NonSub Change Memo - RPG Partner Survey Mode - May 2021

MEMORANDUM

TO: Jordan Cohen

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

FROM: Dori Sneddon

Children’s Bureau (CB)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

SUBJECT: Non-substantive Change Request to Regional Partnership Grants (RPG) National Cross-Site Evaluation and Evaluation Technical Assistance (OMB #0970-0527)

DATE: May 17, 2021

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This memo requests approval of non-substantive changes to the approved information collection, Regional Partnership Grants (RPG) National Cross-Site Evaluation and Evaluation Technical Assistance (OMB # 0970-0527). The Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seeks approval to change the mode of the survey from paper and pencil to web-based.

Background

Between 2017 and 2019, under RPG, the Children’s Bureau has issued 35 grants to organizations such as child welfare or substance abuse treatment providers or family court systems to develop interagency collaborations and integration of programs, activities, and services designed to increase well-being, improve permanency, and enhance the safety of children who are in an out-of-home placement or are at risk of being placed in out-of-home care as a result of a parent’s or caretaker’s substance abuse. In February 2020, OMB approved a non-substantive change request which included changing the data collection mode of the partner survey from web-based to paper and pencil. The change request was made because, at the time, we did not have the resources to acquire an Authority to Operate (ATO) needed for the web survey data collection system. Since that time, we have learned that we will not need a full ATO for the data collection system so it is now feasible for us to use the web as the primary mode of data collection for the survey. This is the preferred mode of data collection for this survey, particularly due to the limitations created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview of Requested Changes

Updates to Partner Survey

We seek approval to change the administration mode of the partner survey (Appendix C) to web-based administration from paper and pencil. We made the following changes to the partner survey: (1) reformatted the instrument into a web-administered questionnaire, (2) made wording changes to the introductory text of the survey to better align with web administration, (3) added text to help the respondent navigate the web survey (items A4, B2, B3, B3a, B4, B5, and C2), and (4) added introductory text to the beginning of section C. These minor edits to individual items and the change in administration mode will not change the burden estimates for this data collection activity.