Request for Assistance for Child Victims of Human Trafficking
No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection
No
Regular
Approved without change
02/21/2025
02/15/2025
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
08/31/2027
08/31/2027
08/31/2027
3,500
0
3,500
3,500
0
3,500
0
0
0
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended, directs the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), upon receipt of credible information that a foreign national minor may have been subjected to a severe form of trafficking in persons and is seeking assistance available to victims of trafficking, to promptly determine if the child is eligible for benefits and services to the same extent as refugees. In 2015 HHS delegated this authority to the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP). OTIP developed a form (Request for Assistance (RFA), OMB Control Number 0970-0362) for case managers, attorneys, law enforcement officers, child welfare workers, and other representatives to report these trafficking concerns to HHS in accordance with the TVPA of 2000, as amended, and allow for OTIP to review the concerns and determine eligibility for benefits.
The information provided through the completion of the RFA form is essential for OTIP to make prompt determinations regarding a foreign national minorâs eligibility for assistance, to facilitate the required consultation process should the minor receive interim assistance, and to assess and address potential child protection issues. Without a form, OTIP would be limited to notifying potential requesters about the assistance the law permits and providing a phone number or email address at OTIP for further information. An OTIP Child Protection Specialist would then have to describe to each potential requester the information sought in the form, which would likely require multiple follow-up calls, and possibly multiple interviews with the child, which could re-traumatize the child. Furthermore, the absence of a form to collect information necessary to process a request for assistance could result in errors in the information collection causing a child that should be eligible for benefits and services as a victim of trafficking to be denied access to assistance.
ACF has implemented changes to update gender collected data to denote sex as a biological variable in current approved information collection requests to comply with recent presidential directives.
US Code:
22 USC 7105 (b)
Name of Law: Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), as amended
The number of requests for assistance received by OTIP is impacted by a variety of social, political, and environmental factors that fluctuate each year, as well as OTIPâs efforts to engage case managers, attorneys, law enforcement officers, child welfare workers, and other representatives who serve foreign national children and youth regarding reporting requirements under the TVPA of 2000, as amended. OTIP may receive one or multiple requests for assistance on behalf of any one child.
The estimated number of respondents provided at the time of the most recent approval (September 2021) was based on prior yearâs data. In the following years, OTIP experienced a marked increase in the requests for assistance received each year. OTIP continued to monitor case volume to assess whether observed increases were anomalous, given ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions, or if the elevated volume of referrals would be a consistent trend. Monitoring of referral data has shown a consistent trend with requests for assistance continuing at a much higher rate than pre-2021. Therefore, OTIP has increased the estimated number of respondents. The form and estimated time per response remains the same.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form 1 HHS RFA Form
NonSub Change - Update to ACF ICs - Protecting Women EO - Submission 2.10.25.docx
Request for Assistance for Child Victims of Human Trafficking