[Federal Register: April 1, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 63)]
[Notices]
[Page 17365-17367]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01ap08-64]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information
collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these
documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
Project: National Evaluation of the Addiction Technology Transfer
Centers (ATTC)--NEW
In recognition that systematic evaluation of this and other
government programs are part of good management and accountability and
will inform program improvement efforts, the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
(CSAT) will conduct an independent evaluation of the ATTC Program. The
purpose of the ATTC Program is to develop and strengthen the workforce
that provides addictions treatment services to 23 million Americans age
12 and older who need treatment for alcohol or illicit drug problems.
In partnership with Single State Authorities (SSAs), treatment provider
associations, addictions counselors, multidisciplinary professionals,
faith and recovery community leaders, addiction educators, and other
stakeholders, the ATTCs assess the training and development needs of
the substance use disorders workforce, and develop and conduct training
and technology transfer activities to meet these needs. Particular
emphasis is on raising awareness of and improving skills in using
evidence-based and promising treatment/recovery practices in recovery-
oriented systems of care.
The goals of the evaluation are to: (1) Identify the successes of
technology transfer efforts and build upon them in the future; (2)
share lessons learned across ATTC regions for the enhancement of all
regions' activities; and (3) identify region-specific and cross-
regional processes and outcomes. The evaluation will consist of three
studies. The Planning and Partnering Study will collect data on the
processes and procedures related to the planning, partnering, and
provision of ATTC services/activities. The Customer Satisfaction and
Benefit Study will collect data on the extent to which ATTC services/
activities are satisfactory and to meet the needs of identified
partners and other program stakeholders. The Change in Practice Study
will collect data to determine the extent to which ATTCs have enhanced
the competencies, including cultural competencies, of specialty
addictions treatment practitioners, paraprofessionals, and
multidisciplinary professionals to strengthen the workforce and whether
the ATTCs have provided these individuals with new skills that have led
to changes in treatment practice.
This will be the first independent, national evaluation of the ATTC
Program since the program was first funded by SAMHSA in 1993. The
evaluation approach will be formative and participatory, and the
national evaluation team will collaborate with the ATTCs, CSAT, and
other program stakeholders to implement the planned data collection
activities. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups will be conducted
over a three-year period with eight (8) main stakeholder groups who use
or are among the target audiences for the ATTCs' services or are
otherwise associated with the ATTC program (e.g., as ATTC partners):
ATTC directors and staff; customers/recipients of ATTC services/
activities; ATTC Advisory Board members; partners who collaborate with
ATTCs in planning and delivering ATTC services/activities; directors of
state substance abuse agencies; directors of treatment provider and
recovery organizations and directors of provider associations;
addiction educators; and cultural leaders involved in addictions
treatment. The data collection instruments have been constructed to
include information related to each stakeholder group, as identified
above, and are expected to yield diverse perspectives related to the
processes and outcomes of the ATTC Program. As a condition of their
grant, each ATTC was required to budget .25 FTE to participate in data
collection for the national evaluation.
The evaluation will collect new data that is necessary for the
evaluation and will also use data and information collected under
existing program requirements. (Each ATTC is required to submit GPRA
data at the end of each ATTC training and technical assistance event
and meeting/conference and 30 days after each event; each ATTC will
conduct a workforce survey; and each ATTC also submits an annual
report. None of the new data collection activities will be redundant
with these existing reporting requirements.) CSAT plans the following
new data collection activities:
(1) Semi-structured interviews with ATTC directors and other ATTC
staff (e.g., co-directors, ATTC technology transfer specialists, ATTC
evaluator) that are conducted during site visits to each ATTC. The
purpose of the interviews will be to collect information on:
a. Goals and objectives of the ATTC.
b. Regional priorities and needs for technology transfer services.
c. Processes used to plan ATTC programs and services.
d. Collaborative relationships with organizations within and
outside the ATTC region.
e. Organizational structure and staffing of the ATTC.
f. ATTC funding and leveraging of resources.
g. Efforts to coordinate services with other providers of training,
technical assistance, or technology transfer services within the
region.
h. Technology transfer strategies and services implemented by the
ATTC to promote adoption of culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and
promising practices.
i. Implementation and use of workforce surveys.
j. Participation in cross-regional and network-wide activities.
k. Background characteristics of the respondent.
(2) Focus groups with ATTC staff (including field staff who are
assigned to work with specific states and may work in different
locations throughout the ATTC region), to include information on:
a. Regional priorities and needs for technology transfer services.
b. Processes used to plan ATTC programs and services.
c. Efforts to coordinate services with other providers of
technology transfer services within the region.
d. Technology transfer strategies and services implemented by the
ATTC to promote adoption of culturally appropriate, evidence-based and
promising practices.
e. Background characteristics of focus group participants.
(3) Telephone interviews with a sample of stakeholders of the ATTC
program, including state substance abuse directors (SSAs), ATTC
Advisory Board members, addiction educators, directors of treatment
provider associations, cultural leaders, and leaders of recovery
associations. The
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purpose of the interviews will be to collect information on:
a. Collaboration with ATTCs for program planning and service
delivery.
b. Awareness of ATTC activities and services.
c. Utilization of ATTC services.
d. Quality of ATTC services.
e. Changes in awareness, skills, practices, or systems as a result
of ATTC services.
f. Gaps in ATTC service delivery.
g. Background characteristics of the respondent.
(4) Survey of ATTC Regional Advisory Board members to include
questions related to:
a. Composition of the Advisory Board.
b. Stakeholder representation and representation of the diversity
within the region on the Advisory Board.
c. Role of the ATTC Advisory Board.
d. Frequency of meetings and other communications (e.g., conference
calls).
e. Characteristics of communications and interactions between the
ATTC and Advisory Board members.
f. Processes to assess regional needs and priorities.
g. Consideration/utilization of Advisory Board recommendations by
the ATTC.
h. Satisfaction with ATTC planning and priority setting processes.
i. Background characteristics of the respondent.
(5) Survey of ATTC customers (Customer Satisfaction and Benefit
Survey) to include questions related to:
a. Background characteristics of ATTC customers/respondents.
b. Participation in different types of ATTC activities (e.g.,
training, technical assistance, meetings/conferences, product
development, etc.).
c. Participation in ATTC activities focusing on specific topics
(e.g., evidence-based practices, clinical supervision, workforce
development).
d. Perceived objective of each ATTC activity (awareness raising,
skill building, change in practice).
e. Satisfaction with and knowledge gained from ATTC activities.
f. Changes in awareness, skills, or practices as a result of
participation in ATTC activities .
(6) Evidence-Based Practices Critical Action Surveys of a sample of
individuals who participated in ATTC initiatives related to Clinical
Supervision, Motivational Interviewing, and Treatment Planning MATRS.
The web-based surveys will collect information on:
a. Prior training related to the evidence-based practice.
b. Prior experience using the evidence-based practice.
c. Implementation experience/changes in practice.
d. Level of proficiency related to the evidence-based practice.
e. Factors impacting ability to change practice.
(7) Telephone interviews (Success Case Interviews) with
participants in the Evidence-Based Critical Action Surveys who report
the greatest and least amount of success in implementing the new
evidence-based practice. The interviews will collect information on:
a. Application of what was learned in clinical or organizational
practice.
b. Illustrative examples of what occurred as a result of changes in
practice.
c. Characteristics of the training that made it useful.
d. Barriers to application of what was learned.
(8) A Clinician Self-Assessment of the extent to which the
clinician has incorporated the skills associated with Motivational
Interviewing into their clinical practice, to include information on:
a. Motivational Interviewing style.
b. Extent to which the clinician has implemented Motivational
Interviewing skills.
c. Background characteristics of the respondent.
(9) Survey of directors of addictions treatment provider
organizations (Survey of Organizational Readiness) who participated in
the Evidence-Based Critical Action Survey related to the Treatment
Planning MATRS initiative, to collect information on:
a. Characteristics of the treatment provider unit or organization.
b. Issues for which the organization needs external technical
assistance or guidance.
c. Issues for which the staff needs external technical assistance
or guidance.
d. Source of current pressures for making organizational change.
e. Background characteristics of the respondent.
The burden estimate for conducting the data collection activities
for the national evaluation of the ATTC Program is as follows:
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Number of Responses per Total Hours per Total burden
Name of instrument/respondent respondents respondent responses response hours
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Site Visit Interview Protocol:
ATTC Directors.............. 15 1 15 2 30
ATTC Staff.................. 38 1 38 1 38
Focus Group Protocol:
ATTC Field Staff............ 35 1 35 2 70
Key Informant Interview
Protocol:
SSA Directors............... 55 1 55 1 55
ATTC Advisory Board Members. 45 1 45 1 45
Provider Association 43 1 43 1 43
Directors..................
Addiction Educators......... 70 1 70 1 70
Treatment Agency Directors.. 42 1 42 1 42
Other Key Advisors.......... 42 1 42 1 42
Collaborative Functioning
Survey:
ATTC Advisory Board Members. 450 2 900 0.5 450
Customer Satisfaction and
Benefit Survey:
SSA Directors............... 55 1 55 0.5 28
Provider Association 43 1 43 0.5 22
Directors..................
Addiction Educators......... 158 1 158 0.5 79
Treatment Agency Directors.. 700 1 700 0.5 350
ATTC Activity Participants.. 3,000 1 3,000 0.5 1,500
Other Unique Regional 168 1 168 0.5 84
Partners...................
Evidence-Based Critical Action
Surveys:
ATTC Clinical Supervision 240 1 240 0.5 120
Training Participants......
ATTC Motivational 360 1 360 0.5 180
Interviewing Training
Participants...............
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ATTC Treatment Planning 240 1 240 0.5 120
MATRS Treatment
Participants (Treatment
Agency Directors)..........
Success Case Interview
Protocols:
ATTC Clinical Supervision 48 1 48 1 48
Training Participants......
ATTC Motivational 72 1 72 1 72
Interviewing Training
Participants...............
ATTC Treatment Planning 48 1 48 1 48
MATRS Training Participants
(Treatment Directors)......
Clinician Self-Assessment Form 72 12 864 0.5 432
on Motivational Interviewing...
Survey of Organizational
Readiness:
Treatment Agency Directors.. 240 1 240 0.5 120
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Total................... 6,294 .............. 7,521 .............. 4,088
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Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed
information collection should be sent by May 1, 2008 to: SAMHSA Desk
Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC
20503; due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of mail
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to
submit comments by fax to: 202-395-6974.
Dated: March 24, 2008.
Elaine Parry,
Acting Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. E8-6581 Filed 3-31-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P