Compare and contrast the methods used to complete the needs assessments. What are your thoughts on how each group determined what the needs of their communities were? How might they have done things differently?

QUESTION

This module focuses on completing a needs assessment for a Human Services organization. In this activity, you will read two articles that detail two different organizations and the needs assessments they completed to help develop programs for their communities. Then, you will answer questions pertaining to the articles.

Assignment

Read up to (and including) the Conclusion section in the following articles:

Implementing best practices for needs assessment and strategic planning systems: Social work and faith based organization collaboration–A case study (Placido & Cecil, 2014)

Needs assessment of school and community physical activity opportunities in rural West Virginia: the McDowell CHOICES planning effort (Kristiansson, Elliott, Bulger, Jones, Taliaferro, & Neal, 2015)

Then, answer the following questions:

1. Compare and contrast the methods used to complete the needs assessments. What are your thoughts on how each group determined what the needs of their communities were? How might they have done things differently?
2. What are the results the professionals found from doing their assessments? What types of programs might meet these needs?
3. Discuss the importance of collaboration among Human Services organizations and how it ultimately benefits the clients.
4. How will you utilize these examples as a Human Services professional?

Include your answer to each numbered question in a Word document. The focus for this assignment is on the quality of your answers, not how they are formatted.

ANSWER

Evaluation of Needs Assessment Methods Used

The faith-based organization’s workers carried out an extended or modified form of the Multimethod Church-Based Assessment process (MCAP), a version that included eight steps which asked questions structured to identify the needs of the congregation (Placido & Cecil, 2014). The steps of the assessment were as follows: the analysis of qualitative data by church staff, working together with social workers to carry out a thematic analysis, the development of a survey supported by various themes, conducting a survey test, data collection, data management, data analysis, and the reporting and making of recommendations based on the collected data. The survey was conducted on Sunday when there was a high attendance so as to provide a good picture of the congregations’ needs. This action, however, was not good as it did not give a representation of the regular congregation. During a high attendance, there are several people who do not regularly come to the gathering, which would result in the acquisition of skewed survey results. The workers should have conducted the survey on services that are regularly attended, such as the Wednesday service, to obtain an accurate picture of the regular congregation.

The needs assessment conducted by McDowell CHOICES utilized many different techniques of collecting data and generating interest on feedback on the increased physical activity in the county. The members of the McDowell community were asked to attend two different town hall meetings that were held at different high schools, and digital surveys issued. The community members were asked to provide recommendations on encouraging physical activity in the county, and the results of the survey (with recommendations) were received in real time on a screen (Kristjansson et al., 2015). Different age groups of students were involved in the survey, where grade 6 to 12 students were provided with visual illustrations on physical activity from the 20th of May to the 3^rd of June. The main survey on student behavior was carried out in eleven of the county schools with 8^th graders and 5^th graders that were allowed to participate by their schools and the FERPA guidelines. The surveys were conducted using various techniques, including the use of technology and the use of SWOT analysis to conduct focus groups. The use of various techniques for the collection of data helped in the generation of interest and excitement in the community, which helped in the acquisition of better community response. The organization obtained support from the community, in addition to the schools, which resulted in a thorough assessment.

Results Obtained and the necessary Programs

The survey conducted by the faith-based organization showed that there was a substantial number of students in the congregation, 40 percent, with approximately three-quarters of this population considering themselves regular church attendees. This result influenced the church board to go on with the neutral off-site Wednesday meetings on college and resulted in graduate students being allowed to preach and teach together with the continuing students. It also necessitated a few students being part of the church board (Placido & Cecil, 2014). The survey also showed that there was a need for improved communication between the various departments in the church. There was also a need to foster better contact with the members of the church to streamline decision making. The church’s leadership should conduct a reevaluation of the noted areas to measure the progress achieved in the next six months or after a year. This will help in the identification of the necessary changes and adjustments.

The assessment by McDowell CHOICES found that the community is interested in participating in more physical activities if more places for conducting such activities are availed. This can be done through the opening of more gym facilities for the public and the provision of more workout facilities providing track and field physical activities (Kristjansson et al., 2015). The survey also showed that there was a need to initiate more physical activity programs during the summer and that the community’s leaders and the locals would support such activities. The community can be empowered to live better healthier lives through the provision of physical activity facilities such as school gyms and track and field facilities in the community. It is important to ensure the support of local leaders and the schools in order to motivate the community to change its lifestyle.

Importance of Collaboration among Human Services Organizations

In order to ensure the success of programs and humanitarian services, collaboration among the various organizations involved in the provision of services and programs is necessary. Collaboration empowers clients to change and fosters good relations with the public. Collaboration between social workers and human services agencies provides a better insight into how the community or clients can be improved and assisted.

Utilizing the Lessons Learned

A human services professional has to ensure that they look out for the best interests of their clients or the people that they serve. In order to make this a reality, a human service professional has to look at issues through the eyes of their clients so as to understand how best to assist them and build a healthy relationship with them. It is only through gaining the respect and trust of the clients that a human services professional can be successful at their job. The main objective of the human services professional is to empower clients to achieve health, independence, and be productive. For this reason, it is important that I, as a human services professional, collaborate with other social workers and human services organizations to ease the process of accomplishing this goal.

References

Kristjansson, A. L., Elliott, E., Bulger, S., Jones, E., Taliaferro, A. R., & Neal, W. (2015). Needs assessment of school and community physical activity opportunities in rural West Virginia: the McDowell CHOICES planning effort. BMC public health, 15(1), 327.

Placido, N., & Cecil, D. (2014). Implementing best practices for needs assessment and strategic planning systems: Social work and faith based organization collaboration-A case study. Social Work and Christianity, 41(1), 79.