Administration for Children and Families 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Children's Bureau (CB), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to establish a generic clearance to collect information to assess regulatory requirements of title IV-E agencies' Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) and ensure that the CCWIS is utilized for purposes consistent with the efficient, economical, and effective administration of the title IV-B and IV-E plans. The information collected is intended to be used for review and technical assistance processes.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Administration for Children and Families, is requesting a 3-year extension of the form ACF-4125: Annual Statistical Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children in Families Receiving Payment in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Program Funded Under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act (OMB #0970-0004, expiration 3/21/2021). There are no changes requested to the form.

This is a primary data collection request for the Follow-up Study of Coaching Practices in Early Care and Education Settings (3), a follow-up to the previously approved Study of Coaching Practices in Early Care and Education Settings (SCOPE) survey (OMB #0970-0515). The study aims to examine, using surveys and qualitative interviews, the practice and processes of coaching and professional development in supporting early care and education (ECE) settings in their provision of care for preschool children and their families as COVID-19 has progressed. The study will focus on both centers and family child care (FCC) homes that serve low-income children, with a primary target of settings that serve children supported by Child Care and Development Fund subsidies or a Head Start grant.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to continue to collect information that will allow Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program to place UAC referred to ORR by Federal agencies into care provider facilities and to transfer UAC within the ORR care provider network. These information collections were originally approved under emergency approval for 6 months. This request is to continue data collection. Information collections related to other aspects of the UAC Programs, such as sponsorship and health care, are covered under OMB Numbers 0970-0278, 0970-0385, 0970-0466, 0970-0490, 0970-0498, 0970-0509, and 0970-0543.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to continue to collect information that will allow Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program to process release of UAC from ORR custody and provide services after release. These information collections were originally approved under emergency approval for 6 months. This request is to continue data collection. Information collections related to other aspects of the UAC Programs, such as sponsorship and health care, are covered under OMB Numbers 0970-0278, 0970-0385, 0970-0466, 0970-0490, 0970-0498, 0970-0509, and 0970-0543.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a 3-year extension of the form ACF-118: Child Care and Development Fund Plan for States/Territories (OMB #0970-0114, expiration 12/31/2021) for FFY 2022-2024. There are minor changes requested to the form.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is requesting a 3- year extension of the ORR-3 and ORR-4 Report Forms (OMB #0970-0034, expiration 01/31/2021). ORR proposes revisions to improve clarity, secure outcome-based data, increase compliance with reporting requirements, and reduce burden.

ACF/OPRE announces the intent to award a grant in the amount of $499,514 to the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. The purpose of this award is to develop alternative statistical methods for adjusting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload data to account for states' programmatic differences and examine the relative effectiveness of state programs.

This interim final rule adds a new provision to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) to establish parameters by which ACF may make designation renewal determinations during a federally declared major disaster, emergency, or public health emergency (PHE) and in the absence of all normally required data.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval to conduct semi-structured, qualitative interviews with Head Start staff (grantee administrators, managers/coordinators, center directors, teachers, staff), parents, affiliated community providers, and partner local education agency staff (administrators, elementary school principals, staff, and kindergarten teachers) at six sites. A comparative case study design will explore varying strategies and approaches to supporting children's transitions from Head Start to kindergarten.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to collect data on the challenges and unique opportunities of administering human services programs in rural contexts. Case studies of 12 communities, in combination with analysis of administrative data and qualitative comparative analysis of the qualitative data, will provide ACF with a rich description of human services programs in rural contexts and provide ACF opportunities for strengthening human services programs' capacity to promote the economic and social wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities in rural contexts.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposes to extend data collection under the existing overarching Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (OMB #0970-0401). There are no changes to the proposed types of information collection or uses of data, but ACF is requesting an increase to the estimated number of respondents.

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) requires mandatory formula grant applications, state plans, and performance progress reports from states and territories for the development and implementation of their State Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). The State PREP Funding Opportunity Announcement sets forth the application and state plan requirements for the receipt of the following documents from applicants and awardees: Application, State Plan, and Performance Progress Report. ACYF/FYSB are requesting a reinstatement with no changes to the previously approved information collections under OMB #0970-0380.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a 3-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Expenditure Report, Form ACF-196R (OMB #0970-0446, expiration 2/28/2021). ACF is reporting a change to remove certain guidance that was associated with an earlier ACF-196 report in order to devote the instructions to the singular ACF-196R report. In addition, ACF has clarified instructions where states have previously expressed confusion and has reorganized the format and chronology of section headers to better reflect the flow of the TANF reporting process.

The Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is requesting expedited review of an information collection request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and is inviting public comments on the proposed collection of data for the new Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) CARES Act Supplemental and CSBG Disaster Supplemental funding. This information will be collected through modified versions of the currently approved CSBG Annual Report (OMB #0970-0492, expiration 2/28/2023).

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is amending its regulations to make miscellaneous corrections, including correcting references to other regulations, misspellings and other typographical errors. This document is necessary to inform the public of these non-substantive changes to HHS's regulations.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeks approval of a standardized request form to collect information from state and tribal title IV-D child support agencies requesting administrative flexibilities under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the ``Stafford Act''), due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposes to extend data collection under the existing overarching generic clearance for Formative Data Collections for ACF Research and Evaluation (OMB #0970-0356). There are no changes to the proposed types of information collection or uses of data, but the request does include an increase to the estimated number of respondents and, therefore, the overall burden estimate.

The Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) is requesting a 3-year extension of the currently approved Multistate Financial Institution Data Match with Federally Assisted State Transmitted Levy (MSFIDM/FAST Levy) (current OMB approval expires 1/31/2021).

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, that a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States (Committee) will be held on December 9 and 10, 2020. The purpose of the meeting is for the Committee to discuss state efforts in implementing the recommendations described in its interim report, Best Practices and Recommendations for States, as well as discuss gap areas and barriers to addressing the sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States as it relates to demand, online exploitation, interstate compacts, and other issue areas. The Committee requests any examples and comments from the public to inform their work and also requests input on barriers pertaining to the recommendations in its interim report, including strategies to ensure that policies and procedures related to interstate compacts (e.g., Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children; Interstate Commission for Juveniles), as well as the implementation of interstate compacts, work to combat the sex trafficking of children and youth; strategies for states to address demand (for the purposes of this discussion, demand reduction refers to any effort to reduce the purchase of sex from a minor); and, strategies for states to address vulnerabilities for human trafficking as it relates to online exploitation, recruitment, and grooming of children and youth, specifically as it relates to engaging with tech companies. Please submit your examples and/or comments to NAC@nhttac.org with the subject ``NAC Comments'' as soon as possible and before December 1, 2020.

This document delays the effective date of the final rule entitled ``Head Start Designation Renewal System,'' published in the Federal Register on August 28, 2020. As published, the rule was to be effective October 27, 2020. ACF is postponing the effective date of the rule to November 9, 2020.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a 3-year extension of the Program Instruction (PI) for the Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants or the Community- Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program (OMB No.: 0970-0155, expiration 3/31/2021), which outlines information collection requirements pursuant to receiving a grant award. There are no changes requested to the information collection process.

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to collect data for a new survey, the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States (NAC) Recommendations and State Self- Assessment Survey.

The Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is requesting a 3-year extension of the form OCS-0024: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Model Plan Application (OMB #0970-0075, expiration 09/30/2020). There are no changes requested to the form.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is requesting to continue the data collection approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under expedited review.