63400 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 210 / Monday, November 1, 2004 / Notices 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 360. 

In compliance with the requirements 

of Section 3506(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: 

grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. 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: October 26, 2004. 

Robert Sargis, 

Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–24346 Filed 10–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed Information Collection 

Activity; Comment Request 

Proposed Projects 

Title: Child Care and Development 

Fund Annual Financial Report for 

Tribes (ACF–696T). 

OMB No.: 0970–0195. 

Description: The Child Care and 

Development Fund (CCDF) annual 

financial reporting form (ACF–696T) 

provides a mechanism for Indian Tribes 

to report expenditures under the CCDF 

program. The CCDF program provides 

funds to Tribes, as well as States and 

Territories, to assist low-income 

families in obtaining child care so that 

they can work or attend training/

education, and to improve the quality of 

care. Information collected via the ACF–

696T allows the Administration for 

Children and Families (ACF) to monitor 

tribal expenditures and to estimate 

outlays and may be used to prepare ACF 

budget submissions to Congress. This 

information collection uses the existing 

ACF–696T form, without any changes. 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approval for the existing form 

expires on March 31, 2005. 

Respondents: Indian Tribes and Tribal 

Organizations that are CCDF grantees.

ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES

Instrument Number of

respondents 

Number of

responses per 

respondent 

Average

burden hours 

per response 

Total burden

hours 

ACF–696T ........................................................................................................ 232 1 8 1,856

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 1,856. 

In compliance with the requirements 

of Section 3506(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: 

grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. 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: October 26, 2004. 

Robert Sargis, 

Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–24347 Filed 10–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed Information Collection 

Activity; Comment Request 

Proposed Projects 

Title: Fourth National Incidence 

Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. 

OMB No.: 0970–0276. 

Description: The Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) 

intends to issue letters to recruit 

agencies for participation in the next 

National Incidence Study of Child 

Abuse and Neglect (NIS). This will be 

the fourth cycle of this periodic study. 

NIS–1, mandated under Public Law 

(Pub. L.) 93–247 (1974), was conducted 

in 1979 and 1980 and reported in 1981. 

The NIS–2, mandated under (Pub. L. 

98–457 (1984), was conducted in 1986 

and 1987, and reported in 1988. NIS–3, 

mandated under both the Child Abuse 

Prevention, Adoption, and Family 

Services Act of 1988 (Pub. L.) 100–294) 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 210 / Monday, November 1, 2004 / Notices 63401

and the Child Abuse, Domestic 

Violence, Adoption and Family Services 

Act of 1992 (Pub. L.) 102–295, 

conducted between 1993 and 1995, and 

reported in 1996. NIS–4, mandated by 

the Keeping Children and Families Safe 

Act of 2003 (Pub. L.) 108–36), will be 

reported in 2006. 

NIS is unique in that it goes beyond 

the abused and neglected children who 

come to the attention of the Child 

Protective Services (CPS) system. In 

contrast to the National Child Abuse 

and Neglect Data Systems (NCANDS), 

which rely solely on reported cases. The 

NIS design assumes that reported 

children represent only a portion of the 

children who actually are maltreated. 

Following the implications of its 

assumptions, NIS estimates the scope of 

the maltreated child population by 

combining information about reported 

cases with data on maltreated children 

identified by professionals (called 

‘‘sentinels’’) who encounter them during 

the normal course of their work in a 

wide range of agencies in representative 

communities. Sentinels are asked to 

remain on the lookout for children 

whom they believe are maltreated 

during the study reference period and to 

provide information about these 

children. Children identified by 

sentinels and those children whose 

alleged maltreatment is investigated by 

CPS during the same period are 

evaluated against standardized 

definitions, and only children who meet 

the study standards are used to develop 

the study estimates. The study estimates 

are couched in terms of numbers of 

maltreated children, with data 

unduplicated so that a given child is 

counted only once. Confidentiality of all 

participants is carefully protected. 

A nationally representative sample of 

120 counties will be selected and all 

local CPS agencies serving the selected 

counties will be identified. Plans will be 

developed to obtain data on cases 

investigated during the study reference 

period, September 4, 2005 to December 

3, 2005. Sentinels in the selected 

counties will be identified through 

samples of agencies in 11 categories: 

county juvenile probation departments, 

sheriff (and/or state police) 

departments, public health departments, 

public housing departments, municipal 

police departments, hospitals, schools, 

day care centers, social service agencies, 

mental health agencies, and shelters for 

battered women or runaway/homeless 

youth. A total of approximately 1,600 

sentinel agencies will be sampled. Plans 

will be developed to identify staff in 

these agencies who have direct contact 

with children to serve as sentinels 

during the study by submitting data on 

maltreated children they encounter 

during the study reference period. In 

preparation for the study, letters will be 

sent to the directors of the selected 

agencies asking them to permit their 

agencies to participant in NIS–4, and 

describing the general nature of the data 

collection effort. HHS will issue a 

subsequent notice of proposed data 

collection for this study after data 

collection plans are developed. 

Respondents:

ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES

Instrument Number of

respondents 

Number of

responses per 

respondent 

Average

burden hours 

per response 

Total burden

hours 

Letter to CPS Agencies ................................................................................... 120 1 .20 24 

Letter to Sentinel Agencies ............................................................................. 1,600 1 .20 320 

12,000 1 .20 2,400 

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours ............................................................ ........................ ........................ .20 2,744 

In compliance with the requirements 

of Section 3506(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: 

grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. 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: October 26, 2004. 

Robert Sargis, 

Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–24348 Filed 10–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed information Collection 

Activity; Comment Request 

Proposed Projects 

Title: Social Services Block Grant 

Postexpenditure Report. 

OMB No. 0970–0234. 

Description:

Purpose: To improve the quality of 

Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) 

expenditure data, the postexpenditure 

reporting form and instructions need 

minor formatting revisions to reduce 

confusion and reporting inconsistencies 

that have resulted from the current 

form. As a block grant, SSBG provides 

the States with a flexible source of funds 

for social service needs. Accurate 

accounting of how these funds are used 

and whom they serve is critical to 

ensure that necessary and sufficient 

funding continues to be allocated. For