Overview
Title
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Prevention Services Data Collection (Office of Management and Budget #0970-0529)
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The Children's Bureau is asking people to share their thoughts on a plan to keep track of how they help kids stay with their families instead of going to foster care. They want to do this the same way they have been but want to hear what people think about it until the end of February 2025.
Summary AI
The Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families is seeking public input for a 3-year extension of the Prevention Services Data Collection, which gathers information on child welfare services. This data, required by the Social Security Act, helps determine the services provided to prevent children from needing foster care. They request comments on the necessity, accuracy, and impact of this data collection from Title IV-E Agencies. Public comments are invited until February 25, 2025, with no changes proposed to the current data collection methods.
Abstract
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children's Bureau is requesting a 3-year extension of the Prevention Services Data Collection (Office of Management and Budget #0970-0529, expiration May 31, 2025). There are no changes requested to the data collection.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
The document in question represents a notice from the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It seeks public input on a proposed three-year extension of the Prevention Services Data Collection initiative. This initiative, managed under the Office of Management and Budget #0970-0529, gathers data concerning child welfare services aimed at preventing the need for foster care placements. Comments are invited until February 25, 2025, providing agencies and the general public an opportunity to influence this data collection process.
General Summary
The purpose of this document is to solicit public comments on the ongoing collection of data related to child welfare services, as required by the Social Security Act. The data collected involves details from Title IV-E Agencies about children receiving preventive services, the services themselves, and the potential necessity of foster care. The administration intends to continue this data gathering unchanged from its current form to inform federal and policy decisions about child welfare services.
Significant Issues and Concerns
Several issues arise from the document that may concern the public and stakeholders:
Lack of Clarity on Actionable Feedback: While the document invites comments from the public, it does not specify how this feedback will be utilized or what specific changes, if any, might be considered based on the responses.
Complex Legal References: The use of legal sections without explanation may leave many readers confused about the requirements and mandates referenced. This could exclude those without a legal background or understanding of these specific regulations.
Privacy Considerations: The document acknowledges that personally identifiable information will be collected yet lacks explanations regarding privacy protocols or measures in place to protect such sensitive data.
Timeline Confusion: A discrepancy in the document's publication and filing dates might lead to confusion about its release and the exact timeframe for comments.
Burden Estimate Transparency: The comment request includes queries about the estimated burden on respondents, yet does not provide details on how these estimates were derived, potentially limiting informed feedback on this aspect.
Potential Public Impact
On a broader scale, this document impacts how child welfare services data continues to be collected and used by the federal government. The extension of the data collection without changes suggests a continuity in how child welfare cases are monitored and addressed federally. While maintaining data consistency, it may not advance ideas or improvements that could be gleaned from recent technological or methodological advancements.
Impact on Stakeholders
Positive Impact: Title IV-E Agencies and child welfare professionals might find relief in the absence of changes to their reporting processes, avoiding any potential disruptions or additional responsibilities.
Negative Impact: Some stakeholders, including advocacy groups or privacy advocates, may see the continuation of the policy without changes as a missed opportunity to address potential shortcomings in privacy practices or the efficacy of data collection methods. The absence of detailed responses to public feedback also risks disengaging those who might have constructive contributions to enhance the program's effectiveness.
In summary, while the extension aims to ensure the continued collection of valuable child welfare data, it leaves several key areas unaddressed, which could have implications for the efficiency and transparency of the process. These areas warrant careful consideration to optimize the impact of data collection on supporting vulnerable children and families.
Issues
• The document requests public comments on the data collection without explaining what specific actions might be taken based on those comments, leaving the potential impact of the feedback unclear.
• The use of legal references and public law numbers (e.g., Section 471(e)(4)(E) of the Social Security Act, Public Law 115-123) may be difficult for general readers to understand without additional context or explanation.
• The document mentions that the data collected contains personally identifiable information (PII), but does not elaborate on privacy protection measures or how the PII will be handled to ensure confidentiality and security.
• The publication date is listed as December 27, 2024, which is after the 'Filed' date of December 26, 2024, potentially leading to confusion about the actual timeline of the document's release.
• The document does not provide details on how the estimated burden of information collection was calculated, which could limit the ability to effectively comment on the accuracy of the agency's estimate.