Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Title: Building Strong Families Demonstration and Evaluation—Baseline.

OMB No.: New collection.

Description: The proposed information collection activity is for baseline information during eligibility screening and enrollment in local programs participating in the Building Strong Families (BSF) evaluation. The BSF evaluation is an important opportunity to learn if well-designed interventions can help low-income couples develop the knowledge and relationship skills that research has shown are associated with healthy marriages. BSF programs will provide instruction and support to improve marriage and relationship skills and enhance couples' understanding of marriage. In addition, BSF programs will provide links to a variety of other services that could help couples sustain a healthy relationship (e.g., employment assistance). The evaluation's goal is to include a maximum of six programs that will add a BSF component to existing services and enroll into the evaluation up to 2,000 couples into each program, e.g., 1,000 couples randomly assigned to participate in BSF services and 1,000 couples in the control group, for a maximum total of 12,000 couples (24,000 individuals). The evaluation will assess the net impact of the BSF interventions on these two groups.

Respondents: The respondents for the baseline data collection will be low-income, unmarried, expectant or recent parents who volunteer to participate in the evaluation. (Some couples may have been recently married since the conception of their child.) There will be four forms used in the baseline data collection: (1) The Mother/Father Eligibility Checklist; (2) the Consent to Participate in the BSF Study Form; (3) the Baseline Information Form; and (4) the Contact Information Form. The Mother/Father Eligibility Checklist will be used by program staff to determine if respondents meet the minimum requirements for participating in the BSF program. We estimate that about 25 percent of couples interviewed will meet the eligibility criteria for the program. The Consent to Participate in the BSF Study Form explains in detail the design of the evaluation, the process for selection, and the results of agreeing to participate in the study (e.g., being contacted for follow-up information). The Baseline Information Form collects basic demographic information about respondents, as well as brief information concerning pregnancies and births, family structure, employment and income, and emotional well-being, all of which is relevant for the study. The Contact Information Form gathers information on friends and relatives who can assist in locating respondents based on respondents' agreements to participate in follow-up surveys that will be conducted many months later. All forms will be administered to both members of the couples by BSF program staff members. The forms will be administered in a number of different settings, but we anticipate the two most common will be in hospitals, following the birth of children, and in the mother's/father's home shortly after births.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 29,520.

Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should identified by the title of the information collection. E-mail address: grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov.

OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Attn: Desk Officer for ACF, E-mail address: Katherine_T._Astrich@omb.eop.gov.