Notice2026-06093
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
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
March 30, 2026
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration
Abstract
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a revision of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #: 0970-0422, expiration June 30, 2026). Sixty-two data elements have been added to AFCARS, per a December 2024 final rule. This has increased the burden for reporting for state child welfare agencies only.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 60 (Monday, March 30, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 60 (Monday, March 30, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 15622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06093]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
[Office of Management and Budget #: 0970-0422]
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Adoption and Foster
Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
AGENCY: Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is
requesting a revision of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and
Reporting System (AFCARS) (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #:
0970-0422, expiration June 30, 2026). Sixty-two data elements have been
added to AFCARS, per a December 2024 final rule. This has increased the
burden for reporting for state child welfare agencies only.
DATES: Comments due May 29, 2026.
ADDRESSES: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific
aspects of the information collection described above. You can obtain
copies of the proposed collection of information and submit comments by
emailing <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbb2b5bdb4b8b4b7b7beb8afb2b4b59bbab8bdf5b3b3a8f5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9d0d7dfd6dad6d5d5dcdacdd0d6d7f9d8dadf97d1d1ca97ded6cf">[email protected]</span></a>. Identify all requests by the title
of the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description: State and tribal title IV-E agencies are required to
report AFCARS case-level information on all children in foster care and
children who have been adopted or placed in a guardianship with title
IV-E agency involvement. The data includes information about children
who enter foster care, their entries and exits, placement details, and
foster/adoptive parent information. The data collected will inform
policy decisions, program management, and responses to Congressional
and Departmental inquiries. Specifically, the data are used for short/
long-term budget projections, trend analysis, child and family service
reviews, and to target areas for improved technical assistance.
The AFCARS regulation (45 CFR part 1355.40) recently underwent a
revision with a final rule in December 2024 (89 FR 96569), which added
62 data elements to require state title IV-E child welfare agency
reporting of more detailed information related to the Indian Child
Welfare Act's procedural protections. This increased the reporting
burden for states only.
This request is for public comment on the burden calculations. It
does not seek comment on the data elements that have been through the
rulemaking process.
Respondents: Title IV-E State and Tribal Child Welfare Agencies.
In the currently approved information collection, burden was
displayed in sum for state and tribal recordkeeping activities. To more
clearly document estimated burden per respondent type after the recent
addition of elements for states, this request breaks the recordkeeping
burden out by respondent. The estimated time per response for tribes
remains the same while the estimated time per response for states
increased from 8,538 to 9,036 hours per response.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Total number of Average
Instrument Total number responses per burden hours Annual burden
of respondents respondent per response hours
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State Recordkeeping........................... 53 2 9,035.97 957,813
Tribe Recordkeeping........................... 17 2 8,538 290,292
Reporting..................................... 70 2 17 2,380
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours....... .............. ................ .............. 1,250,485
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Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a)
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether
the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted
within 60 days of this publication.
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 679; 45 CFR part 1355.40.)
Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-06093 Filed 3-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 30, 2026.
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