Supporting Statement A - FaMLE Final Report

Alternative Supporting Statement for Information Collections Designed for

Research, Public Health Surveillance, and Program Evaluation Purposes

Fatherhood and Marriage Local Evaluation and Cross-Site Services Components

Formative Data Collections for ACF Research

0970 - 0356

Supporting Statement

Part A

February 2020

Submitted By:

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

4^th Floor, Mary E. Switzer Building

330 C Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

Project Officers:

Katie Pahigiannis

Senior Social Science Research Analyst

Pooja Gupta Curtin

Social Science Research Analyst

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Part A

Executive Summary

• Type of Request: This Information Collection Request is for a generic information collection under the umbrella generic, Formative Data Collections for ACF Research (0970-0356).

Description of Request: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval to ask Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grantees with local evaluations to complete final report templates. ACF and the Fatherhood and Marriage Local Evaluation (FaMLE) Cross-Site project team developed these templates for grantees to use to describe their analyses and findings. The information grantees include in their final report templates (the information collection instruments submitted through this request) will help the federal government and FaMLE Cross-Site contractor staff provide research and evaluation technical assistance to grantees. We do not intend for this information to be used as the principal basis for public policy decisions.

A1. Necessity for Collection

HMRF grantees were required to collect and report information on their progress and must submit a final report to ACF at the conclusion of the grant period. However, the grant agreements do not stipulate a format for the final reports. To increase the usefulness of the final reports to ACF as it assesses grantees’ performance, the structured final evaluation report templates will prompt evaluators to provide critical information on the rigor and appropriateness of their research approaches and present the findings clearly. The information collected will be used specifically to inform the provision of technical assistance (TA), one of the key goals cited as relevant for formative generic clearance.

There are no legal or administrative requirements that necessitate this collection. ACF is undertaking the collection at the discretion of the agency.

A2. Purpose

Purpose and Use

This proposed information collection meets the following goals of ACF’s generic clearance for formative data collections for research and evaluation (0970-0356):

• maintain a research agenda that is rigorous and relevant

• inform the provision of technical assistance.

ACF seeks approval to ask HMRF grantees with local evaluations to complete final report templates, which we have developed, to describe their analyses and findings. An important objective of the ACF Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation’s (OPRE) FaMLE Cross-Site project, contracted to Mathematica, is to strengthen the capacity of grantees as they work with their own local evaluators. The final report templates (the information collection instruments submitted through this request) will help the federal government and FaMLE Cross-Site Mathematica staff provide research and evaluation technical assistance to grantees. Grantees will complete the templates using the instructions as guidance, and then the government and contractor will review them and provide detailed feedback and advice in order to help grantees strengthen the rigor and relevance of the reporting of their evaluation findings. Specifically, as part FaMLE Cross-Site project, we are submitting this information collection request for the following:

1. To ask HMRF grantees conducting local impact evaluations to complete final report templates that discuss their analyses and main findings. The information request includes:

   1. Impact Evaluation Final Report Template (Instrument 1)

   2. Impact Evaluation Final Report Table Shells (Instrument 2)

2. To ask HMRF grantees conducting local descriptive evaluations to complete a final report template that discusses their analyses and main findings. The information request includes:

1. Descriptive Evaluation Final Report Template (Instrument 3)

2. Descriptive Evaluation Final Report Table Shells (Instrument 4)

Please note that the templates have accompanying instructions to guide the grantees in completing them. We have provided these instructions as Appendices A and B.

The information collected is meant to contribute to the body of knowledge on ACF programs. It is not intended to be used as the principal basis for a decision by a federal decision-maker, and is not expected to meet the threshold of influential or highly influential scientific information.

Other Data Sources and Uses of Information

Under a previous information collection, (OMB control number 0970-0356, Fatherhood and Marriage Local Evaluation and Cross-Site Services Components), the grantees developed analysis plans to address questions they have about their HMRF programs and to contribute to the broader evidence base on impacts, outcomes, and implementation of the programs. FaMLE Cross-Site Mathematica staff have provided evaluation technical assistance to strengthen the analysis plans to reflect good evaluation practices. Much of the information in the analysis plans can be transferred by the grantee to the final report template.

A3. Use of Information Technology to Reduce Burden

ACF and its contractors will employ information technology as appropriate to reduce the burden of respondents who agree to participate. Grantees can complete and submit the templates electronically.

A4. Use of Existing Data: Efforts to reduce duplication, minimize burden, and increase utility and government efficiency

The purpose of the final report templates is to provide grantees guidance on structuring a comprehensive and accessible final report. Grantees can draw many of the report sections, such as the research questions, description of the intervention, and study design, directly from their previously accepted analysis plans. This will reduce the burden in writing the report and ensure consistency between the analysis plans and final reports. No unnecessary information is being requested of program staff or grantees. None of the instruments will ask for information that can be reliably obtained through other sources.

A5. Impact on Small Businesses

The potential exists for data collection activities to affect small businesses that may be under subcontract to the grantees. HMRF grantees may contract out the conducting of evaluations to local evaluators affiliated with small businesses. Grantees may task the local evaluator with writing portions of the final report. The proposed final report templates are designed to minimize the burden on all organizations involved, including small businesses, by collecting only critical information using the standardized templates and drawing from existing resources, such as the analysis plans.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection

Not collecting the information using the final report templates would limit the government’s ability to synthesize evaluation findings, understand the contribution of the evaluation to the local community and field, and provide technical assistance to grantees to facilitate high quality research reporting that is rigorous and relevant. The purpose of each information collection instrument included in this submission is described in Item A2, above.

A7. Now subsumed under 2(b) above and 10 (below)

A8. Consultation

Federal Register Notice and Comments

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of the overarching generic clearance for formative information collection. This notice was published on October 11, 2017, Volume 82, Number 195, page 47212, and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. During the notice and comment period, no substantive comments were received.

Consultation with Experts Outside of the Study

ACF consulted staff from the FaMLE Cross-Site project contractor, Mathematica, when preparing the templates.

A9. Tokens of Appreciation

Not applicable. No tokens are proposed for respondents completing the instruments for the final report information collection.

A10. Privacy: Procedures to protect privacy of information, while maximizing data sharing

Personally Identifiable Information

The only expected personally identifiable information in the templates will be associated with the authors of the report (such as names and email addresses) in order for Mathematica to follow up with questions and technical assistance in the form of feedback on the reports. Information in the final reports submitted by the grantees will not include any personally identifiable information on individual participants in the local evaluation studies.

Assurances of Privacy

As specified in the contract, Mathematica (the Contractor) shall protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and will comply with all Federal and Departmental regulations for private information. The Contractor shall ensure that all of its employees, who perform work under this contract are trained on data privacy issues and comply with the above requirements. All Mathematica staff are required to sign the Mathematica Staff Confidentiality Agreement and participate in annual security awareness training. Respondents will be informed about the planned uses of data, and that their information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

Data Security and Monitoring

Grantees and local evaluators will send completed templates to ACF and their evaluation technical assistance liaison by email. The complete final report templates will be stored on Mathematica’s computer system in a file that can only be accessed by project staff. Project staff will record in a tracking file the dates they receive the completed (and revised) templates and dates when the templates are returned to evaluators for revision.

Mathematica shall protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and will comply with all Federal and Departmental regulations for private information.

A11. Sensitive Information ¹

There are no sensitive questions for the proposed instruments.

A12. Burden

Explanation of Burden Estimates

Table A12.1 provides the estimated annual reporting burden and cost calculations for the four instruments included in this request. The total annual burden is estimated to be 1,360 hours. Assumptions by instrument follow.

• Instrument 1: Final Impact Evaluation Report Text Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. At most, 18 grantees with an impact evaluation will complete the impact report template. On average, it will take 30 hours to complete this template. The estimated total burden for this effort is 540 hours.

• Instrument 2: Final Impact Evaluation Report Tables Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. Grantees completing the impact report template will complete the accompanying table shells template. On average, it will take 10 hours to complete these table shells. The estimated total burden for this effort is 180 hours.

• Instrument 3: Final Descriptive Evaluation Report Text Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. At most, 16 grantees with a descriptive evaluation will complete the descriptive report template. On average, it will take 30 hours to complete this template. The estimated total burden for this effort is 480 hours.

• Instrument 4: Final Descriptive Evaluation Report Tables Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. Grantees completing the descriptive report template will complete the accompanying table shells template. On average, it will take 10 hours to complete these table shells. The estimated total burden for this effort is 160 hours.

Estimated Annualized Cost to Respondents

The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $42,717.60. For cost calculations for the labor associated with completing the final reports, we estimate the average hourly wage for program directors and managers to be the average hourly wage for “Social and Community Services Manager” ($31.41), taken from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2018.²

Table A12.1 Total Burden and Cost Estimates

Instrument	No. of Respondents (total over request period)	No. of Responses per Respondent (total over request period)	Avg. Burden per Response (in hours)	Total/Annual Burden (in hours)	Average Hourly Wage Rate	Total Annual Respondent Cost
Instrument 1: Impact Report Text Template	18	1	30	540	$31.41	$16,961.40
Instrument 2: Impact Report Tables Template	18	1	10	180	$31.41	$5,653.80
Instrument 3: Descriptive Report Text Template	16	1	30	480	$31.41	$15,076.80
Instrument 4: Descriptive Report Tables Template	16	1	10	160	$31.41	$5,025.60
Total				1,360		$42,717.60

A13. Costs

There are no additional costs to respondents.

A14. Estimated Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

The estimated total cost to the federal government for data collection associated with this Information Collection Request is $15,626.88.

For cost calculations, we estimated 16 hours for OMB clearance and 8 hours to review the final version of each final report, for a total of 272 hours for report review and 288 hours overall. We divided the time evenly among a GS-12, a GS-13, and a GS-14, as the hours will be used by multiple ACF staff to review the reports.

Cost Category	Estimated Costs
OMB Clearance	$868.16
Reviewing report materials	$14,758.72
Total costs over the request period	$15,626.88
Annual costs	$15,626.88

A15. Reasons for changes in burden

This is for an individual information collection under the umbrella formative generic clearance for ACF research (0970-0356).

A16. Timeline

The schedule for data collection is shown below in Table A16.1. Data collection will begin upon OMB approval. We anticipate that final reports will be completed by the end of the grant close out period in December 2020.

Table A16.1. Schedule for HMRF Local Evaluation Final Report Data Collection

Activity	Time Frame
Final impact report and corresponding table shells	10 months from OMB approval
Final descriptive report and corresponding table shells	10 months from OMB approval

Grantees conducting the local impact and descriptive evaluations will complete the impact and descriptive templates, respectively.

A17. Exceptions

No exceptions are necessary for this information collection.

Attachments

• Instrument 1: Final Impact Evaluation Report Text Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees

• Instrument 2: Final Impact Evaluation Report Tables Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees

• Instrument 3: Final Descriptive Evaluation Report Text Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees

• Instrument 4: Final Descriptive Evaluation Report Tables Template for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees

• Appendix A: Instructions for the Final Impact Evaluation Report for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. Guidance for completing the impact report template and table shells.

• Appendix B: Instructions for the Final Descriptive Evaluation Report for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees. Guidance for completing the descriptive report template and table shells.

1 Examples of sensitive topics include (but not limited to): social security number; sex behavior and attitudes; illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior; critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close relationships, e.g., family, pupil-teacher, employee-supervisor; mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to respondents; religion and indicators of religion; community activities which indicate political affiliation and attitudes; legally recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians and ministers; records describing how an individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment; receipt of economic assistance from the government (e.g., unemployment or WIC or SNAP); immigration/citizenship status.

2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Community Service Managers, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/social-and-community-service-managers.htm (visited December 9, 2019).

10