 488–5300,
or via e-mail to fcc@bcpiweb.com.
Filings and comments will be
available for public inspection and
copying during regular business hours
at the FCC Reference Information
Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW.,
Room CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554.
They may also be purchased from the
Commission’s duplicating contractor,
Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II,
E:\FR\FM\05APP1.SGM
05APP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18677-18679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8044]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
45 CFR Parts 1355, 1356 and 1357
Federal Monitoring of Child and Family Service Programs; Request
for Public Comment and Consultation Meetings
AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration
for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and
Families (ACYF), Children's Bureau (CB)
ACTION: Request for public comment and consultation meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Children's Bureau is interested in improving the process
by which we review title IV-B and IV-E plan requirements. CB currently
reviews a State's compliance through Child and Family Service Reviews
(CFSRs). Following two rounds of CFSRs in every State and the passage
of several amendments to Federal child welfare laws since the CFSRs
began, we believe it is time to reassess how CB reviews title IV-B and
IV-E programs through the CFSR and identify enhancements and system
improvements we could make.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before May 20, 2011. Please see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for additional details on consultation
meetings.
[[Page 18678]]
ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit written comments by any of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: CBComments@acf.hhs.gov. Please include ``Comments
on CFSR Federal Register Notice'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail or Courier Delivery: Jan Rothstein, Division of
Policy, Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and
Families, Administration for Children and Families, 1250 Maryland
Avenue, SW., 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20024
Instructions: If you choose to use an express, overnight, or other
special delivery method, ensure that delivery may be made at the
address listed under the ADDRESSES section. We urge interested parties
to submit comments electronically to ensure that they are received in a
timely manner. All comments received will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov. This will include any personal information
provided. Comments provided during a meeting, or in writing, in
response to this Federal Register notice will receive equal
consideration by ACF.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan Rothstein, Children's Bureau, 1250
Maryland Ave., SW., 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20024, (202) 401-5073.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Child and Family Service Review Background: Section 1123A of the
Social Security Act (the Act) requires the Secretary of the Department
of Health and Human Services to issue regulations for the review of
programs under titles IV-B and IV-E to determine whether such programs
are in substantial conformity with title IV-B and IV-E plan
requirements, implementing regulations and relevant title IV-B and IV-E
plans. ACF issued regulations implementing such reviews, known as the
CFSRs, in the Federal Register on January 25, 2000 (65 FR 4020). The
review process, as regulated, grew out of extensive consultation with
interested groups, individuals and experts in the field of child
welfare and related areas. The consultation affirmed that the broad
goals of child welfare systems are to: Assure safety for all children;
to assure permanent, nurturing homes for all children; and to enhance
the well-being of children and their families. The reviews reinforce
those goals.
The existing CFSRs enable CB to: (1) Ensure conformity with Federal
child welfare requirements; (2) determine what is actually happening to
children and families as they are engaged in child welfare services;
and (3) assist States to enhance their capacity to help children and
families achieve positive outcomes. CB conducts the reviews in
partnership with State child welfare agency staff and other
stakeholders involved in the provision of child welfare services. We
have structured the reviews to help States identify strengths as well
as areas needing improvement within their agencies and programs.
Each CFSR is a two-stage process consisting of a Statewide
Assessment and an onsite review of child and family service outcomes
and program systems. For the Statewide Assessment, CB prepares and
transmits data profiles that contain aggregate data on the State's
foster care and in-home service populations. The data profiles allow
each State to compare certain safety and permanency data indicators
with national standards determined by CB. The on-site review includes
case record reviews, interviews with children and families engaged in
services and interviews with other stakeholders. States determined not
to have achieved substantial conformity in all the areas assessed are
required to develop and implement Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)
within two years addressing the areas of nonconformity. CB supports the
States with technical assistance and monitors implementation of their
plans. States that are unable to complete their PIPs successfully have
some of their Federal child welfare funds withheld until they are found
to be in substantial conformity or have successfully completed a PIP as
prescribed in the Federal regulations.
We believe that the CFSR has been a factor contributing to
increased State and local attention to child welfare practice
improvement and a renewed focus on child and family outcomes and the
systems supporting positive outcomes. Stakeholders have also noted that
there are areas where the CFSRs could contribute to even more positive
changes. To that end, we are interested in learning from stakeholders
in response to the questions below how they would envision a Federal
review process that meets the statutory requirements in section 1123A
of the Act and holds child welfare agencies accountable for achieving
positive outcomes for children and families and continuously improving
the quality of their systems for doing so.
In addition to the foregoing, we would like to clarify that,
although several of the questions below address Tribal involvement in
Federal reviews of title IV-B and IV-E plan requirements, until
regulations are in effect otherwise, Indian Tribes operating title IV-E
programs of their own are not subject to CFSRs. However, Indian Tribes
have participated in CFSRs in the past and Indian children are part of
the CFSRs. Therefore, we are interested at this time in gaining their
insight into how the process could be improved.
Questions
Please identify the question to which you are responding. If you
have additional comments, please identify them by citing to the
appropriate section of the regulations or review process, if
appropriate:
1. How could ACF best promote and measure continuous quality
improvement in child welfare outcomes and the effective functioning of
systems that promote positive outcomes for children and families?
2. To what extent should data or measures from national child
welfare databases (e.g., the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and
Reporting System, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System) be
used in a Federal monitoring process and what measures are important
for State/Tribal/local accountability?
3. What role should the child welfare case management information
system or systems that States/Tribes/local agencies use for case
management or quality assurance purposes play in a Federal monitoring
process?
4. What roles should State/Tribal/local child welfare agencies play
in establishing targets for improvement and monitoring performance
towards those targets? What role should other stakeholders, such as
courts, clients and other child-serving agencies play?
5. In what ways should targets and performance goals be informed by
and integrated with other Federal child welfare oversight efforts?
6. What specific strategies, supports, incentives, or penalties are
needed to ensure continued quality improvement and achievement of
positive outcomes for children and families that are in substantial
conformity with Federal child welfare laws?
7. In light of the ability of Tribes to directly operate title IV-E
programs through recent changes in the statute, in what ways, if any,
should a Federal review process focus on services delivered to Indian
children?
8. Are there examples of other review protocols, either in child
welfare or related fields, in which Tribal/State/local governments
participate that might inform CB's approach to reviewing child welfare
systems?
[[Page 18679]]
We welcome any other comments you have about Federal review of
child welfare programs, including the current CFSR process.
Additional Consultation Opportunities: In addition to this
opportunity to comment, CB plans to hold four in-person consultations
in ACF Regions III, VI, VIII and IX and two meetings in our offices in
Washington, DC.
CB invites State representatives, Tribal leaders and/or their
representatives, judges, families and youth served by the child welfare
system and other interested stakeholders to attend these in-person
meetings or call in via the conference call number to provide their
input on the questions raised above. Registration for the meetings and
calls must be completed in advance per the details below. You may also
provide written comments as noted in the ADDRESSES section, regardless
of participation in an in-person session or conference call. Finally,
please note that Federal representatives attending the consultation
sessions will not be able to respond directly during the session to the
concerns or questions raised by participants. The consultation sessions
and contact information are listed below:
CB meeting/conference call-1: April 26, 2011, 12-2 EDT.
CB meeting/conference call-2: May 3, 2011, 1-3 EDT.
Register for the meeting/call of your choice by sending an e-mail to:
cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region III--April 20, 2011, 10:00-12:00 EDT
150 S. Independence Mall West, Suite 864, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3499,
Please send an e-mail to: cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region VI--April 18, 2011, 10:00-12:00 CDT
1301 Young Street, Room 1119, Dallas, TX 75202, Please send an e-mail
to: cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region VIII--April 27, 2011, 10:00-12:00 MDT
999 18th Street, South Terrace, Suite 499, Denver, CO 80202, Please
send an e-mail to: cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
Region IX--April 20, 2011, 10:30-12:30 PDT
90 7th Street, 9th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, Please send an e-
mail to: cw@jbsinternational.com to register.
The Children's Bureau is also hosting Tribal Roundtables for Tribal
leaders and/or their representatives. The dates of these sessions are
listed below:
August 2-3 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
August 16-17 in Seattle, Washington;
September 13-14 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A portion of the agenda for these roundtables will be set aside to
discuss Federal monitoring of child and family services programs under
titles IV-B and IV-E. The Children's Bureau will send information
directly to Tribal leaders regarding attendance at these roundtables.
Dated: March 31, 2011.
Bryan Samuels,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 2011-8044 Filed 4-4-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-25-P