NonSub Change Memo - UC Questionnaire Updates

To: Jordan Cohen

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

From: Shannon Herboldsheimer

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Date: December 8, 2021

Subject: Non-Substantive Change Request – Monitoring and Compliance for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Care Provider Facilities (OMB #0970-0564)

This memo requests approval of a non-substantive change to the approved information collection, Monitoring and Compliance for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Care Provider Facilities (OMB #0970-0564).

Background

The Monitoring and Compliance for ORR Care Provider Facilities information collection consists of several forms that allow the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program to monitor its care provider facilities for compliance with Federal and State laws and regulations, licensing and accreditation standards, ORR policies and procedures, and child welfare standards. Currently, there are three versions of a questionnaire for UC – ages 5 and under; ages 6-12; and ages 13 and older (UC Questionnaires, Forms M-12A, M-12B and M-12E, respectively). ORR proposes including questions in forms M-12A and M-12B that will assist in monitoring ORR care provider programs that house Unaccompanied Afghan Minors (UAM) and solicit relevant information from all UC.

Overview of Requested Changes

ORR is proposing to include additional questions in the UC questionnaires for ages 6-12 and for ages 13 and older (Forms M-12A and M-12B). No changes are proposed for the UC questionnaire for ages 5 and under (Form M-12E).

The main purpose of the additional questions is to assist the ORR monitoring team in monitoring ORR care provider programs that house UAM. It is particularly important to ensure that UAM are receiving information in a language they understand and are provided appropriate religious accommodations. The languages spoken and religions practice by UAM are not typical of the general UC population and care providers must often use interpreter services or make special arrangements for religious accommodations.

In making revisions, ORR determined that questions on language and religious accommodations could apply to all children in ORR care, both UC and UAM. Therefore, ORR proposes revising the current versions of Forms M-12A and M-12B and administering them to both UC and UAM.

In addition, ORR proposes adding a sub-question to solicit a more detailed response on the child’s opinion of how safe they feel at the care provider, along with a few questions about the child’s opinion on what the care provider could do better.

The forms will continue to gather on the same topics. The additional questions do not change the purpose of the data collection, the intended uses of the data, and does not impact burden estimates.

Topics covered by Forms M-12A, M-12B, and M-12E:

• Admission/Orientation

• Education/School

• Recreation/Structured Leisure Activities

• Religious Services

• Food/Snacks

• Medical

• Legal (ages 13 and up only)

• Communication with Family

• Meetings with Case Management Staff/Reunification (ages 13 and up only)

• Clinical Services (ages 13 and up only)

• Program Rules

• Reporting a Complaint or Abuse

• Safety

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