Chafee Strengthening Outcomes
for Transition to Adulthood (Chafee SOTA) Project Overarching
Generic
New
collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)
No
Regular
07/25/2023
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
6,600
0
4,500
0
0
0
The Administration for Children and
Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)
seeks Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a new
3-year overarching generic clearance to submit individual
information collection (GenIC) requests for evaluations of programs
serving youth transitioning out of foster care as part of the
Chafee SOTA Project. Potential data collection efforts will request
similar information using similar methods, which could include
conducting interviews, focus groups, and surveys with program
directors (e.g., from programs serving youth with foster care
experience and from their partner agencies) and current, past, or
potential participants in programs serving youth with foster care
experience (e.g., including potential participants who are included
in comparison groups), as well as extracting administrative or
other program data. The purpose of these efforts is to inform ACF
programming by building evidence about what works to improve
outcomes for the target population, and to identify innovative
learning methods that address common evaluation challenges. The
John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to
Adulthood (Chafee program) funds state and tribal programs that
help youth with foster care experience to successfully transition
to adulthood. When the Chafee program was created following the
passage of the Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA) of 1999 (Public
Law 106-169), the legislation required that a small percentage of
funding be set aside for rigorous evaluations of independent living
programs that are “innovative or of potential national
significance.” In keeping with this directive, OPRE is conducting
the Chafee SOTA project, which aims to utilize innovative methods
for testing promising practices in programs serving youth
transitioning out of foster care, and to improve the feasibility
and rigor of evaluations that test the effectiveness of program
services or components. The Chafee SOTA project builds on prior
OPRE evaluations, which observed that for many programs,
traditional, large-scale impact evaluations were not feasible due
to issues such as program size, lack of appropriate comparison
groups, or implementation challenges. The Chafee SOTA project will
conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of program services and
components in improving outcomes for youth and young adults
transitioning out of foster care. To address the common evaluation
challenges previously identified, these evaluations will utilize
innovative methods tailored to each program, including rapid cycle
learning techniques that require an iterative approach. An
important aspect of research with this population and a guiding
principle of the Chafee SOTA project is that evaluations need to be
designed in consultation and partnership with young adults with
lived experience. The iterative and rapid nature of the methods to
be utilized, as well as the necessity of ongoing, authentic
engagement of experts with lived experience, poses a challenge to
complying with the timeline for seeking full approval of each
individual information collection activity subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA). Since OPRE knows the types of methods that
will be used and types of information that will be requested but
does not yet know what will be needed to tailor the information to
each site, OPRE is seeking approval for an overarching generic
clearance to conduct this work. For each GenIC, instruments will be
tailored to the specific intervention and the specific site; once a
set of instruments for a particular site is developed, and prior to
use in the field, OPRE will submit a supporting statement Part A
and B and the specific instruments to be used to OMB for
approval.
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.
Appendix 2 - Sample Focus Group Consent Form_7_20_23.docx