THE SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Specific Instructions
A. Justification
Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary
By law, the Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children and Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) must provide for the custody and care of children who come into the United States from other countries without an adult guardian, or unaccompanied children. An unaccompanied child is a child who has no lawful immigration status in the United States; has not attained 18 years of age; and, with respect to whom, there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States, or no parent or legal guardian in the United States available to provide care and physical custody. See 6 U.S.C. § 279(g)(2).
The recent, unanticipated influx of unaccompanied children crossing the Southern Border impeded normal program operations around the Administration. ACF is participating in the administration-wide planning process to develop projections for the number of children expected to be served in the program in 2015. Developing a more detailed understanding of the reasons that initiate migration of children referred to ORR custody will be helpful for the Department of Health and Human Services’ role in preparing for and providing support to these and future unaccompanied children, as required by law under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008.
Purpose and Use of the Information Collection
ACF will implement two new information collection efforts to assist in the administration-wide planning process: the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program Assessment Form and 25 Profiles on Unaccompanied Alien Children Reasons for Migration.
The information collected by ORR staff and grantees will be used for two primary purposes. The first purpose is to assist in government-wide planning and projections regarding the arrival of unaccompanied children at the Southern Border. In FY 2014, the total number of unaccompanied children referrals to ORR more than doubled over the total for FY 2013, with an unprecedented spike and subsequent decline over the summer months. Both the Assessment and the Profiles will provide needed information, in both the aggregate and in-depth, about why children are choosing to undertake the dangerous journey to the U.S. Analysis of this information will help ACF identify drivers for migration that will inform projections of future arrivals.
The second purpose is to use the information collected in both the Assessment and the Profiles to ensure ORR is providing appropriate services to the children in its care. Collecting more detailed information about the circumstances that compelled a child to travel to the U.S. and their experiences on the journey will allow ORR to analyze the services provided and ensure they are appropriate.
Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction
The Unaccompanied Alien Children Program Assessment is completed electronically by ORR grantees during the intakes and assessment process, and is uploaded into the program database.
The 25 Profiles on Unaccompanied Alien Children Reasons for Migration are a one-time collection event, and will be completed through in-person interviews conducted by ORR staff. Responses to the interview questions will be submitted to ORR electronically.
Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information
ACF has worked with Administration partners to identify duplication and collection of similar information. While other departments, specifically DHS and DOJ, may have some contact with unaccompanied children, specific information about the child’s reasons for migration and experiences on the journey are not consistently collected or shared with ACF. DHS only has custody of unaccompanied children for a short period of time; DOJ only has limited information about some applications for immigration relief. ORR is the only entity with the ability to collect this information from all children referred to ACF custody.
Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities
This item is not applicable.
Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently
The Unaccompanied Alien Children Program Assessment will be completed once for each child referred to ORR custody. New children are referred to ORR every day, and the use of the Assessment will be on-going.
The 25 Profiles on Unaccompanied Alien Children Reasons for Migration are a one-time project.
Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5
No special circumstances are involved. This information collection is consistent with all OMB guidelines specified in 5 CFR 1320.5
Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency
This item is not applicable.
Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents
This item is not applicable.
Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents
HHS has strong policies in place to ensure the privacy and safety of unaccompanied children by maintaining the confidentiality of their personal information. These policies are based on a number of Congressional directives to protect this vulnerable population, including a 2005 House Committee Report urging HHS “to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all information gathered in the course of the care, custody and placement of unaccompanied alien children.” In addition, the Flores Settlement Agreement, which governs HHS’s treatment of unaccompanied children, includes requirements to safeguard records about the children and to preserve the confidentiality of their personal information.
Justification for Sensitive Questions
This item not applicable.
Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs
Instrument |
Number of Respondents |
Number of Responses per Respondent |
Average Burden Hours per Response |
Total Burden Hours |
UAC Assessment Form |
58,000 |
Up to 150 |
.01 hours |
87,000 hours |
Profile Interviews on Reasons for Migration |
25 |
80 |
.02 hours |
40 hours |
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours Cost: $0 – respondents are unaccompanied children in ORR custody
Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers
Estimated Other Annual Cost Burden to Respondents: $0
Annualized Cost to the Federal Government
Annualized Costs of 25 Profiles:
$35/hour * 40 hours for profile interviews + 150 hours for analysis/write up/development = $6,650
Annualized Costs of the UAC Assessment:
$35/hour * 96 hours for analysis = $3,360
Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $10,010
Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments
This is a new project.
Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule
ACF plans to have the 25 profiles interviews completed by October 31, 2014 and the analysis completed by November 15, 2014, for use in future program planning and administration-wide projection activities.
ACF plans to implement the UAC Assessment Form by November 1, 2015, with the information available beginning November 15, 2014, for use in administration-wide projection activities.
Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate
This item is not applicable for the 25 Profiles.
The UAC Assessment Form is expected to be in use for a long period of time. Putting a date on the form would create a waste since the form could no longer be used when the expiration date was reached.
Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
This item is not applicable.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | ACF |
| Last Modified By | Windows User |
| File Modified | 2014-10-16 |
| File Created | 2014-10-16 |