Administration for Children and Families April 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval to collect descriptive information for the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2020 (Baby FACES 2020).

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing data collection activities as part of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) to Serve TANF Recipients and Other Low Income Individuals. ACF has developed a multi-pronged research and evaluation approach for the HPOG Program to better understand and assess the activities conducted and their results. Two rounds of HPOG grants have been awardedthe first in 2010 (HPOG 1.0) and the second in 2015 (HPOG 2.0). There are federal evaluations associated with each round of grants. HPOG grants provide funding to government agencies, community- based organizations, post-secondary educational institutions, and tribal-affiliated organizations to provide education and training services to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals, including tribal members. Under HPOG 2.0, ACF provided grants to five tribal-affiliated organizations and 27 non-tribal entities. OMB previously approved data collection under OMB Control Number 0970-0462 for the HPOG 2.0 National and Tribal Evaluation. The first submission, approved in August 2015, included baseline data collection instruments and the grant performance management system. A second submission, approved in June 2017, included additional data collection for the National Evaluation impact study, the National Evaluation descriptive study, and the Tribal Evaluation. A third submission for National Evaluation impact study data collection was approved in June 2018. The proposed data collection activities described in this Federal Register Notice will provide data for the impact, descriptive, and cost benefit studies of the 27 non-tribal grantees participating in the National Evaluation of HPOG 2.0.

ACF proposes to amend the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) regulations. This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) amends the AFCARS regulations that require title IV-E agencies to collect and report data to ACF on children in out-of-home care, who exit out-of-home care to adoption or legal guardianship, and children who are covered by a title IV-E adoption or guardianship assistance agreement.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing a data collection activity as part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (BEES). The purpose of BEES is to evaluate the effectiveness of a broad range of innovative programs designed to boost employment and earnings among low-income Americans. Within this general focus area, ACF has a particular interest in programs that serve adults whose employment prospects have been affected by substance use disorder (SUD), opioid use disorder (OUD), mental health conditions, and justice involvement. ACF expects that a subset of programs to be evaluated will serve these specific target populations. To meet these objectives, this study will include impact and implementation evaluations for up to 21 sites, as well as descriptive work focused on other sites that have a focus on clients with opioid use and other substance abuse disorders. When possible, a randomized control trial research design will be used for the impact evaluations. The purpose of the current submission is to request approval for data collection needed for the BEES study.