Notice2025-09372
Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review: Home Study and Post Release Services Provided to Unaccompanied Alien Children (0970-NEW)
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
May 27, 2025
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, requests approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and invites public comments on the proposed information collection, including proposed changes. The request consists of several forms that will allow the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Bureau to continue providing statutorily mandated and discretionary services to promote safe reunifications between sponsors and unaccompanied alien children (children/child) released from ORR care and custody.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 100 (Tuesday, May 27, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 27, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22311-22314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09372]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review: Home Study
and Post Release Services Provided to Unaccompanied Alien Children
(0970-NEW)
AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement; Administration for Children and
Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for
Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, requests approval from the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) and invites public comments on the proposed information
collection, including proposed changes. The request consists of several
forms that will allow the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Bureau to
continue providing statutorily mandated and discretionary services to
promote safe reunifications between sponsors and unaccompanied alien
children (children/child) released from ORR care and custody.
DATES: Comments due June 26, 2025. OMB is required to decide 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 information
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. You can also obtain
copies of the proposed collection of information by emailing
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c25222a232f232020292f382523220c2d2f2a6224243f622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6dfd8d0d9d5d9dadad3d5c2dfd9d8f6d7d5d098dedec598d1d9c0">[email protected]</span></a>. Identify all emailed requests by the title
of the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description: ORR has undertaken a reorganization of its information
collections to promote operational efficiency. The reorganization will
result in more collections that contain fewer forms under a single OMB
number. This request is to create a new information collection that
contains forms associated with the provision of home study and post-
release services (HS/PRS) to children and their sponsors. This
information collection will contain a total of six revised forms
transferred from three existing information collections. The forms and
the information collections under which they are currently approved are
as follows:
<bullet> Administration and Oversight of the Unaccompanied Alien
Children Program (OMB #0970-0547):
[cir] Notification of Concern (Form A-7)
<bullet> Services Provided to Unaccompanied Alien Children (OMB
#0970-0553):
[cir] Home Study Assessment (Form S-6)
[cir] Post-Release Service Referral (Form S-19)
[cir] Post-Release Services Report (Form S-22)
[cir] Home Study Referral (Form S-26)
<bullet> Release of Unaccompanied Alien Children from ORR Custody
(OMB #0970-0552):
[cir] Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)
These forms are completed by care provider case managers at care
provider facilities to initiate the referral process for children and
sponsors to receive HS/PRS and to document the outcome of safety and
well-being follow-up calls to sponsors and released children; by PRS
caseworkers to document the provision of PRS, to capture high-level
milestones in the child's case after reunification; and to notify ORR
of concerning situations that affect a child's safety and well-being,
post-release; by home study caseworkers to document and assess the
conditions present in the sponsor's home that may impact the released
child's safety and wellbeing. These forms are documentary in nature and
a critical component of the child's case file.
In addition to grouping forms related to HS/PRS together in this
information collection, ORR is proposing the following revisions:
<bullet> Global Changes across all currently approved forms:
[cir] Replace ``Minor'' with ``Child''; replace ``UC'' or
``Unaccompanied Child'' with ``UAC'' or ``Unaccompanied Alien Child''
wherever they appear in conformance with terminology
[[Page 22312]]
originating in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
[cir] Replace ``Gender'' with ``Sex''; ``male'' and ``female'' as
the only menu options in conformance with Executive Order (E.O.) 14168
(Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring
Biological Truth to the Federal Government).
[cir] Remove sponsor categories ``2A'' and ``2B''; Replace with
``Category 2'' to conform with updates to Unaccompanied Alien Children
policy Field Guidance #26--Fingerprint Background Checks and Acceptable
Supporting Documentation for a Family Reunification Application which
eliminates the past primary caregiver (``2A'') sponsor category
distinction.
[cir] Change all fields that capture both date and time to only
capture the date where time of completion is immaterial.
[cir] Add Physical Location of the Child field to the Unaccompanied
Alien Children Basic Information section which populates across many
forms in the Unaccompanied Alien Children Portal case management
system.
<bullet> Notification of Concern (Form A-7):
[cir] Add fields to document gang affiliation including the sub-
fields:
[ssquf] Gang Affiliation: Child--
<bullet> Child self-admission;
<bullet> Suspected.
[ssquf] Gang Affiliation: Sponsor--
<bullet> Sponsor self-admission;
<bullet> Suspected.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for a decrease in the
number of children placed in ORR care, reflect that the form is
completed by three different groups of respondents, and to reflect an
increase in the overall number of fields the respondent will need to
complete. The annual number of respondents increased from 60 HS/PRS
providers to include 60 HS/PRS providers, 300 care provider case
managers, and 78 ORR National Call Center (NCC) call specialists. The
annual number of responses per respondent decreased from 75 responses
per HS/PRS Caseworker to 41, with the average number of responses per
care provider case manager increasing from 0 to 8 and the average
number of responses per ORR NCC call specialist increasing from 0 to
31. The average burden hours per response increased from 0.25 hours to
0.33 hours to reflect the addition of new fields described above.
<bullet> Home Study Assessment (Form S-6): ORR currently has two
approved version of this form-one in Word and one that was designed for
the Unaccompanied Children Path system, which was never implemented.
ORR proposes discontinuing the Word version and converting the
Unaccompanied Children Path version into a PDF form with the following
revisions:
[cir] Add the following fields to the ``Sponsor Identifying
Information'' section.
[ssquf] Phone Number;
[ssquf] Relationship to Child;
[ssquf] Marital Status.
[cir] Reword existing field labels and add the following fields to
the ``Case Information'' section:
[ssquf] Date Referred for Home Study;
[ssquf] Current Care Provider Facility Name;
[ssquf] Care Provider Staff Name;
[ssquf] Care Provider Staff Phone;
[ssquf] Care Provider Staff email;
[ssquf] Supervisor Phone;
[ssquf] Supervisor email;
[ssquf] Caseworker Phone;
[ssquf] Caseworker email;
[ssquf] Subcontractor Phone;
[ssquf] Subcontractor email.
[cir] Under the ``Reason for Referral'' section:
[ssquf] Change the ``Referral Type'' field from open text to a
dropdown with options for ``TVPRA,'' ``Mandated,'' and
``Discretionary''.
[ssquf] Change the ``Reason for Referral'' field from open text to
a list of checkbox options that align with reasons a child's case would
be referred for a home study per 45 CFR 410.1204.
[ssquf] Add an open text field for ``Additional Information
Supporting Referral (if Necessary)''.
[ssquf] Remove ``Concerns to investigate during visit'' field.
[cir] Under the ``Household Members'' section:
[ssquf] Change the ``Relationship to Sponsor'' and ``Relationship
to Child'' from open text to dropdown fields.
[ssquf] Add the following fields with ``Yes''/``No'' dropdown:
<bullet> Age;
<bullet> Present during home study?;
<bullet> Child Abuse/Neglect (CA/N) Check?;
<bullet> Sex Offender Registry Check?;
<bullet> Fingerprinted?
[ssquf] Remove the following fields:
<bullet> Current Household Member;
<bullet> Record ID;
<bullet> Related HS Assessment;
<bullet> Entry ID.
[cir] Remove the following fields from the ``Community Resources''
section:
[ssquf] HS Assessment;
[ssquf] Entry.
[cir] Under the ``Unaccompanied Alien Child Background'' section:
[ssquf] Expand a single question concerning a child's
individualized needs impacting their daily function into six discreet
questions pertaining to physical disabilities, developmental
disabilities (including intellectual or cognitive disabilities),
serious health conditions (including mental health conditions) which
may be considered disabilities, current medication regimen, special
dietary needs, and the routine use of medical equipment. Each new
question includes ``Yes/No'' radio buttons and an open text field for
further elaboration if applicable.
[ssquf] Add ``Does the child have an Individualized Section 504
Plan?'' with instructions to summarize if yes, concerning the services
or accommodations that will need to be maintained post-release. This
question was added in response to comments received during the 60-day
public comment period.
[ssquf] Add a field to document the child's perceived benefits of
being released to the sponsor in response to comments received during
the 60-day public comment period.
[ssquf] Change the type of response solicited by a question
concerning the child's need for support due to criminal, substance use,
and gang affiliation histories from ``yes/no'' radio buttons to
checkboxes for each type of history, and add an open text field for
further elaboration, if needed.
[cir] Under the ``Sponsor Background'' section:
[ssquf] Add the following questions:
<bullet> Does the sponsor have a disability? If yes, describe what
reasonable accommodations, if any, are required to facilitate the
child's safe release to the sponsor. This addition is the result of a
suggestion ORR received during the 60-day public comment period.
<bullet> How does the sponsor manage the concerns reported above?
<bullet> Ask the sponsor to list any local resources they rely on
or consider to be an asset to the community (ex: libraries, parks,
clinics, church, community center, nonprofit organizations, social/
affinity groups, etc.).
<bullet> Follow up: Does the sponsor appear knowledgeable about
their community? (Yes/No).
[ssquf] Reorganize the three checkboxes confirming that the sponsor
was provided certain information into five checkboxes.
[cir] Under the Information Provided to the Sponsor sub-section,
add ``For a child with an identified disability: The sponsor was
provided information regarding the child's disability-related needs and
specific post-release services and supports available in the sponsor's
community. This addition is the result of a suggestion ORR received
during the 60-day public comment period.
[cir] In the Sponsor's Motivation and Relationship to the Child
Section, add
[[Page 22313]]
two open text boxes that will allow for further elaboration when the
user selects ``yes'' for one of the following questions:
[ssquf] Does the sponsor have a family support system in the U.S.?
[ssquf] Was the sponsor aware or involved in the child's plan to
migrate to the U.S.?
[cir] Under the Sponsor's Parenting Ability section:
[ssquf] Add the following fields:
<bullet> Is the sponsor aware of state and local laws on
supervision of children?
<bullet> If yes, describe the life changes and plans to accommodate
the child. (Follow-up to a question concerning expected major life
changes for the sponsor) What is the sponsor's understanding of the
child's health needs?
<bullet> What is the sponsor's understanding of the child's mental
health needs?
[ssquf] Revise the question ``Is the sponsor aware of any special
needs, mental health or complex needs of the child'' to ``Is the
sponsor prepared to support the health needs of the child?''
[ssquf] Under the Legal Services section, replace the abbreviation
``LOPC'' with ``Legal Orientation Program for Custodians
presentation.''
[ssquf] Under the Financial section, add ``Does the sponsor
understand that they are not authorized to charge the child or their
family any fees or be reimbursed for their costs?''
[cir] Add the following under the Home and Community Section:
[ssquf] Which of the following accessible features are present in
the sponsor home? (Checkboxes: Exterior ramps, Elevator, Grab bars,
Wide hallways and doorways, Motion-sensitive lighting, Walk/roll-in
shower or tub, Low countertops, Raised-height toilet, Other (Please
Describe). An open textbox to provide more information if the user
selects ``Other'' is also included.)
[ssquf] Are Sleeping Quarters and common areas handicapped
accessible?
[ssquf] Does the sponsor have knowledge on how to access public
transportation?
[cir] Under the Summary section:
[ssquf] Clarify the summary question by breaking it into three
distinct questions
<bullet> ``Summarize any new concerns raised during the home
study.''
<bullet> ``How can these issues or concerns be mitigated and how
much time is needed to address these concerns?
<bullet> ``Is there an active plan in place to address the above
concerns? YES/NO''.
[ssquf] Add ``If the outstanding concerns are related to the
child's disability, what affirmative support and assistance should ORR
provide to enable the child's safe release? Describe the post-release
community-based services and supports the sponsor may need help
accessing and address whether these services will help enable the
child's safe release'' This addition is the result of a suggestion ORR
received during the 60-day public comment period.
[ssquf] Add ``What are the potential benefits of releasing the
child to this sponsor in this community setting?'' This addition is the
result of a suggestion ORR received during the 60-day public comment
period.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to reflect a decrease in the
number of home studies conducted resulting from an overall decrease in
the projected number of referrals, and an increase in the overall
number of fields the respondent will need to complete. The annual
number of respondents is unchanged at 60, the annual number of
responses per respondent increased from 81 to 82, and the average
burden hours per response increased from 0.75 hours to 1.0 hours.
<bullet> Post-Release Services Referral (Form S-19):
[cir] Move the following fields to appear closer to the top of the
form:
[ssquf] Referral ID;
[ssquf] Referral Status;
[ssquf] Acceptance Date;
[ssquf] Expected Closure Date.
[cir] Add the following fields to both the ``PRS-TVPRA'' section
and ``PRS'' sections under Sponsor Information:
[ssquf] Sponsor Phone Number;
[ssquf] Sponsor relationship to Child;
[ssquf] Sponsor email.
[cir] Add the following fields under both the ``PRS-TVPRA'' section
and ``PRS'' sections under the ``Referring Facility Information''
section:
[ssquf] Case Manager Name;
[ssquf] Unification Specialist Name;
[ssquf] Unification Specialist email.
[cir] Add a new section header called ``Referral Information'' and
group the following fields under the new header:
[ssquf] What Provider Conducted the Home Study;
[ssquf] Reason for Referral;
[ssquf] Special Instructions.
[cir] Add ``Additional Details'' field with open text next to the
``Special Instructions'' field.
[cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field under the PRS-TVPRA
section, remove the ``ORR Discretionary'' option and rephrase the
``Physical or Sexual Abuse by Caregiver (TVPRA)'' field to ``Physical
or Sexual Abuse (TVPRA)''.
[cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field under the ``PRS''
section:
[ssquf] Rephrase the ``Non-relative Sponsor, Multiple Sponsorship
(ORR Mandated)'' field to ``Multiple concurrent sponsorships with at
least one unrelated child (ORR Mandated)''.
[ssquf] Add an option for ``Previously sponsored two or more
children (ORR Mandated)''.
[ssquf] Rephrase the ``UC Going to Non-Relative Sponsor (ORR
Mandated No Home Study)'' field to ``Child Going to Non-Relative
Sponsor (No Home Study)''.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the
number of care provider facilities completing the form since it's last
renewal and a projected decrease in the number of children placed in
ORR care, as well as the expansion of Post-Release Services, which are
now offered to every child. These changes also reflect a slight
increase in the overall number of fields the respondent will need to
complete. The annual number of respondents increased from 216 to 300,
the annual number of responses per respondent increased from 46 to 217
and the average burden hours per response increased from 0.33 hours to
0.5 hours.
<bullet> Post-Release Services Report (S-22): ORR plans to digitize
and incorporate this form into its new interactive, web-based
application for PRS. The digitized version of the form collects that
same information as the currently approved version with some minor
modifications as follows:
[cir] Change the form title from ``Post-Release Services Event'' to
``Post-Release Services Report''.
[cir] Change manual entry fields to auto-populate wherever
possible.
[cir] Reword field labels for clarity where needed.
[cir] Add instructional text to help the user navigate the form.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for a projected
decrease in the number of children placed in ORR care while
concurrently expanding post-release services by offering them to every
child. Additionally, the revised burden estimate reflects a slight
increase in the overall number of fields the respondent will need to
complete. The annual number of respondents remains unchanged at 60, and
the annual number of responses per respondent increased from 968 to
2,722. The average burden hours per response increased from 1.0 to 1.08
hours.
<bullet> Home Study Referral (S-26):
[cir] Add radio buttons at the top of the form with the following
options:
[ssquf] TVPRA;
[ssquf] ORR-Mandated;
[ssquf] Discretionary.
[cir] Move the following fields to appear closer to the top of the
form:
[ssquf] Referral ID;
[ssquf] Referral Status;
[ssquf] Acceptance Date;
[ssquf] Expected Closure Date;
[[Page 22314]]
[cir] Add the following fields to both the PRS-TVPRA section and
PRS sections under Sponsor Information:
[ssquf] Sponsor Phone Number;
[ssquf] Sponsor relationship to Child;
[ssquf] Sponsor email.
[cir] Add the following fields under both the PRS-TVPRA section and
PRS sections under the Referring Facility Information section:
[ssquf] Case Manager Name;
[ssquf] Unification Specialist Name;
[ssquf] Unification Specialist email.
[cir] Add a new section header called ``Referral Information'' and
group the following fields under the new header:
[ssquf] What Provider Conducted the Home Study;
[ssquf] Reason for Referral;
[ssquf] Special Instructions.
[cir] Add ``Additional Details'' field with open text next to the
``Special Instructions'' field.
[cir] For the ``Reason for Referral'' field:
[ssquf] Rephrase the ``Non-relative Sponsor, Multiple Sponsorship
(ORR Mandated)'' field to ``Multiple concurrent sponsorships with at
least one unrelated child (ORR Mandated)''.
[ssquf] Add an option for ``Previously sponsored two or more
children (ORR Mandated)''.
[ssquf] Rephrase the ``UC Going to Non-Relative Sponsor (ORR
Mandated No Home Study)'' field to ``Child Going to Non-Relative
Sponsor (No Home Study)''.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the
number of care provider facilities completing the form and a projected
decrease in the number of children placed in ORR care. These changes
also reflect a slight increase in the overall number of fields the
respondent will need to complete. The annual number of respondents
increased from 216 to 300, the annual number of responses per
respondent increased from 46 to 217 and the average burden hours per
response increased from 0.33 hours to 0.5 hours.
<bullet> Virtual Check-In Questionnaire (Form R-6): ORR currently
has two approved versions of this form--one in Excel and one that was
designed for a web-based application. ORR proposes discontinuing the
Excel version and plans to incorporate the other version into its new
interactive, web-based application for PRS with some minor
modifications as follows:
[cir] Change manual entry fields to auto-populate wherever
possible.
[cir] Reword field labels for clarity where needed.
[cir] Add instructional text to help the user navigate the form.
[cir] Adjust the burden estimate to account for an increase in the
number of PRS providers completing the form and to better estimate the
number of children and sponsors responding to the questionnaire. The
annual number of respondents decreased from 128,487 to 65,000 for both
children and sponsors and increased from 40 to 60 for PRS providers.
The annual number of responses per respondent decreased from 19,273 to
3,250 for PRS providers, and remains unchanged at 3 each for sponsors
and children completing all three of the scheduled check-ins.
Respondents: ORR grantee and contractor staff, released children,
and their sponsors.
Annual Burden Estimates:
Annual Burden Estimate for Respondents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Average burden
Form Annual number responses per hours per Annual total
of respondents respondent response burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)--HSPRS 60 41 0.33 811.80
Caseworker.....................................
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)--Care 300 8 0.33 792.00
Provider Case Manager..........................
Notification of Concern (Form A-7)--ORR NCC 78 31 0.33 797.94
Staff..........................................
Home Study Assessment (Form S-6)................ 60 82 1.00 4,920.00
Post-Release Services Referral (Form S-19)...... 300 217 0.50 32,550.00
Post-Release Services Report (Form S-22)........ 60 2,722 1.08 176,385.60
Home Study Referral (Form S-26)................. 300 217 0.50 32,550.00
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)-- 65,000 3.0 0.25 48,750.00
Sponsor........................................
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)--Child 65,000 3.0 0.25 48,750.00
Virtual Check-in Questionnaire (Form R-6)-- 60 3,250 0.58 113,100.00
Provider.......................................
---------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annual Burden Hours Total......... .............. .............. .............. 459,407.34
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authority: 6 U.S.C. 279; 8 U.S.C. 1232.
Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-09372 Filed 5-23-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-45-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 27, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.