Question

If you were planning a community needs assessment, what are some components of team strategy you would develop?

Answer 1

Ans - planning a community needs assessment , some components of team strategy you would develop :-

A needs assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions or "wants". The discrepancy between the current condition and wanted condition must be measured to appropriately identify the need. The need can be a desire to improve current performance or to correct a deficiency.

A needs assessment is a part of planning processes, often used for improvement in individuals, education/training, organizations, or communities. It can refine and improve a product such as a training or service a client receives. It can be an effective tool to clarify problems and identify appropriate interventions or solutions.By clearly identifying the problem, finite resources can be directed towards developing and implementing a feasible and applicable solution . Gathering appropriate and sufficient data informs the process of developing an effective product that will address the groups needs and wants. Needs assessments are only effective when they are ends-focused and provide concrete evidence that can be used to determine which of the possible means-to-the-ends are most effective and efficient for achieving the desired results.

Needs assessments can help improve the quality of policy or program decisions—thus leading to improvements in performance and the accomplishment of desired results. Improving results—that is, moving from current to desired performance—is typically a worthwhile and valuable effort. The results of a needs assessment will guide subsequent decisions—including the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects and programs that will lead to achieving desired results.

Defining 'need' is an essential starting place for needs assessments. Though the word need is used casually in many context without a definition, in order to assess them, a need is often defined as a gap in results where its satisfaction, or partial satisfaction, is necessary for the achievement of another specific socially-permissible result. Each need therefore consist of two related gaps in results, leading to the assessment (size, direction, characteristics, etc.) of each gap as well as the relationship among the gaps.

three perspectives on need in a needs assessment; perceived need, expressed need and relative need.

1. Perceived needs are defined by what people think about their needs, each standard changes with each respondent.
2. Expressed needs are defined by the number of people who have sought help and focuses on circumstances where feelings are translated into action. A major weakness of expressed needs assumes that all people with needs seek help.
3. Relative needs are concerned with equity and must consider differences in population and social pathology.

Four Steps to Conducting a Needs Assessment

1. Step 1 -- Perform a "Gap" Analysis. ...
2. Step 2 -- Identify Priorities and Importance. ...
3. Step 3 -- Identify Causes of Performance Problems and/or Opportunities. ...
4. Step 4 - Identify Possible Solutions and Growth Opportunities.

Implementing an underage drinking prevention project is like taking a trip. You need to know where you are going, why you are going there, and the best route to take to reach your destination. A careful, thorough needs assessment is the road map for change and provides the basis for a strategic plan which addresses specific problems that contribute to illegal underage drinking in the community.

The needs assessment process helps an agency, coalition or other entity determine the nature and extent of the underage drinking problem in a community and how the problem is perceived among diverse groups. Without a needs assessment, a strategic plan is really just a best guess.

People who have worked on the issue of underage drinking for some time may believe that they understand the nature, extent and causes of the underage drinking problem and can substitute their knowledge for a needs assessment. In fact, sometimes even the most knowledgeable individuals are surprised by the results of a thorough needs assessment. Those surprises are among the many reasons why a needs assessment is vital before a community can develop effective, workable solutions to its underage drinking problem.

Home, school, community and media environments shape children’s attitudes and behavior. Before it is possible to change young people’s behavior, their environment must be reshaped and the attitudes and behavior of adults and institutions around them must support appropriate decisions. Research on prevention shows comprehensive programs that change the environment in which people make decisions offer the greatest probability of success.

Benifits of need assessment -

1 ) needs assessment makes the project defensible, fundable and measurable :-

Comprehensive needs assessments achieve results because the solutions are targeted at the real causes of underage drinking. With the needs assessment in hand, proponents of the prevention program can explain and defend their activities by describing their relationship to the actual problems. Proponents also can demonstrate the basis for their plan when they request participation or financial assistance from government agencies, corporations, foundations or other potential supporters. Most funding sources insist that a project is evaluated to determine its efficacy, and the information in a needs assessment is the basis for a subsequent evaluation. As the program progresses and demonstrates success, funders will be attracted to demonstrable change.

2 ) A needs assessment targets resources. :-

A completed needs assessment enables a community, agency or coalition to more effectively utilize resources because solutions are targeted at the real causes of the problem of underage drinking. Since resources for most organizations are scarce, this targeting can help to achieve results without wasting precious funding or time.

3 ) A needs assessment can reenergize existing efforts :-

Programs become stale after a period of time. People get tired, particularly if they are working for prevention without measurable milestones of success. The activities and approaches that worked a few years ago may not now seem quite as effective. A new initiative or a different twist on an existing program, identified by a needs assessment, can be the energizer that gets people involved and active once again. Consistent enthusiasm and involvement are always important. If a project needs to obtain private sector funding, gain media attention or advocate legislative change, energized coalition members are critical.

4 ) A needs assessment can help garner media attention :-

Media attention on an issue or problem can help galvanize a community to take action. Articles in newspapers or stories on television can raise awareness that the problem is serious and demands attention. This awareness makes it easier for a coalition or organization to attract members, obtain funding or change community norms that promote underage drinking. A good needs assessment is full of information, backed by solid statistics, and convinces the media the problem of underage drinking is a story worth covering.