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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104183-104186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30385]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Proposed Information Collection Activity: Home Study and Post 
Release Services Provided to Unaccompanied Children (Office of 
Management and Budget #: 0970-NEW)

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

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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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 the proposed information 
collection, including proposed changes. The request consists of several 
forms that will allow the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Bureau to 
continue providing statutorily mandated and discretionary services to 
promote safe reunifications between sponsors and unaccompanied children 
released from ORR care and custody.

DATES: Comments due February 18, 2025. In compliance with the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting 
public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection 
described in this notice.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing [email protected]. 
Identify all requests by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: ORR has undertaken a reorganization of its information 
collections to promote operational efficiency. The reorganization will 
result in more collections that contain fewer forms under a single 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number. This request is to create 
a new information collection that contains forms associated with the 
provision of Home Study and Post-Release Services (HS/PRS) to 
unaccompanied children and their sponsors. This information collection 
will contain six forms transferred from three existing information 
collections. The forms and the information collections under which they 
are currently approved are as follows:

 Administration and Oversight of the Unaccompanied Children 
Program (OMB #0970-0547)
    [cir] Notification of Concern (Form A-7)
 Services Provided to Unaccompanied Children (OMB #0970-0553)
    [cir] Home Study Assessment (Form S-6)
    [cir] Post-Release Service Referral (Form S-19)
    [cir] Post-Release Services Report (Form S-22)
    [cir] Home Study Referral (Form S-26)
 Release of Unaccompanied Children from ORR Custody (OMB #0970-
0552)

[[Page 104184]]

    [cir] Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)

    These forms are completed by care provider case managers at care 
provider facilities to initiate the referral process for children and 
sponsors to receive HS/PRS and to document the outcome of safety and 
well-being follow-up calls to sponsors and released children; by PRS 
caseworkers to document the provision of PRS, to capture high-level 
milestones in the child's case after reunification; and to notify ORR 
of concerning situations that affect a child's safety and well-being, 
post-release; by home study caseworkers to document and assess the 
conditions present in the sponsor's home that may impact the released 
child's safety and wellbeing. These forms are documentary in nature and 
a critical component of the child's case file.
    In addition to grouping forms related to HS/PRS together in this 
information collection, ORR is proposing the following revisions:
     Notification of Concern (Form A-7):
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the 
number of children placed in ORR care, reflect that the form is 
completed by three different groups of respondents, and to reflect an 
increase in the overall number of fields the respondent will need to 
complete. The annual number of respondents increased from 60 HS/PRS 
providers to include 60 HS/PRS providers, 300 care provider case 
managers, and 78 ORR National Call Center call specialists. The annual 
number of responses per respondent decreased from 75 responses per HS/
PRS Caseworker to 41, with the average number of responses per care 
provider case manager increasing from 0 to 8.2 and the average number 
of responses per ORR NCC call specialist increasing from 0 to 31.5. The 
average burden hours per response increased from 0.25 hours to 0.33 
hours to reflect the addition of new fields described above.
     Home Study Assessment (Form S-6): ORR currently has two 
approved version of this form-one in Word and one that was designed for 
the UC Path system, which was never implemented. ORR proposes 
discontinuing the Word version and converting the UC Path version into 
a PDF form with the following revisions:

[cir] Global Changes
    [ssquf] Replace ``UC'', ``UAC'', and ``Minor'' with ``Child'' or 
``Unaccompanied Child'' wherever they appear
    [ssquf] Make minor changes to the phrasing of some existing field 
labels for clarity
    [ssquf] Update dropdown options for the ``Gender'' field, wherever 
it appears, to include male, female, and nonbinary
    [ssquf] Change all fields that capture both date and time to only 
capture the date
[cir] Add the following fields to the Sponsor Identifying Information 
section.
    [ssquf] Phone Number
    [ssquf] Relationship to Child
    [ssquf] Marital Status
[cir] Reword a couple existing field labels and add the following 
fields to the Case Information section:
    [ssquf] Date Referred for Home Study
    [ssquf] Current Care Provider Facility Name
    [ssquf] Care Provider Staff Name
    [ssquf] Care Provider Staff Phone
    [ssquf] Care Provider Staff Email
    [ssquf] Supervisor Phone
    [ssquf] Supervisor Email
    [ssquf] Caseworker Phone
    [ssquf] Caseworker Email
    [ssquf] Subcontractor Phone
    [ssquf] Subcontractor Email
[cir] Under the Reason for Referral section:
    [ssquf] Change the ``Referral Type'' field from open text to a 
dropdown with options for the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), Mandated, and Discretionary
    [ssquf] Change the ``Reason for Referral'' field from open text to 
a list of checkbox options that align with reasons a child's case would 
be referred for a home study per 45 CFR 410.1204
    [ssquf] Add an open text field for ``Additional Information 
Supporting Referral'' (if Necessary)
    [ssquf] Remove ``Concerns to investigate during visit'' field
[cir] Under the ``Household Members'' section:
    [ssquf] Change the ``Relationship to Sponsor'' and ``Relationship 
to Child'' from open text to dropdown fields
    [ssquf] Add the following fields:
     Age
     Present during home study?
     Child Abuse/Neglect (CA/N) Check?
     Sex Offender Registry Check?
     Fingerprinted?
    [ssquf] Remove the following fields:
     Current Household Member
     Record ID
     Related HS Assessment
     Entry ID
    [cir] Remove the following fields from the Community Resources 
section:
    [ssquf] HS Assessment
    [ssquf] Entry

    [cir] Under the Unaccompanied Child Background section:
    [ssquf] Expand a single question concerning a child's 
individualized needs impacting their daily function into six discreet 
questions pertaining to physical disabilities, developmental 
disabilities, serious health conditions, current medication regimen, 
special dietary needs, and the routine use of medical equipment. Each 
new question includes ``Yes/No'' radio buttons and an open text field 
for further elaboration if applicable.
    [ssquf] Change the type of response solicited by a question 
concerning the child's need for support due to criminal, substance use, 
and gang affiliation histories from yes/no radio buttons to checkboxes 
for each type of history, and add an open text field for further 
elaboration, if needed.
    [cir] Under the ``Sponsor Background'' section:
    [ssquf] Add the following questions:
     How does the sponsor manage the concerns reported above?
     Ask the sponsor to list any local resources they rely on 
or consider to be an asset to the community (example: libraries, parks, 
clinics, church, community center, nonprofit organizations, social/
affinity groups, etc.):
     Follow up: Does the sponsor appear knowledgeable about 
their community? (Yes/No)
    [ssquf] Reorganize the three checkboxes confirming that the sponsor 
was provided certain information into five checkboxes.
    [cir] In the Sponsor's Motivation and Relationship to the Child 
Section, add two open text boxes that will allow for further 
elaboration when the user selects ``yes'' for one of the following 
questions:
    [ssquf] Does the sponsor have a family support system in the U.S.?
    [ssquf] Was the sponsor aware or involved in the UC's child's plan 
to migrate to the U.S.?
    [cir] Under the Sponsor's Parenting Ability section:
    [ssquf] Add the following fields:
     Is the sponsor aware of state and local laws on 
supervision of children?
     If yes, describe the life changes and plans to accommodate 
the child. (Follow-up to a question concerning expected major life 
changes for the sponsor)
    ``What is the sponsor's understanding of the child's health needs?
     What is the sponsor's understanding of the child's mental 
health needs?
    [ssquf] Revise the question ``Is the sponsor aware of any special 
needs, mental health or complex needs of the child'' to ``Is the 
sponsor prepared to support the health needs of the child?''

[[Page 104185]]

    [ssquf] Under the Legal Services section, replace the abbreviation 
``LOPC'' with ``Legal Orientation Program for Custodians presentation''
    [ssquf] Under the Financial section, add ``Does the sponsor 
understand that they are not authorized to charge the child or their 
family any fees or be reimbursed for their costs?''
    [cir] Add the following under the Home and Community Section:
    [ssquf] Which of the following accessible features are present in 
the sponsor home? (Checkboxes: Exterior ramps, Elevator, Grab bars, 
Wide hallways and doorways, Motion-sensitive lighting, Walk/roll-in 
shower or tub, Low countertops, Raised-height toilet, Other (Please 
Describe). An open textbox to provide more information if the user 
selects ``Other'' is also included.)
    [ssquf] Are Sleeping Quarters and common areas handicapped 
accessible?
    [ssquf] Does the sponsor have knowledge on how to access public 
transportation?
    [cir] Under the Summary section, add the question ``Is there an 
active plan in place to address the above concerns?''
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to reflect an increase in the 
number of home studies conducted and in the overall number of fields 
the respondent will need to complete. The annual number of respondents 
is unchanged, the annual number of responses per respondent increased 
from 81 to 124.4, and the average burden hours per response increased 
from 0.75 hours to 1.0 hours.
     Post-Release Services Referral (Form S-19):
    [cir] Add ``physical location of the child'' filed to the UC Basic 
Information section, consistent with changes made to the UC Case Status 
(Form S-27) form; this field will auto-populate data from the UC Portal 
Discharge Tab.
    [cir] Move the following fields to appear closer to the top of the 
form:

    [ssquf] Referral ID
    [ssquf] Referral Status
    [ssquf] Acceptance Date
    [ssquf] Expected Closure Date

    [cir] Add the following fields to both the PRS-TVPRA section and 
PRS sections under Sponsor Information:

    [ssquf] Sponsor Phone Number
    [ssquf] Sponsor relationship to Child
    [ssquf] Sponsor Email

    [cir] Add the following fields under both the PRS-TVPRA section and 
PRS sections under the Referring Facility Information section:

    [ssquf] Case Manager Name
    [ssquf] Unification Specialist Name
    [ssquf] Unification Specialist Email

    [cir] Add a new section header called ``Referral Information'' and 
group the following fields under the new header:

    [ssquf] What Provider Conducted the Home Study
    [ssquf] Reason for Referral
    [ssquf] Special Instructions

    [cir] Add ``Additional Details'' field with open text next to the 
``Special Instructions'' field.
    [cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field under the PRS-TVPRA 
section, remove the ``ORR Discretionary'' option and rephrase the 
``Physical or Sexual Abuse by Caregiver (TVPRA)'' field to ``Physical 
or Sexual Abuse (TVPRA)''.
    [cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field under the PRS section:

    [ssquf] Rephrase the ``Non-relative Sponsor, Multiple Sponsorship 
(ORR Mandated)'' field to ``Multiple concurrent sponsorships with at 
least one unrelated child (ORR Mandated)''.
    [ssquf] Add an option for ``Previously sponsored two or more 
children (ORR Mandated)''.
    [ssquf] Rephrase the ``UC Going to Non-Relative Sponsor (ORR 
Mandated No Home Study)'' field to ``Child Going to Non-Relative 
Sponsor (No Home Study)''.
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the 
number of care provider facilities completing the form and number of 
children placed in ORR care, as well as the expansion of Post-Release 
Services, which are now offered to every child. These changes also 
reflect a slight increase in the overall number of fields the 
respondent will need to complete. The annual number of respondents 
increased from 216 to 300, the annual number of responses per 
respondent increased/decreased from 46 to 327.3 and the average burden 
hours per response increased/decreased from 0.33 hours to 0.5 hours.
     Post-Release Services Report (S-22): ORR plans to digitize 
and incorporate this form into its new interactive, web-based 
application for PRS. The digitized version of the form collects that 
same information as the currently approved version with some minor 
modifications as follows:
    [cir] Change the form title from ``Post-Release Services Event'' to 
``Post-Release Services Report''.
    [cir] Change manual entry fields to auto-populate wherever 
possible.
    [cir] Reword field labels for clarity where needed.
    [cir] Add instructional text to help the user navigate the form.
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase and 
number of children placed in ORR care, and to reflect a slight increase 
in the overall number of fields the respondent will need to complete. 
The annual number of respondents remains unchanged and the annual 
number of responses per respondent increased from 968 to 4,112.4. The 
average burden hours per response increased from 1.0 to 1.08 hours.
     Home Study Referral (S-26):
    [cir] Add ``physical location of the child'' filed to the UC Basic 
Information section, consistent with changes made to the UC Case Status 
(Form S-27) form; this field will auto-populate data from the UC Portal 
Discharge Tab.
    [cir] Add radio buttons at the top of the form with the following 
options:

    [ssquf] TVPRA
    [ssquf] ORR-Mandated
    [ssquf] Discretionary

    [cir] Move the following fields to appear closer to the top of the 
form:

    [ssquf] Referral ID
    [ssquf] Referral Status
    [ssquf] Acceptance Date
    [ssquf] Expected Closure Date

    [cir] Add the following fields to both the ``PRS-TVPRA'' section 
and ``PRS'' sections under ``Sponsor Information'':

    [ssquf] Sponsor Phone Number
    [ssquf] Sponsor relationship to Child
    [ssquf] Sponsor Email

    [cir] Add the following fields under both the PRS-TVPRA section and 
PRS sections under the Referring Facility Information section:

    [ssquf] Case Manager Name
    [ssquf] Unification Specialist Name
    [ssquf] Unification Specialist Email

    [cir] Add a new section header called ``Referral Information'' and 
group the following fields under the new header:

    [ssquf] What Provider Conducted the Home Study
    [ssquf] Reason for Referral
    [ssquf] Special Instructions

    [cir] Add ``Additional Details'' field with open text next to the 
``Special Instructions'' field.
    [cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field:
    [ssquf] Rephrase the ``Non-relative Sponsor, Multiple Sponsorship 
(ORR Mandated)'' field to ``Multiple concurrent sponsorships with at 
least one unrelated child (ORR Mandated)''.
    [ssquf] Add an option for ``Previously sponsored two or more 
children (ORR Mandated)''.
    [ssquf] Rephrase the ``UC Going to Non-Relative Sponsor (ORR 
Mandated No Home Study)'' field to ``Child Going to Non-Relative 
Sponsor (No Home Study)''.
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the 
number of care provider facilities completing the form and number of 
children placed in ORR care. These changes also reflect a slight 
increase in the overall number of

[[Page 104186]]

fields the respondent will need to complete. The annual number of 
respondents increased from 216 to 300, the annual number of responses 
per respondent increased from 46 to 327.3 and the average burden hours 
per response increased from 0.33 hours to 0.5 hours.
     Virtual Check-In Questionnaire (Form R-6): ORR currently 
has two approved versions of this form-one in Excel and one that was 
designed for a web-based application. ORR proposes discontinuing the 
Excel version and plans to incorporate the other version into its new 
interactive, web-based application for PRS with some minor 
modifications as follows:

    [cir] Change manual entry fields to auto-populate wherever 
possible.
    [cir] Reword field labels for clarity where needed.
    [cir] Add instructional text to help the user navigate the form.
    [cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the 
number of PRS providers completing the form and to better estimate the 
number of children and sponsors responding to the questionnaire. The 
annual number of respondents decreased from 128,487 to 98,195 for 
children and sponsors and increased from 40 to 60 for PRS providers, 
and the annual number of responses per respondent decreased from 19,273 
to 9,820 for PRS providers.
    Respondents: ORR grantee and contractor staff, released children, 
and their sponsors.
    Annual Burden Estimates:

                                     Annual Burden Estimate for Respondents
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                      Form                         Annual number   responses per     hours per     Annual total
                                                  of respondents    respondent       response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)-HSPRS                      60              41            0.33             812
 Caseworker.....................................
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)-Care Provider             300             8.2            0.33             812
 Case Manager...................................
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)-ORR NCC Staff              78            31.5            0.33             811
Home Study Assessment (Form S-6)................              60           124.4            1.00           7,464
Post-Release Services Referral (Form S-19)......             300           327.3            0.50          49,095
Post-Release Services Report (Form S-22)........              60         4,112.4            1.08         266,484
Home Study Referral (Form S-26).................             300           327.3            0.50          49,095
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)-                98,195             3.0            0.25          73,646
 Sponsor........................................
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)-Child.          98,195             3.0            0.25          73,646
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)-                    60         9,820.0            0.58         341,736
 Provider.......................................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annual Burden Hours Total:............  ..............  ..............  ..............         863,601
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    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 to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.

(Authority: 6 U.S.C. 279; 8 U.S.C. 1232)

Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-30385 Filed 12-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-45-P
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