SSA - DDDRP Assessment Prog Supp GenIC

Alternative Supporting Statement for Information Collections Designed for

Research, Public Health Surveillance, and Program Evaluation Purposes

Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP) Assessment

Formative Data Collections for Program Support

0970 – 0531

Supporting Statement

Part A

March 2024

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:

Erin Cannon

Shirley Adelstein

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 Program Support (0970-0531).

• Description of Request: For this assessment of the Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP), we will interview staff from organizations implementing diaper distributions funded by the Administration for Children and Families and conduct focus groups with individuals receiving diaper distribution services. We will invite focus group participants to share photographs depicting their experiences with diapers and the diaper distribution programs. We will also receive de-identified data on participant demographics, services received, and pre/post program outcomes of interest from organizations distributing diapers and review their program materials (including training manuals, recruitment materials, and press releases). We will use these data to better understand this new initiative and for program improvement purposes. The data are not meant to be generalizable to a broader population.

• Time Sensitivity: The grants have a 2-year period of performance, and the first cohort of grant recipients is over 12 months into their 24-month grant period. It is important we collect data as soon as possible to reduce recall bias and memory loss related to questions of early grant implementation.

A1. Necessity for Collection

The Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP) is a 24-month pilot with the goal to build evidence about how Community Action Agencies, social services agencies, and other nonprofit community organizations may provide a consistent source of diapers and diapering supplies while also offering support services for families with low incomes. Beginning in 2022, the Office of Community Services (OCS) awarded grants to three cohorts, each with six states and one tribal entity, totaling 21 grant recipients (see Supporting Statement B for more details on the grant recipients). As a new initiative, there is limited information available to inform ACF programming, efforts to support grant recipients, and research and evaluation plans. There is also limited information about how the current grant recipients administer their programs, the kinds of variations between diaper distribution programs, and which outcomes are expected as a result of diaper distribution programs. The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is conducting a study to collect data to inform these gaps.

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

The purpose of this study of DDDRP is to inform ACF program administration and efforts to design a reliable future impact evaluation of the DDDRP initiative. The data collection will enable ACF to understand how the DDDRP was implemented and identify areas for improvement.

The study will use a mixed-methods design to collect data from grant recipients and program participants. The data collection efforts are designed for two primary components of ACF’s work to better understand the new DDDRP program:

1. Process assessment to study grant recipient approaches, structures, activities, reach, and experience with ACF and technical assistance (TA) providers

2. Participant experience and outcome assessment to document caregiver characteristics, experiences as DDDRP participants, and changes in intended outcomes

The primary intended uses of the data are to:

1. Understand how DDDRP is implemented within and across grant recipients distributing diapers.

2. Better understand diaper distribution operations.

3. Establish the foundation for rigorously measuring the impacts of diaper distribution programs.

4. In conjunction with other research and evaluation efforts, inform future program administration.

The data will primarily be used to help understand how the program is implemented, what expected and unexpected program challenges and facilitators the program encounters, and whether the program achieves its intended short-term outcomes. We designed the study to also provide preliminary data to inform a potential impact analysis. We also will publish findings to help build learning and knowledge across the field, including preliminary lessons learned, common challenges and facilitators, and how outcomes were measured. We will present findings in internal reports for OPRE and OCS, as well as in public-facing reports, briefs, and presentations. The primary audiences for these publications will be program administrators, decision makers interested in diaper distribution services, and other social service providers. We will also include photos taken by DDDRP program participants in the internal and public-facing slides, briefs, and reports to help provide program context and add participant voice.

We will examine how each grant recipient structures and operates its program and its service population. We will also look across the grants to draw broader conclusions about the DDDRP’s implementation and determine implications for a future impact study. Our contractor, Westat, will obtain feedback about processes and practices by conducting interviews with grant recipient and subrecipient staff and focus groups with DDDRP participants. Westat will also use information that is available through existing ACF materials, including individual-level program data from grant recipient organizations provided through the Beneficiary Enrollment Survey (BES), a tool approved under a separate request under this OMB number (Title: Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot Baseline Data Collection). Westat will also leverage grant-generated reports and materials. Westat will use outcome data from the BES and conduct a listening session with grant recipients’ staff to assess the feasibility of fielding an impact evaluation.

This proposed information collection meets the following goals of ACF’s generic clearance for formative data collections for program support (OMB control number 0970-0531):

• Obtaining feedback about processes and/or practices to inform ACF program development or support

• Development of learning agendas and research priorities

The information collected is meant to contribute to the body of knowledge on ACF programs. Project data are not intended to be representative and are being collected to assess the implementation of the DDDRP. We are analyzing some participant outcome data as a formative, initial assessment to understand what data a future impact study would need to collect, potential magnitude of changes an impact study could expect for power analyses, and what the challenges of that collection could be. Given the variation in data accuracy, quality, and thoroughness across the DDDRP grant recipients’ data collection activities, we characterize these analyses as exploratory. Findings are not intended to be used as the principal basis for a decision by a federal decision-maker and are not expected to meet the threshold of influential or highly influential scientific information.

Research Questions

Process Assessment (Grant Recipient Approaches, Structures, Activities, Reach, and Experience)

The process assessment will document grant recipient approaches, structures, activities, reach, and experience with ACF and TA providers by addressing the following questions. We do not have specific hypotheses for these questions.

• How are grant recipients implementing the DDDRP program (e.g., staffing, logistics, storage)?

• What implementation barriers and facilitators do grant recipients face, and how do they overcome barriers and challenges?

• What models and approaches to diaper distribution and service provision are grant recipients using?

• How do grant recipients, subrecipients, and partner agencies coordinate and collaborate?

• What is the community context (e.g., political, economic) for each grant recipient, and how might it affect implementation?

• What supports and guidance did grant recipients receive from ACF and TA providers, and how did that guidance assist with program implementation?

• How did grant recipients set their service delivery targets, and to what extent do they meet these targets (e.g., number served, diapers distributed, number of service referrals)?

• How do grant recipients define and assess family eligibility for diaper receipt? How do grant recipients recruit families?

• How do grant recipients refer families to other concrete supports and services?

• What is each grant recipient’s reach, depth, and saturation of services within its catchment area?

• To what extent does each grant recipient reach address inequities in diaper need?

Outcome Study (Participant Experience and Outcome Assessment)

This component of the assessment will document the experience of the DDDRP participants, barriers and facilitators to their participation, perceptions of program benefits and drawbacks, and change in outcomes. The outcome study will answer the following questions:

• What are DDDRP participating families’ characteristics?

• To what extent do DDDRP participating families identify as members of marginalized communities?

• How do participants experience the DDDRP program (i.e., the process of accessing diapers and services)?

• What challenges, benefits, and outcomes of participation do families identify?

• To what extent do families report changes in outcomes of interest (e.g., child outcomes, caregiver outcomes, and family outcomes)?

Study of Impact Evaluation Feasibility

The feasibility assessment will use data collected by the process assessment, participant experience and outcome assessment, listening session with grant recipient staff, and data about those data (metadata) to answer the following questions:

• What data are grant recipients and their subrecipients collecting, and how often?

• What opportunities are available for inserting random assignment into service participation flow?

• What comparison group opportunities are available if random assignment is not feasible?

• What supports and guidance will grant recipients need to participate in the impact study?

• Which participant-level outcomes are most likely to show change, and at what point after DDDRP enrollment should they be measured?

Study Design Procedures and Processes

Table 1 provides an overview of the study procedures and instruments for the process assessment and outcome study. Instrument 3, DDDRP participant focus group protocol, will be translated into Spanish.

Table 1. Data Collection Activities for the DDDRP Assessment

Data Collection Activity	Instruments	Respondent, Content, Purpose of Collection	Mode and Duration
Grant recipient staff interviews	Instrument 1. Grant recipient staff interview protocol	Respondents: Project director and two staff members from the lead grant recipient organization (n = 63) Content: Personal background; implementation rollout; grant specifics; subrecipient and partner relationships; engagement with OCS and TA provider; implementation facilitators; implementation challenges/barriers; participant experience; data collection and use; community action agency wraparound services; nonfederal work Purpose: Understand program activities from multiple perspectives	Mode: In person on site; virtual if needed Duration: up to 90 minutes
Subrecipient staff interviews	Instrument 2. Grant subrecipient staff interview protocol	Respondents: one staff member at up to 12 selected subrecipients of each grant (i.e., diaper bank affiliate, local community action agency) Content: Personal background; organizational characteristics; grant construction; implementation rollout; implementation facilitators; implementation barriers/solutions; data collection and use for procurement, storage, delivery, and/or distribution partners; DDDRP diaper strategies; nonfederal work Purpose: Understand how subrecipients work with primary grant recipients	Mode: In person on site; virtual if needed Duration: up to 60 minutes
Focus groups with DDDRP participants	Instrument 3. DDDRP participant focus group protocol	Respondents: Two focus groups with 8–10 current DDDRP participants each per grant Content: Diaper need: how it affects the participants and their families, strategies to deal with diaper need, and experiences with diaper distribution center Purpose: Understand participant experiences within DDDRP programs	Mode: In person on site and virtual Duration: up to 90 minutes
Site visits	Instrument 4. Site visit scheduling template	Respondents: Grant recipient or subrecipient staff coordinating study team site visit Content: Time slots available for various site visit activities Purpose: Schedule all site visit activities to ensure site visit is complete	Mode: Via email prior to site visit Duration: up to 60 minutes
DDDRP participant focus groups	Instrument 5. DDDRP focus group participant recruitment tool	Respondents: Grant recipient or subrecipient staff coordinating study team site visit Content: Names and contact information for DDDRP participants interested in participating in focus group Purpose: Track potential focus group participants	Mode: Via email prior to site visit; staff complete on paper or electronically Duration: up to 60 minutes
DDDRP participant follow-up data collection (cohort 1)	Instrument 6. DDDRP participant follow-up data guidance–subset of cohort 1	Respondents: DDDRP participants working with cohort 1 grant recipients that readminister their baseline survey for follow-up data Content: Demographic measures, preliminary outcome data Purpose: Assess preliminary outcomes and determine feasibility of using outcome measures in an impact evaluation	Mode: Varies, depending on the grant recipient’s baseline methodology Duration: participants will complete in 10 minutes
Grant recipient staff listening session	Instrument 8. DDDRP Listening Session Discussion Guide	Respondents: Project director and two staff members from the lead grant recipient organization Content: Perceptions of feasibility of elements of impact study design options; goals for impact study; high-priority research questions Purpose: Gain feedback from grant recipient staff on draft impact evaluation study design	Mode: Virtual Duration: 2 hours

Other Data Sources and Uses of Information

We will also use individual-level data collected by grant recipients about program participants. The approach will vary based on grant cohort and individual grant recipient interest and capacity. Data will include demographic measures, service delivery information, and preliminary outcome data. Outcome data will be used to assess the feasibility of fielding an impact evaluation. The grant recipient data will come from administrative data and the BES (OMB control number 0970-0531)¹, an online instrument OCS asks each DDDRP grant to administer to participants as they enroll in program services. The BES generic information collection (GenIC) submission has been updated to reflect this use, including the addition of a follow-up administration.

To meet project timelines, some grant recipients administered the intake survey prior to the development of the BES. Other grant recipients administered the BES prior to being assigned a study identification number; grant recipients without these IDs would not be able to link baseline data to any follow-up administrations of the survey. Baseline and follow-up data collection will vary by cohort as follows:

• Cohort 1 grant recipients collected baseline data prior to the introduction of the BES. Cohort 1 will be asked to provide administrative data covering BES data elements at an individual level if possible. Grant recipients that cannot provide individual-level data will be asked to provide aggregate data. Grant recipients with high-quality baseline data will also be asked whether they are interested in collecting outcome data. Interested grant recipients will repeat the same instrument they used to collect baseline data (see Instrument 6). We anticipate between 3 and 5 grant recipients will readminister their baseline data collection instrument.

• Cohort 2 grant recipients administered the BES at program enrollment. Grant recipients that enrolled participants early will not be asked to repeat the BES because participants were not assigned a unique study identification number. Cohort 2 grant recipients that enrolled participants later (i.e., after the study identification number was in use) will be asked to repeat the BES to collect outcome data.

• Cohort 3 grant recipients will administer the BES at baseline and repeat the survey to collect outcome data.

The BES and administrative data will be used to examine participant characteristics, experiences, and outcomes. We will ask grant recipients that have not used the BES to provide de-identified demographic data. We will also ask all grant recipients to provide service delivery data about the kinds of services DDDRP participants received. These data will be used to examine program implementation.

We will also collect and review program materials from each grant recipient, including training manuals, recruitment materials, and press releases. The data will be used to inform the reports and presentations produced to meet project objectives.

A3. Use of Information Technology to Reduce Burden

If grant recipients prefer hosting a virtual interview or focus group to reduce burden on their site and potential participants, we will use Teams or Zoom.

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

This information collection will not duplicate information already available. DDDRP is the first federally funded diaper distribution program, and this assessment is the first time systematic information will be collected about the program. To minimize participant burden, we are not collecting quantitative data from program participants but instead leveraging de-identified individual-level participant data the grants are already collecting for program management purposes. We will also use the BES, which OMB approved for OCS use with grant recipients (OMB Control number 0970-0531), as a main source of DDDRP participant data.

A5. Impact on Small Businesses

No small businesses will be involved with this information collection.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection

This is a one-time data collection.

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 this

information collection request to extend approval of the umbrella generic with minor changes. The notice was published on January 28, 2022, (87 FR 4603), and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. ACF did not receive any comments on the first notice. A second notice was published, allowing a thirty-day period for public comment, in conjunction with submission of the request to OMB. ACF did not receive any comments on the second notice.

Consultation with Experts

DDDRP has recruited a technical working group (TWG) to guide the project’s activities. The TWG provided direct feedback on the assessment design, including research questions and methodologies used for data collection and analysis. TWG members also reviewed our work to ensure the assessment fully incorporates the interests and voices of the project participants and communities. The TWG’s eight researchers and practitioners have experience in the assessment and implementation of diaper distribution and related programs serving young children and their families. Members also represent national community action networks that offer insights into how the DDDRP programs operate at the local agency and state levels.

DDDRP has also engaged a caregiver panel to ensure the design, implementation, and results of the assessment reflect the input and thoughts of people closest to the experiences of DDDRP participants. Feedback from this panel provided valuable insights into how individuals and families experience the feelings associated with diaper need and how they perceive interactions with service providers and researchers. The feedback also provided practical wisdom for how we could respectfully engage with program participants as true partners in the assessment process and recommendations for Instrument 3, DDDRP participant focus group protocol. The caregiver panel includes six individuals with lived experience managing diaper scarcity.

A9. Tokens of Appreciation

We intend to conduct 42 focus groups of approximately 8–10 current DDDRP participants each. We will provide each focus group participant with $50 as a token of appreciation for their participation and to help offset the costs of transportation to the site of the focus groups or childcare. Research shows that offering a token of appreciation is effective at increasing response among low-income historically underserved populations and is a standard practice to help reduce barriers (e.g., child care) and participation costs.² This will enable us to recruit a more diverse set of program participants for the focus groups, which is critical to better understanding how the program is experienced by the majority of participants. There could be unique issues faced by individuals who could not participate without receiving the $50 token. Focus groups will occur at 42 unique sites (2 sites per grant recipient); the population served through grant recipients will have unique characteristics (e.g., race, language, geography, access to local resources) and the sites employ a variety of strategies to distribute diapers. No more than 20 percent of individuals served through a grant recipient will participate in the focus groups.

We will not offer tokens of appreciation to grant recipients or subrecipients.

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

Review of materials

All project procedures have been reviewed by the Westat institutional review board (IRB). We will also have these documents approved by any other site-specific IRBs or similar ethics reviewers as required by each grant recipient’s jurisdiction. We will use only approved protocols.

Personally Identifiable Information

At least some of the information collected under this ICR will likely be retrieved by an individual’s personal identifier in a way that triggers the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a). The system of records notice (SORN) for this collection is OPRE Research and Evaluation Project Records, 09-80-0361. Each individual will be provided with information that complies with 552a(e)(3) prior to being asked for information that will be placed into that system of records. This means respondents will receive information about the authority, the purposes for use, the routine uses, that the request is voluntary, and any effects of not providing the requested information. We will collect the bare minimum of personally identifiable information (PII) needed to conduct the study.

For the staff interviews and DDDRP participant focus groups, we need to collect names and contact information (email or phone numbers) to send invitations and reminders. To securely exchange these data, Westat will establish a DDDRP Box.com account, with subfolders unique to each grant recipient and one for the OCS. Box.com maintains a secure site for transferring data using FIPS 140-2 validated Advanced Encryption Standard encryption, recognized as the U.S. federal government encryption standard. Grant recipients will recruit participants for the focus groups and will submit their names and contact information to Westat via Box.com. Only grant staff designated as recruitment points of contact and Westat staff working on the project will have access to the files on Box.com. Grant recipients will submit names and contact information for grant recipient and subrecipient staff who will take part in the staff interviews. We will delete DDDRP participant contact information at the conclusion of each site visit. We will maintain grant recipient and subrecipient staff information until we have completed the data analysis (in case we need to contact them for clarifications).

Westat will redact respondents’ names (or use pseudonyms) and any other identifying information prior to submitting materials to OPRE at the end of the project.

Assurances of Privacy

Information collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Respondents will be informed of all planned uses of data, that their participation is voluntary, and that their information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. We will include an option on the interview consent forms for the staff member to consent to our team audiorecording the interview; if the staff member does not want the interview recorded, we will take detailed notes. Participant-level data collected under OMB Control number 0970-0531 are de-identified.

As specified in the contract, the Contractor will comply with all federal and departmental regulations for private information.

Data Security and Monitoring

Per our current Authority to Operate plans, Westat will receive data (including grant-collected data, such as BES, demographics, and service delivery data, and names and contact information for focus group participants and staff interviews) from grant recipients through Box.com. Each grant recipient will have a unique account and folder within the assessment’s folder. Designated staff will receive password-protected access to upload materials to their folder. They will not be able to access other folders. If necessary, we will set a time to provide staff with a demonstration prior to transferring data, which may include asking staff to send a blank document as a test.

All electronic files and audiofiles will be accessible only to project staff and under password protection in project-specific network-based folders or Microsoft Teams account. Access to network-based datafiles at Westat is controlled through the use of Access Control Lists or directory- and file-access rights based on user account ID and the associated user group designation, which is maintained by the system administrator. The Microsoft Teams project channel is limited to staff working directly on this project and involves a monthly auditing process of reviewing staff access to the channel.

Optional Photo Sharing for Publication and Communication

While not a research activity, DDDRP participants can choose to stay and learn about a photo sharing opportunity after the focus groups. We will ask DDDRP participants to voluntarily use their smartphones or tablets to take pictures of events, situations, or items related to diaper need and program participation and compose a short caption to describe the image. This opportunity will enable participants to directly express their experiences. (Instrument 7, DDDRP participant photo release and instructions, provides detailed guidance to potential participants and will be available in English and Spanish.) The explicit purpose of asking for these images is to include them in contractor project deliverables, including public-facing slides, briefs, and reports. These photos are not data and will not be analyzed. Participants will take screenshots of their images (to eliminate sharing photo metadata) and email or text the image to us. We will provide photo-taking and submission instructions, including not sharing images of faces of minors. At the completion of the study, we will destroy all images we receive from participants.

As part of the submission process, we will reply to submissions with a photo release acknowledgment. We will only publish images for which we have obtained the photo release. We will also ask submitters if and how they would like to receive credit for the photo if we use it. We understand some participants may consent to participate in the focus group and not participate in the photo sharing.

Grant Recipient and Subrecipient Staff Interview Materials

If we receive consent, we will audiorecord the staff interviews. Site visit staff will upload audio files from portable devices to Box.com and send them to Rev.com (Westat’s preferred external vendor) for transcription. Once Rev.com provides transcriptions, we will destroy all copies of audio recordings (on the audio recorder and laptops). Westat staff will store digital transcriptions of interviews and interview notes in a folder on a Teams channel with limited access. We will ensure that transcripts are de-identified and file names follow a standard naming convention.

Focus Group Materials

We will take notes and audiorecord focus groups to ensure we have accurately captured the respondents’ comments. Participants in focus groups will introduce themselves with their first name but may use a pseudonym if they prefer. During the focus group, the facilitator will use first names/pseudonyms only. We will use the preferred names in focus group notes. Site visit staff will upload audio files from portable devices to their company laptops, storing on a secure Microsoft Teams channel, and send them to Rev.com (Westat’s preferred external vendor) for transcription. Once Rev.com provides transcriptions, we will destroy all copies of audiorecordings. Westat staff will store digital transcriptions of interviews and interview notes in a folder on a Teams channel with limited access. We will ensure transcripts are de-identified and file names follow a standard naming convention. Research staff will scan any notes collected on paper; research staff will store electronic scans on the limited-access network drive and destroy the hardcopies.

Listening Session Materials

We will inform listening session participants, in advance of the session, that we will take notes and audiorecord the session for internal purposes only. The audiorecording will not be transcribed. The recording and notes will be stored on a secure Microsoft Teams channel with limited access. We will destroy the audiorecording at the conclusion of data analysis. We will share the slide deck with invitees unable to make the call. They are welcome to provide written feedback if they choose.

A11. Sensitive Information ³

We are not collecting any sensitive information.

A12. Burden

Explanation of Burden Estimates

The Burden Table (table 2) presents the burden estimates for this information collection, including the number of respondents, frequency of response, average time to respond, and annual hour burden.

The time estimate in the Burden Table includes time for reading data collection materials, such as emails, and time for responding to the data collection. No respondents will be asked to keep records of data as part of this data collection; therefore, no burden hours have been estimated for recordkeeping or third-party disclosure reporting. Data transfer hours cover time spent for grant recipients to submit grant-collected data (i.e., the BES, demographics, and service delivery data).

We estimated the number of respondents as follows:

• Instrument 1: we will interview 3 grant recipient staff members per grant recipient. This estimation is based on the grant size.

• Instrument 2: we will interview up to 8 subgrant recipient staff members per grant recipient. This estimate was selected to capture as many project partners as possible.

• Instrument 3: we estimate 10 DDDRP participants will participate in each focus group, with two focus groups per grant recipient. We seek to engage a wide range of participants representing the diverse population served by DDDRP grant recipients to capture a more full range of experiences. This estimate represents between 1 and 20 percent of the participants served by the grant recipients.

• Instrument 4: one staff member will need to complete the site visit scheduling template to ensure the site visit is successfully completed.

• Instrument 5: one staff member at each of the sites selected for the focus groups will need to complete the DDDRP focus group participant recruitment tool.

• Instrument 6: between three and five Cohort 1 grant recipients will readminister their baseline participant survey to provide participant-level follow-up data. Based on performance progress reports and current beneficiary enrollment survey data, grant recipients are serving an average of 250-300 beneficiaries per program. Based on this estimate, we anticipate 1,375 participants will complete this follow-up. In addition, one staff member at each grant recipient site will need to prepare the follow-up instrument and develop a process for administering it, code the data, and submit the data to the project team.

• Instrument 7: we estimate one quarter of the focus group participants will participate in the session providing the photo release and instructions.

• Instrument 8: we estimate 3 individuals from each of the 21 grant recipients will join the listening session. This estimation is based on the grant size.

We have also included burden associated with the grant recipient staff transferring data already collected. This includes three separate data transfer efforts: (1) cohort 1 baseline data; (2) cohort 1 follow-up data for up to five grant recipients (see description of Instrument 6); and (3) and service delivery data and BES data for all cohorts.

Participants may have burden associated with more than one instrument. For example, grant recipient staff who are interviewed with Instrument 1 (grant recipient staff interview protocol) may also complete Instrument 4 (site visit scheduling template) and participate in the listening session (Instrument 8). DDDRP participants may take part in both the DDDRP participant focus groups (associated with Instrument 3) and the photo taking process (associated with Instrument 7).

Estimated Annualized Cost to Respondents

The total base annual respondent cost is estimated at $12,787.05. The total cost of this information collection is calculated as the sum of the annualized costs by respondent category. For each respondent category, the annualized cost is the product of burden hours (including nonresponse burden) and an average hourly wage rate for a corresponding occupation.

The grant recipient staff interview (Instrument 1), grant subrecipient staff interview (Instrument 2), site visit scheduling (Instrument 4), focus group recruitment (Instrument 5), and listening session (Instrument 8) will be conducted with social services agency staff. To calculate the average hourly wage rate, we took the average full-time hourly wages for job code 21 – 0000 Community and Social Services from 2022.

The DDDRP participant focus group (Instrument 3) and photo release and instructions (Instrument 7) session will be attended by individuals with low incomes living in 21 different states across the country. We used the average state minimum wage across the country as the wage rate, which is $10.37 per hour.

Table 2. Burden Calculations

Instrument	Number of Respondents (Total Over Request Period)	Number of Responses per Respondent (Total Over Request Period)	Average Burden per Response (in Hours)	Total Burden (in Hours)	Annual Burden (in Hours)	Average Hourly Wage Ratea,b	Total Annual Respondent Cost
Instrument 1. Grant recipient staff interview protocol	63	1	1.5	94.5	47.25	$26.81	$1,266.77
Instrument 2. Grant subrecipient staff interview protocol	168	1	1	168	84	$26.81	$2,252.04
Instrument 3. DDDRP participant focus group protocol	420	1	1.5	630	315	$10.37	$3,266.55
Instrument 4. Site visit scheduling template	21	1	1	21	10.5	$26.81	$281.51
Instrument 5. DDDRP focus group participant recruitment tool	42	1	1	42	21	$26.81	$563.01
Instrument 6. DDDRP participant follow-up data guidance–subset of cohort 1	1,375	1	0.17	233.75	116.88	$10.37	$1,211.99
Instrument 7. DDDRP participant photo release and instructionsc	105	1	0.5	52.5	26.25	$10.37	$272.21
Instrument 8. Listening Session Discussion Guide	63	1	2	126	63	$26.81	$1,689.03
Data transfer – cohort 1 baseline data	7	1	2	14	7	$26.81	$187.67
Data collection and transfer – cohort 1 follow-up data	5e	1	10	50	25	$26.81	$670.25
Data transfer – service delivery and BES data	21	2	2	84	42	$26.81	$1,126.02
Totals	1,926d			1,515.75	757.875		$12,787.05

^a Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). May 2022 national occupational employment and wage estimates, United States. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#21-0000

^b Source: Labor Law Center. (2023). State minimum wage rates. https://www.laborlawcenter.com/state-minimum-wage-rates

^c The estimate assumes one-quarter of focus group participants complete Instrument 7.

^d The estimated number of respondents assumes that all the individuals completing Instruments 1 and 2 also complete Instruments 4 and 5 and transfer all data to the project team; all individuals completing instrument 1 will also complete instrument 8; all participants completing Instrument 7 also complete Instrument 3; and for five sites, all participants completing instruments 3 and 7 also complete Instrument 6.

^e We estimate between 3 and 5 cohort 1 grant recipients will be able to reliably collect follow-up data.

A13. Costs

No capital and startup or ongoing operational and maintenance costs are associated with this information collection.

A14. Estimated Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

Table 3. Estimated Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

Cost Category	Estimated Costs
Field work	$ 700,000
Publications/dissemination	$ 225,000
Total costs over the request period	$ 925,000
Annual costs	$ 308,333

A15. Reasons for changes in burden

This request is for an individual information collection under the umbrella formative generic clearance for program support (0970-0531).

A16. Timeline

ACF will begin collecting data following OMB approval. We expect to receive OMB approval in late fall 2023. Table 4 describes the project timeline relative to OMB approval. Data collection will be specific to cohorts. Overall, the data collection process will take 18 months. We estimate the final public-facing report will be completed by February 2026.

Table 4. Project Timeline

Project Milestone	Months From OMB Approval
Data collection	18 months
Data analysis	24 months
Final report	26 months

A17. Exceptions

No exceptions are necessary for this information collection.

Attachments

Instrument 1. Grant recipient staff interview protocol

Instrument 2. Grant subrecipient staff interview protocol

Instrument 3. DDDRP participant focus group protocol

Instrument 4. Site visit scheduling template

Instrument 5. DDDRP focus group participant recruitment tool

Instrument 6. DDDRP participant follow-up data guidance–subset of cohort 1

Instrument 7. DDDRP participant photo release and instructions

Instrument 8. DDDRP listening session discussion guide

Attachment A. Template flyer for focus group recruitment

1 GenIC title: Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot Baseline Data Collection

2 Singer, E., & Kulka, R. A. (2002). Paying respondents for survey participation. Studies of Welfare Populations: Data Collection and Research Issues, 4, 105–128.

3 Examples of sensitive topics include Social Security number; sex behavior and attitudes; illegal, antisocial, 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 that 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; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); and immigration/citizenship status.

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