Notice2021-21280

Submission for OMB Review; Mental Health Care Services for Unaccompanied Children (New Collection)

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
September 30, 2021

Issuing agencies

Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration

Abstract

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is inviting public comments on the proposed collection. The request consists of several forms that allow the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program to provide mental health care services to UC.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 187 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 187 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54199-54200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21280]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Mental Health Care Services for 
Unaccompanied Children (New Collection)

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and 
Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS), is inviting public comments on the proposed collection. 
The request consists of several forms that allow the Unaccompanied 
Children (UC) Program to provide mental health care services to UC.

DATES: Comments due within 30 days of publication. OMB must make a 
decision about 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.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Description: ORR received several comments on this information 
collection in response to the Federal Register Notice published on 
January 7, 2021, (86 FR 1114) and has provided responses to those 
comments in its final submission to OMB. UC Path is critical to program 
operations and it is important that rollout of the new system not be 
delayed. Therefore, the below description details what will be included 
in the initial launch of the UC Path case management system and 
revisions based on public comments will be made after initial launch. 
ORR plans to conduct a deliberative review of commenters' suggestions 
and concerns and submit a request for revisions to this information 
collection request in January 2022. The upcoming information collection 
request will also include revisions based on feedback from UC Path 
system users (i.e., ORR grantee, contractor, and federal staff).
    1. Initial Mental Health Evaluation (Form MH-1): This instrument is 
used by clinicians to document the UC's mental state upon arrival to 
the care provider facility. It includes an

[[Page 54200]]

assessment of the UC's current mental state, psychiatric history, and 
substance use history.
    2. Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (SSRS) Risk Assessment 
(Form MH-2): This instrument is used by clinicians to assess suicide 
risk for UC who verbalize or demonstrate suicidal thoughts or behavior. 
It is a shorter version of the standard Columbia SSRS used to triage 
mental health care for UC, a tool designed to support suicide risk 
assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that 
anyone can ask. The Columbia SSRS includes the most essential, 
evidence-supported questions required for a thorough assessment. 
Further information about the Columbia SSRS can be found at <a href="https://cssrs.columbia.edu/the-columbia-scale-c-ssrs/about-the-scale/">https://cssrs.columbia.edu/the-columbia-scale-c-ssrs/about-the-scale/</a>.
    3. Mental Health Group Event (Form MH-3): This instrument is used 
by clinicians to document group counseling or community meetings held 
at the care provider program.
    4. Clinical Contact Log (Form MH-4): This instrument is used by 
clinicians to document the following mental health services: Individual 
counseling, group counseling, community meetings, family counseling 
sessions, screenings/evaluations, and collateral contact with services 
providers involved in the UC's case. Mental Health Group Events (Form 
MH-3) may be linked to a Clinical Contact Log entry.
    5. Mental Health Referral (Form MH-5): This instrument is used by 
clinicians and/or medical coordinators to refer a UC for community-
based mental health care services (assessments/evaluations, 
psychotherapy, medical referrals, and treatment); acute and long-term 
psychiatric hospitalizations; and referrals to out-of-network 
residential treatment centers.
    6. Mental Health Service Report (Form MH-6): This instrument is 
used by clinicians and/or medical coordinators to document the 
provision of community-based mental health care services (assessments/
evaluations, psychotherapy, medical referrals, and treatment); acute 
and long-term psychiatric hospitalizations; and referrals to out-of-
network residential treatment centers. In addition, the UC interview 
portion of the Out-of-Network Site Visit Report (Form M-3B), which is 
part of a different information collection request, is accessible from 
within this instrument.
    7. Mental Health Task (Form MH-7): This instrument is auto-
generated to create reminders for clinicians and/or medical 
coordinators of tasks that must be completed. Clinicians and/or medical 
coordinators may edit the instrument after it is generated.
    Revisions:
    1. ORR plans to replace the term ``unaccompanied alien child (UC)'' 
with ``unaccompanied child (UC)'' throughout the instruments in this 
collection. The revision in terminology will be made before the UC Path 
system is launched.
    2. ORR plans to remove the term ``alien'' from the title of this 
information collection and revise it to read ``Mental Health Care 
Services for Unaccompanied Children.''
    Respondents: ORR grantee and contractor staff, and UC.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                   Annual total       Average
                                                   Annual total      number of        burden       Annual total
                   Instrument                        number of     responses per    minutes per    burden hours
                                                    respondents     respondent       response
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Initial Mental Health Evaluation (Form MH-1)....             216             241              60          52,056
Columbia SSRS Risk Assessment (Form MH-2).......             216               5              45             810
Mental Health Group Event (Form MH-3)...........             216             156              10           5,616
Clinical Contact Log (Form MH-4)................             216          11,194              10         402,984
Mental Health Referral (Form MH-5)..............             216              24              45           3,888
Mental Health Service Report (Form MH-6)........             216              31              45           5,022
Mental Health Task (Form MH-7)..................             216              55               5             990
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours Total:........  ..............  ..............  ..............         471,366
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    Authority: 6 U.S.C. 279; 8 U.S.C. 1232; Flores v. Reno Settlement 
Agreement, No. CV85-4544-RJK (C.D. Cal. 1996).

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-21280 Filed 9-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-45-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on September 30, 2021.

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