Sept 13 -- The Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, HHS invites comments to OMB by October 13, 2023 regarding a new process and outcome study, Strengthening Child Welfare Systems to Achieve Expected Child and Family Outcomes (SCWS) Evaluation.
The SCWS study will collect information to understand (1) implementation processes and the impact of grant interventions and (2) examine whether and the degree to which grant recipients were able to address common Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) outcomes. Proposed data sources for this effort include one survey and one focus group. The survey will gather information to understand the factors that supported or hindered implementation, as well as assess collaboration efforts and the intended impact of grant interventions. The focus groups will gather information to understand implementation of SCWS strategies and interventions, successes and challenges, and the perceived effect of the strategies on short and long-term child welfare outcomes, with specific attention to CFSR outcomes related to permanency.
In 2018, the Children’s Bureau (CB) awarded five demonstration projects through the Strengthening Child Welfare Systems (SCWS) to Achieve Expected Child and Family Outcomes grant cluster for the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies that improve social work and other organizational practices and improve permanency and other child welfare outcomes as measured by the Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs). Through this grant opportunity, CB contracted with James Bell Associates (JBA) to conduct a study to understand the experiences of the SCWS grant recipients in the implementation of their grant interventions and learn how implementation activities supported or hindered the grant recipients’ ability to achieve expected outcomes related to child safety, permanency, and well-being. Through the data collected for the study, CB expects to have a better understanding of the factors associated with the successful implementation of grant interventions, whether interventions were successful in improving targeted outcomes, and the ability of grant recipients to sustain the interventions.
ACF submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202309-0970-003 Click IC List for information collection instrument, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this webpage.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-19775
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806
