What do we mean by needs and resources?
___Needs can be defined as the gap between what is and what should be
___Resources, or assets, can include anyone or anything that can be used to improve the quality of life
Why develop a plan for assessing local needs and resources?
___It will help you gain a deeper understanding of the community
___An assessment will encourage community members to consider the community's assets and how to use them, as well as the community's needs and how to address them
___It will help you make decisions about priorities for program or system improvement
___It goes a long way toward eliminating unpleasant surprises down the road
___It allows you to involve community members from the very beginning of the process
___An assessment is a great opportunity to use community-based participatory research, further involving community members and increasing community capacity
___A good plan will provide an easy-to-follow road map for conducting an accurate assessment
___A planning process will give community members the opportunity to voice their opinions, hopes, and fears about the community
Who should be involved in developing a plan for assessing local needs and resources?
___Those experiencing needs that should be addressed
___Health and human service providers
___Government officials
___Community leaders
___People whose jobs or lives could be affected by the eventual actions taken as a result of the assessment
___Community activists
___Businesses, especially those that employ people from populations of concern
When should you assess needs and assets?
___Prior to planning the initiative
___During implementation of an initiative
___On an ongoing basis
How do you develop a plan to assess local needs and resources?
___Recruit a planning group that represents all stakeholders and mirrors the diversity of the community
___Design an evaluation process for the assessment, including the development of the plan
___Decide why you want to conduct the assessment
___Determine what data is already available
__ Figure out what other information you need
___Decide what methods you'll use for gathering information
- Using existing data
- Listening sessions and public forums
- Interviews and focus groups
- Direct, and sometimes participant, observation
- Surveys
- Asset mapping
___Decide whom you'll gather information from
___Decide who will collect data
___Decide how you will reach informants
___Decide who will analyze the data and how they'll do it
___Plan whatever training is needed
___Decide how you'll record the results of the assessment and present them to the community
___Decide who will perform what assessment tasks
___Create a timeline
___Present the plan, get feedback, and adjust it to make it more workable