NonSub Change Request - Assent and Consent Updates

To: Jordan Cohen

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

From: Alysia Blandon

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Date: July 16, 2021

Subject: NonSubstantive Change Request – Survey of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) Adopted Youth, Young Adults, Adults and Adopted Parents (OMB #0970-0555)

This memo requests approval of nonsubstantive changes to the approved information collection, Survey of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) Adopted Youth, Young Adults, Adults and Adopted Parents (OMB #0970-0555).

Background

In September 2020, OMB approved the new information collection request for the Survey of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) Adopted Youth, Young Adults, Adults and Adopted Parents. This is a descriptive study designed to help OPRE and the Children’s Bureau understand the extent of post adoption instability events that occur in families who have adopted children who have exited the foster care system. This study also seeks to understand risk and protective factors associated with post adoption instability. The study will conduct web or telephone surveys with adopted youth, young adults, and adults as well as their adoptive parents who were participants in the first or second cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW I, II; OMB #0970-0202). The study has started tracing and locating activities for candidate adopted adults and adoptive parent respondents. Data collection is scheduled to begin for adopted adult respondents (18 years and older) in mid-July. Data collection will begin for adoptive parents, including the parents of minor youth in August.

Overview of Requested Changes

As a result of a recent IRB review, changes were requested to language associated with acquiring parent permission for the participation of a minor child. The IRB requested that parents be told that a child’s study responses might need to be disclosed in situations where it is necessary to protect the child’s safety (e.g., child suicidality or situations or reported child abuse/neglect). Comparable language had already been included (and approved by OMB and the IRB) in the Child Assent form and telephone script. The IRB requested that this language now also be included in Parent Permission, as it was not included previously. No study procedures have changed as a result of this change to the Parent Permission script/form.

This language impacted the “Parent Permission for Child Participation” form and Adopted Child telephone script. Consequently, we request the following nonsubstantive changes to the following attachments.

• Attachment H. Assent and Parent Consent

  • Add reference to the 3^rd paragraph of the “Parent Permission for Child Participation” form (page 5 of Attachment H) to describe plans to disclose a child’s answers only in situations where the study team is concerned about the child’s safety.

• Attachment L. Adopted Child Respondent Outreach Pre-Interview and Post-Interview Scripts

  • Add reference to the 4^th paragraph of the PAR_PERM telephone script (page 3 of Attachment L) describing plans to disclose a child’s answers only in situations where the study team is concerned about the child’s safety. This language mirrors that used in the “Parent Permission for Child Participation” form.

Revised versions of all previously approved attachments are included with this change request.

Time Sensitivities

These materials will be necessary to start data collection with the adopted parents of minor children (under the age of 18 years). We plan to start this data collection in August.

An extension request is currently in process for this information collection and the 60-day comment period is currently open (86 FR 18984).