[Federal Register: January 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 11)] [Notices] [Page 2907-2908] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ja99-80] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collections of information are 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) ways to enhance 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. Proposed Project: Evaluation of the National Leadership Institute Program and Services--New--The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) intends to conduct an evaluation of its National Leadership Institute (NLI). The goal underlying the technical assistance and training opportunities provided through the NLI is to strengthen the competitive position and power of nonprofit ``community-based organizations'' (CBOs) which are essential components of local services for the uninsured and under-insured. The NLI gathers, adapts, and disseminates the best available knowledge about business management for nonprofit agencies, including competitive bidding, strategic development and business planning, cultural competency, team building and change management, and Management Information Systems. Participants in the NLI technical assistance programs are self-identified and participate in either short- or long-term technical assistance (TA). Short-term TA includes 2 on-site TA visits, 1 training event, 1 group [[Page 2908]] technical assistance activity, and up to 5 resource packages. Long-term TA includes up to 4 on-site TA visits, up to 3 training events, 2 group TA activities, and up to 10 resource packages. Training efforts are also conducted by the NLI, using curricula developed by and administered by the NLI. Both a process and an impact evaluation will be conducted. The process evaluation will describe the needs faced by CBOs, the types of training and technical assistance that CBOs receive through the NLI, and CBO satisfaction with services. The impact evaluation will focus on specific changes made by CBOs in response to NLI recommendations, and improvements in self-rated organizational performance and several organization status measures. Analysis of this information will assist CSAT in documenting the numbers and types of participants accessing these services, and describing the extent to which participants improve in their knowledge, skill, and ability to manage their organizations in this changing business environment. This type of information is crucial to support CSAT in complying with GPRA reporting requirements and will inform future development of technical assistance activities. The evaluation design for technical assistance participants will be a pre-post design that collects identical information at initiation of NLI contact and again after 12 months. This time frame is necessary to allow CBOs the opportunity to address NLI technical assistance recommendations and to plan and implement their changes. In addition, the evaluation will collect satisfaction measures after each technical assistance event, and both a comprehensive satisfaction summary and an activity summary at 6 and 12 months after initial NLI contact. A formal comparison group is not available, but comparisons of changes in key organization status measures can be made with similar data on changes collected from other CSAT KDA-funded grantees. These key status indicators include organization revenues, revenue per client, revenue sources, client flow, staff level, staff turnover, services provided, and major growth/expansion or contraction. In addition, these same indicators will be collected, in one interview, for several prior years to establish a pattern of change within specific CBOs. A feature of the data collected in this evaluation is the inclusion of pre- and post-service perceptions of organizational functioning across 14 business and financial management domains. This information constitutes a self-assessment that is used in planning NLI services, and comprises the baseline against which follow-up measures of functioning will be assessed. NLI anticipates receiving requests for assistance from 79 CBOs per year over the next 3 years, for a total of 237 programs. This includes up to 54 CBOs requiring long-term TA, and up to 25 CBOs requiring short-term TA. Data collection burden will be borne primarily by directors of the CBOs who will provide initial contact information (30 minutes), pre- and post-test versions of organizational self assessments (60 minutes), satisfaction forms (5 minutes each for 2 types of questionnaire), and activity summaries (10 minutes). Moreover, up to 10 focus groups will be held with staff representatives from 3 to 6 CBOs per focus group. Discussions will be held with staff representatives from CBOs receiving NLI services. An estimated 54 staff representatives will be contacted each year. Each focus group will have approximately 18 attendees. Finally, an estimated 475 attendees at training events per year will also receive a brief satisfaction questionnaire. The chart below summarizes the total three-year and annualized burden for this project. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average Average time/ Respondent type Number responses/ response Total time Annual time respondent (hours) (hours) (hours) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CBO Directors................... 237 2 1.5 711 237 CBO Staff....................... 180 1 1.5 270 90 Training participants........... 1,425 1 .133 190 63 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals...................... 1,842 .............. .............. 1,171 390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice. Dated: January 12, 1999. Richard Kopanda, Executive Officer, SAMHSA. [FR Doc. 99-1066 Filed 1-15-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4162-20-P