Proposed Information Collection Activity; Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program: Guidance for Submitting an Annual Report to the Secretary (OMB #0970-0409)

AGENCY:

Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Care (OCC) is requesting a 3-year extension of the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program: Guidance for Submitting an Annual Report to the Secretary (OMB #0970-0409; expiration 9/30/2021). There are minor updates to the annual guidance which reflects a change in timing for the due date of the final report.

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. 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 above.

ADDRESSES:

Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by emailing infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. 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: Section 511(e)(8)(A) of Title V of the Social Security Act requires that grantees under the MIECHV program for states and jurisdictions submit an annual report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the program and activities carried out under the program, including such data and information as the Secretary shall require. Section 511(h)(2)(A) further states that the requirements for the MIECHV grants to tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations are to be consistent, to the greatest extent practicable, with the requirements for grantees under the MIECHV program for states and jurisdictions.

OCC, in collaboration with the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau awarded grants for the Tribal MIECHV Program (Tribal Home Visiting) to support cooperative agreements to conduct community needs assessments; plan for and implement high-quality, culturally-relevant, evidence-based home visiting programs in at-risk tribal communities; establish, measure, and report on progress toward meeting performance measures in six legislatively-mandated benchmark areas; and conduct rigorous evaluation activities to build the knowledge base on home visiting among Native populations.

After the first grant year, Tribal Home Visiting grantees must comply with the requirement to submit an Annual Report to the Secretary that should feature activities carried out under the program during the past reporting period, and a final report to the Secretary during the final year of their grant. To assist grantees with meeting these requirements, ACF created guidance for grantees to use when writing their reports. The guidance specifies that grantees must address the following:

• Update on Home Visiting Program Goals and Objectives
• Update on the Implementation of Home Visiting Program in Targeted Community(ies)
• Progress toward Meeting Legislatively Mandated Benchmark Requirements
• Update on Rigorous Evaluation Activities
• Home Visiting Program Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Efforts
• Update on dissemination activities
• Administration of Home Visiting Program
• Technical Assistance Needs

Previously, the guidance included information about both the annual and the final reports from grantees. This extension request includes updates to the guidance to make it specific to just the annual reports. Guidance specific to the final report will be submitted for review and approval by OMB in the future. A comment period will accompany that request.

Respondents: Tribal Home Visiting Managers (information collection does not include direct interaction with individuals or families that receive the services).

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 575.

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: Title V of the Social Security Act, sections 511(e)(8)(A) and 511(h)(2)(A).