Needs Assessment

Presented By Ernest D. Pérez

Capacity Building Assistance Trainer

BORDER HEALTH FOUNDATIONTucson, Arizona

CAPACITY BUILDING ASSISTANCE - MIGRANT PROJECT - FOCUS AREA 2Funded by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

PRESENTS

May 2009

Training Goal

Provide some “easy-to-grasp” techniques for completing a Needs Assessment to implement, adapt and evaluate evidence-based interventions targeting at risk sexual assault/crime victims.

Training Objectives

By the end of this training, you will gain knowledge on:

•What a Needs Assessment is

•Why Needs Assessments are important

•The six components of a Needs Assessment

•The Nine recommended steps for conducting a Needs Assessment

What is a needs assessment?

It is a process for obtaining information to determine the current status and service needs of a particular population.

When to conduct a Needs Assessment

• Change in funding.• Gaps reported in service.• Services are to be added to a new

geographical area.• When a policy changes.• Existing need for collaboration.• Need for Technical Assistance. • To determine individual needs.

How to elicit information

What are methods utilized for eliciting information?

Purpose and Benefits of a needs assessment

• Assists with forming local-level collaborative partnerships among community stakeholders.

• Promotes a sense of empowerment and ownership.

• Document the communities perception of services provided.

• Reflect the viewpoint of crime victims.

• Assists community in setting priorities.

Importance of a needs assessment

• Looks at effectiveness of services provided.

• Community barriers and gaps as well as strengths.

• Begins the process for collaborations.

• Unmet needs of specific at-risk populations.

• Innovative programs.

Six Components of a Needs Assessment• Epidemiological Profile.

• An Assessment of service needs. • A situational Gap analysis for services available. • A profile of provider capacity and capability.

• Determine unmet needs for at-risk population.

• A gap analysis of services, looking at why they exist and what strategies can be developed to address or implement them.

Why?Because………….

Recommended Steps to conducting a Needs Assessment

Step 1: Determine the problem

• Define and describe your community

• Prioritize

• Think cost

• Laws and regulations

• Availability

How can you determine the problem?

Step 2: Partnering with community.

• Staff needs with team

• Gather local information

• Review resources thoroughly

• Appoint committee

• Build buy-in and responsibility

Mapping your community Observation skills.

Break

Step 3: Assess risk and protective factors.

• Look for trends

• Individual

• Community

• Family

• Environmental

Risk and Protective Factors Closer look at trends in your population

Step 4: Select your indicators.

What is a baseline indicator?

Step 5: Collect your data

• Epidemiological

• Mapping

• Resources

• Committee discussions

Step 6: Analyze Data

• Review data collected and consider possible corrections.

• Report to all involved.

Step 7: Develop a profile

• Develop a profile of risk and protective factors.

• What is the underlying problem.

Step 8: Present your findings.

Officially complete the data and present findings to begin considering a solution.

Step 9: Repeat process

Continually review data and reexamine issues.

Break

Review of needs assessment paperwork

End of Training

Thank You!

eperez@ambhf.org