[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 545-547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-29276]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Administration and 
Oversight of the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program (OMB #0970-0547)

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and 
Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS), is inviting public comments on revisions to an approved 
information collection. The request consists of several forms that 
allow the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program to monitor care 
provider facility compliance with federal laws and regulations, legal 
agreements, and ORR policies and procedures; and perform other 
administrative tasks.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects 
of the information collection described above.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained and comments may be forwarded by emailing 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2940474f464a4645454c4a5d40464769484a4f0741415a074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="533a3d353c303c3f3f3630273a3c3d133230357d3b3b207d343c25">[email protected]</span></a>. Alternatively, copies can also be obtained 
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of 
Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), 330 C Street SW, Washington, 
DC 20201, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests, emailed or 
written, should be identified by the title of the information 
collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: ORR plans to revise six of the eight instruments 
currently approved under OMB #0970-0547. Four of the revised 
instruments will be incorporated into ORR's new case management system, 
UAC Path. The other two revised instruments are and will remain PDF 
instruments. In addition, ORR plans to add two new instruments to this 
collection, both of which will be incorporated into UAC Path. Finally, 
ORR plans to remove one currently approved instrument from this 
collection.
    1. Care Provider Facility Tour Request (Form A-1A): This instrument 
is used by advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, researchers, 
government officials, and other stakeholders to request tours of ORR 
care provider facilities. After the request is received, ORR documents 
its decision and details regarding date and location of the tour, if 
applicable, and provides the completed form to the requester. No 
revisions are currently requested; ORR plans to continue use of this 
form as-is.
    2. Notice to UAC for Flores Visits (Forms A-4 & A-4s): This 
instrument is used by care provider facilities to notify UAC of 
upcoming visits by Flores counsel (lawyers and volunteers from the 
organization that originally participated in the creation of the Flores 
Settlement Agreement) and allow UAC to add their name to a sign-up 
sheet if they are willing to speak with Flores counsel. ORR updated the 
Spanish translation of this PDF instrument.
    3. Authorization for Release of Records (Form A-5): This instrument 
is used by attorneys, legal service providers, government agencies, and 
other stakeholders to request UAC case file records. In most cases, 
requesters are required to obtain the signature of the subject of the 
record request (UAC or their parent/legal guardian or sponsor) and a 
witness. ORR made the following revisions:
    [cir] Added a section in which ORR-funded legal service providers 
are required to certify their representation of the child.
    [cir] Added a separate area where sponsors may authorize the 
release of their records.
    [cir] Updated the required supporting documentation for a 
representative of a federal/state government agency or the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children to further require that the 
requester specify the scope of their investigation and provide a case 
reference number.
    [cir] Clarified in the instructions that ORR will not release any 
records that are clearly outside of the scope of a government agency's 
investigation absent a court-issued subpoena or order.
    4. Notification of Concern (Form A-7): This instrument is used by 
home study and post-release service caseworkers, care provider case 
managers, and the ORR National Call Center to notify ORR of certain 
concerns that arise after a UAC is released from ORR custody. This is a 
new instrument that ORR plans to add to this collection.
    5. Event (Form A-9): This instrument is used by ORR care provider 
programs to document high-level information about situations that must 
be reported to ORR. Creating an Event is the first step in creating any 
type of incident report (see forms A-10A to A-10C below), PLE Report 
(see form A-10D below) or Notification of Concern (see form A-7 above). 
After an Event is created, an incident report or Notification of 
Concern is created for each UAC involved in the incident and linked to 
the Event. For program-level events, one PLE Report is created and 
linked to the Event. Event information is visible in each individual 
report/notification report. This instrument was previously approved as 
part of ORR's various incident reports (Forms A-10A to A-10D). ORR is 
listing it separately, as a new instrument, to better align instruments 
in this collection with how data will be entered in UAC Path. Some 
fields that were previously entered in each incident report have been 
moved into this instrument so that they only need to be entered once. 
The form also contains several new fields that capture additional 
information about the location and timeframe of the event. Please note 
that internal form number A-9 was previously assigned to the Program-
Level Event Report.
    6. Emergency Significant Incident Report (SIR) and Addendum (Form 
A-10A): This instrument is used by ORR care provider programs to inform 
ORR of urgent situations in which there is an immediate threat to a 
child's safety and well-being that require instantaneous action. In 
some cases, an Emergency SIR Addendum may be required to provide 
additional information obtained after the initial report. ORR made the 
following revisions:
    [cir] Revised the available options for the category and 
subcategory fields.
    [cir] Added a question asking whether the incident is related to 
gang/cartel crimes, activities, or affiliation.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional detail on individuals 
involved in the incident, actions taken, and video footage.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional information related to 
reporting of incidents to child protective services, state licensing 
agencies, and local law enforcement.
    [cir] Added a disposition field to indicate whether the incident is 
closed or if the incident is open and further action is required.
    [cir] Updated functionality for the list of individuals who need to 
be notified of the incident so that it is auto-populated

[[Page 546]]

and notification emails can be sent from within the UAC Path system.
    [cir] Updated internal form numbering so that reports and addendums 
are fall under the same form number.
    7. Significant Incident Report (SIR) and Addendum (Form A-10B): 
This instrument is used by ORR care provider programs to inform ORR of 
situations that affect, but do not immediately threaten, the safety and 
well-being of a child. In some cases, an SIR Addendum may be required 
to provide additional information obtained after the initial report. 
ORR made the following revisions:
    [cir] Revised the available options for the category and 
subcategory fields.
    [cir] Added a question asking whether the incident is related to 
gang/cartel crimes, activities, or affiliation.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional detail on individuals 
involved in the incident, actions taken, and video footage.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional information related to 
reporting of incidents to child protective services, state licensing 
agencies, and local law enforcement.
    [cir] Added a disposition field to indicate whether the incident is 
closed or if the incident is open and further action is required.
    [cir] Updated functionality for the list of individuals who need to 
be notified of the incident so that it is auto-populated and 
notification emails can be sent from within the UAC Path system.
    [cir] Updated internal form numbering so that reports and addendums 
are fall under the same form number.
    8. Sexual Abuse Significant Incident Report (SA/SIR) and Addendum 
(Form A-10C): This instrument is used by ORR care provider programs to 
inform ORR of allegations of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and 
inappropriate sexual behavior that occurred while the UAC was in ORR 
custody. In some cases, an SA/SIR Addendum may be required to provide 
additional information obtained after the initial report. ORR made the 
following revisions:
    [cir] Revised the available options for the category and 
subcategory fields.
    [cir] Added a question asking whether the incident is related to 
gang/cartel crimes, activities, or affiliation.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional detail on individuals 
involved in the incident, actions taken, and video footage.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional information related to 
reporting of incidents to child protective services, state licensing 
agencies, and local law enforcement.
    [cir] Added a disposition field to indicate whether the incident is 
closed or if the incident is open and further action is required.
    [cir] Updated functionality for the list of individuals who need to 
be notified of the incident so that it is auto-populated and 
notification emails can be sent from within the UAC Path system.
    [cir] Updated internal form numbering so that reports and addendums 
are fall under the same form number.
    9. Program-Level Event (PLE) Report and Addendum (Form A-10D): This 
instrument is used by ORR care provider programs to inform ORR of 
events that may affect the entire care provider facility, such as an 
active shooter or natural disaster. An updated PLE Report is required 
for events that occur over multiple days or if the situation changes 
regarding the event. ORR made the following revisions:
    [cir] Revised the available options for the category and 
subcategory fields.
    [cir] Added a question asking whether the incident is related to 
gang/cartel crimes, activities, or affiliation.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional detail on individuals 
involved in the incident, actions taken, and video footage.
    [cir] Added fields to capture additional information related to 
reporting of incidents to child protective services, state licensing 
agencies, and local law enforcement.
    [cir] Added a disposition field to indicate whether the incident is 
closed or if the incident is open and further action is required.
    [cir] Updated functionality for the list of individuals who need to 
be notified of the incident so that it is auto-populated and 
notification emails can be sent from within the UAC Path system.
    [cir] Updated internal form numbering so that reports and addendums 
are fall under the same form number.
    10. Hotline Alert (Form A-12): ORR is discontinuing this 
instrument. In UAC Path, the ORR National Call Center will use the 
Notification of Concern instead of the Hotline Alert.
    Respondents: ORR grantee and contractor staff; advocacy groups, 
faith-based organizations, researchers, and government officials; 
attorneys, legal service providers, child advocates, and government 
agencies; and other stakeholders.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Annual number  Average burden
                   Instrument                      Annual number   of responses     minutes per    Annual total
                                                  of respondents  per respondent     response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Care Provider Facility Tour Request (Form A-1A).             200               1              10              33
Notice to UAC for Flores Visits (Forms A-4 & A-               20               1              15               5
 4s)............................................
Authorization for Release of Records (Form A-5).           4,000               1              15           1,000
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)..............              60              75              15           1,125
Event (Form A-9)................................             276             160              10           7,360
Emergency Significant Incident Report and                    216              14              60           3,024
 Addendum (Form A-10A)..........................
Significant Incident Report and Addendum (Form A-            216             491              60         106,056
 10B)...........................................
Sexual Abuse Significant Incident Report and                 216              47              60          10,152
 Addendum (Form A-10C)..........................
Program Level Event (Form A-10D)................             216               7              60           1,512
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours Total.........  ..............  ..............  ..............         130,267
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Comments: 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

[[Page 547]]

to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this 
publication.
    Authority: 6 U.S.C. 279; 8 U.S.C. 1232; Flores v. Reno Settlement 
Agreement, No. CV85-4544-RJK (C.D. Cal. 1996).

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-29276 Filed 1-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-45-P


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