Needs Assessment Planning: Starting Where You Are

Abstract

Needs assessments are a useful part of the program development cycle. However, while step-by-step models are available to guide assessments, they may not be detailed enough for the pragmatic questions that arise. The planning process should be viewed as dynamic and flexible, able to be tailored to the agency’s specific organisational and environmental characteristics. This paper presents a practical discussion for social workers charged with planning and implementing a needs assessment. Practitioners are empowered to consider several concerns or issues simultaneously, to build upon their organisational knowledge, and start the process where it intuitively makes sense. Major issues discussed are: planning the needs assessment, evaluating contextual factors, and design considerations.

需求评估是项目形成周期的重要环节。指导评估的循序方式不够详备，解答不了实际问题。应将计划看作一个动态灵活的过程，可以根据代理方具体的组织和环境特点做相应调整。本文从实践角度讨论了社会工作者承担的需求评估的计划和实施工作。实践者要有能力同时关注几个问题，营建组织方面的知识，启动一说就明白的进程。本文讨论的问题主要是：计划需求评估、评价环境因素、考虑设计方案。

Keywords:

• Needs Assessment
• Program Planning
• Social Work Needs Assessment

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.