Formative Data Collections for ACF Research

ACF programs promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities. OPRE studies ACF programs, and the populations they serve, through rigorous research and evaluation projects. These include evaluations of existing programs, evaluations of innovative approaches to helping low income children and families, research syntheses, and descriptive and exploratory studies. OPRE’s research offers further understanding of current programs and service populations, explores options for program improvement, and assesses alternative policy and program designs. OPRE anticipates undertaking a variety of new research projects related to welfare, employment and self-sufficiency, Head Start, child care, healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, family and youth services, home visiting, child welfare, trafficking, community services, and other areas of interest to ACF. Some ACF program offices conduct their own research and evaluation projects. Under this generic clearance, ACF engages in a variety of formative data collections with researchers, practitioners, TA providers, service providers and potential participants throughout the field to fulfill the following goals: (1) inform the development of ACF research, (2) maintain a research agenda that is rigorous and relevant, (3) ensure that research products are as current as possible and (4) inform the provision of technical assistance and supports around research and evaluation. ACF envisions using a variety of techniques including semi-structured discussions, focus groups, surveys, and telephone or in-person interviews, in order to reach these goals. Under this request, ACF seeks continued approval to collect information from more than 9 respondents that can inform and support future and current research but that are not highly systematic or intended to be statistically representative or otherwise generalizable. This request is for a revision. Specifically, we request to extend approval of the umbrella generic with no changes to the overall terms or scope. We have updated the request to reflect burden for the next three years (no changes from estimates for the previous three years), include ongoing generic information collections (GenIC) that have been approved and are still in process, and to update one previously approved GenIC that was originally approved prior to the last extension request in 2021. The updates to the one GenIC are to ensure the information provided is still accurate.

The latest form for Formative Data Collections for ACF Research expires 2027-01-31 and is listed under ICR 202504-0970-028.

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