Conducting a Community Needs Assessment

Transcription

1 Conducting a Community Needs Assessment Jarle Crocker Director, Training and Technical Assistance Community Action Partnership Jcrocker@communityactionpartnership.com Tennessee Association of Community Action November 3, 2015

2 Agenda Questions about the CNA what do you want to learn? Rationale and objectives of the CNA The five stage CNA process Tools for conducting a CNA

3 Opening Questions What were the main challenges in your last needs assessment? What did you learn or do differently because of it? What questions do you have for today?

4 What is a Needs Assessment? A systematic process for creating a profile of the needs and resources of a given community or target population. (ROMA) A process of collecting and analyzing a broad array of data and information to develop a comprehensive picture of a particular community. (Claire Higgins)

5 Why do we do them? To determine if a particular program is needed To support organizational strategic planning To develop program priorities To support the need for funding To assist with program evaluation

6 Connecting the CNA with Other Planning Processes Community Needs Assessment Strategic Plan Community Action Plan

7 Key Assessment Goals Assess level of poverty within the whole community. Assess how well the needs of low income individuals and families are currently being met including assets Identify service barriers that limit the effectiveness of the current service network. Strengthen relationships with key partners and stakeholders Build awareness of Community Action and your community agenda Develop recommendations that will enhance the community s ability to address the concerns of low income individuals and families.

8 Organizational Standards Standard 3.1 The organization conducted a Community Assessment and issued a report within the past 3 years. Standard 3.2 As part of the Community Assessment, the organization collects and includes current data specific to poverty and its prevalence related to gender, age, and race/ethnicity for their service area(s). Standard 3.3 The organization collects and analyzes both qualitative and quantitative data on its geographic service area(s) in the Community Assessment.

9 Organizational Standards Standard 3.4 The community assessment includes key findings on the causes and conditions of poverty and the needs of the communities assessed. Standard 3.5 The governing board formally accepts the completed Community Assessment.

10 Technical Assistance Guide Guidance on definition and intent Guidance on interpretation and documentation Resources to benchmark performance and improve

11 Additional CNA Standards Standard 1.1 The organization demonstrates low-income individual participation in its activities Standard 1.2 The organization analyzes information collected directly from low-income individuals as part of the Community Assessment. Standard 2.2 The organization utilizes information gathered from key sectors of the community during the community assessment process or at other times. These sectors would include at minimum: community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, private sector, public sector, and educational institutions.

12 Additional CNA Standards Standard 2.4 The organization demonstrates lowincome individual participation in its activities Standard 6.4 Customer satisfaction data and customer input, collected as part of the community assessment, is included in the strategic plan

13 The Five Stages of the CNA

14 Scope Choose an agency team Identify potential supporters/partners Present to leadership Introduce assessment concept and choices Choose the community to assess Choose the broad categories of needs and assets to assess 1. Define the Scope Back to main

15 Roles of the Agency Team Sets direction and provides oversight and feedback throughout the assessment process. Facilitates linkages with community leaders and organizations. Is deeply involved in the analysis of the data. Provides long-term support for follow-up and implementation of recommendations. Develop a budget

16 Who should be on the team? Program Managers Planning and development staff Board Members Community partners Expert consultants

17 Potential CNA Supporters Public agencies Other service providers Universities and community colleges Community foundations Hospital systems Private sector

18 Tips for Stage One Engage key stakeholders from the start Engage your board in multiple ways --Create a sub-committee --Engage other key partners and stakeholders --Access resources to support the process --Help with interview and research outreach Define how the information will be used Define your audience Process is key

19 Choosing the Target Community Consider looking at multiple levels zip code/census tract, neighborhood, city/county, region Don t exclude communities outside of your service area Use the boundary discussion to identify key stakeholders to engage Make sure to target stakeholders beyond your client population Define what it means to be in poverty

20 How do You Define Poverty? Experimental poverty measures: U.S. Census Bureau Experimental poverty measures: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

21 Choose Your Categories Common choices include: CSBG service categories (Employment, education, housing, nutrition, etc) ROMA goals (e.g. low-income people become self-sufficient) Agency-designed categories (e.g. early care and education, community health)

22 2. Create an Assessment Plan Assessment Plan Envision new categories Brainstorm assets and needs Create wish lists organized by type Back to main

23 Key Questions for the Assessment Plan What individual/family needs will be assessed? What organizations needs will be assessed? What community-specific needs will be assessed? What data and indicators are needed? How will the data be gathered?

24 Choosing the Information Decide what data to include in your community profile --Typically statistical data on community --May include data beyond target population Assess additional data needs Brainstorm about types of information to collect Identify key indicators

25 Sample Data Planning Matrix

26 Organizing Data by Category

27 3. Create a Data Collection Plan Data Plan Decide what data is needed Engage your Board to define member roles Develop the message to community partners Back to main

28 Decide What Data is Needed Databases and reports of others Surveys Focus groups Community forums Interviews

29 Engaging Stakeholders Through Data Collection General Public Community Organizations Key Partners Clients

30 Organize Data by Type and Source Housing Published Statistics Survey Information Focus Groups or Interview Information Community Forum Responses What? Who Has it? What? What Group? What? Who has it? What? What Group? Education Published Statistics Survey Information Focus Groups or Interview Information Community Forum Responses What? Who Has it? What? What Group? What? Who has it? What? What Group?

31 Databases New York State Community Action Association -- Community Action Partnership -- CSBG Information Survey --

32 Surveys Surveys collect primary data from individuals who collectively constitute a representative sample of the community.

33 Tips for Surveys Use existing surveys or get a professional Brevity is best Don t just survey clients Engage partners to help Survey might target: --Residents of low-income neighborhoods --Representative samples of key stakeholder groups --The community at large

34 Survey Pros and Cons Pros Can collect information from large numbers of people Data from representative samples can be generalized to the community at large Can collect a variety of types of information (behavior, beliefs, etc.) Cons Can be expensive and labor intensive May require extensive follow-up to generate sufficient number of responses Must be carefully designed to produce reliable data Shorter vs. longer

35 Focus groups Led by a skilled facilitator to keep group focused. It is focused; the group has a specific discussion topic. The groups composition is important. Create a safe atmosphere for people to talk openly and express their opinions. Can be used to collect qualitative data not captured by surveys

36 Focus Group Pros and Cons Pros Low cost Good source of qualitative data More formal, controlled approach than community forums Cons Need a highly skilled facilitator Groups do not constitute representative samples Should not be used to attain consensus

37 Community Forums A gathering of community members to involve them in defining and discussing needs. Used to assess community concerns, perceptions, reactions to proposed initiatives, etc. Useful to raise public awareness

38 Community Forum Pros and Cons Pros Inexpensive and relatively easy to arrange Can raise awareness about both the CAA and issues affecting low income individuals and families Can help build community ownership of the issues May identify new concerns Cons No control over who comes Group may not be representative of the community Can be hard to manage with a large turnout May not be able to provide an in-depth understanding of all the issues

39 Key Informant Interviews One-on-one interviews with individuals who represent important community constituencies. Obtain an informed perspective by those working in the field. Can help focus the needs assessment on particular issues of concern. Can provide information about community organizations and available services.

40 Key Informant Pros and Cons Pros Low cost Can help establish connections with key individuals and agencies that may be of assistance in the future Cons Structured conversation Need a skilled interviewer Can be time consuming Key informants may have professional biases

41 Re-Engage the Board Review the scope Review the data collection plan Roles the board will play in data collection and review Budget approval Outreach to key stakeholders and partners Outreach to media and broader community

42 4. Implement the Survey Implementation Create a timeline and assign responsibility Collect the data Back to main

43 Create a Timeline and Assign Responsibility Review budget and establish timelines Define CAA staff and/or consultant roles Recruit partners and participants Choose and finalize data tools

44 Collect the Data Database integration Collect survey data Collect interviews, group, and listening events

45 Basic Data Comparison National Region/State Community Target Population

46 5. Analyze and Report the Data Report Create the community profile Organize nonquantitative responses Analyze and compare Create and present reports Back to main

47 Writing the Report Describe the assessment goals and methods Include raw data Summarize the key findings assessment means analysis, not compilation Organize findings according to categories Make recommendations driven by the data

48 Example - CNA Table of Contents I. Executive Summary Key Findings Recommendations II. Introduction and Methodology III. CAA History and Programs IV. Overview of XX Counties and Municipalities V. Demographic Profile (age, gender, race/ethnicity etc.) VI. Poverty Profile VII. Income Profile VIII. Employment Profile IX. Transportation Profile X. Public Benefits XI. Food Security XII. Education Profile XIII. Child Care Profile XIV. Housing Profile XV. Health Profile

49 Taking Action on the Report Have the report accepted by Board vote Share with the community Incorporate into the CAP Incorporate into Strategic Plans Update annually? Full assessment needs to be done every three years

50 Types of Report Products and Activities Full report for internal use Executive summary for key partners Press release/talking points One pager for clients, employees, and community members PowerPoint presentation Press conference Webinar Community meeting

51 Common Challenges with Needs Assessments Agencies outsource the CNA to organizations that don t focus on poverty Agencies let the most easily available data drive the research process Data doesn t drill down deep enough into different demographic categories Data doesn t drill down deep enough to census/zip code/neighborhood level

52 Common Challenges with Needs Assessments The CNA doesn t drive program decisions The CNA isn t connected to the strategic plan or community action plan Agencies don t engage community partners to address unmet needs Agencies don t use the needs assessment to educate internal and external stakeholders Agencies don t us the needs assessment to help build a community agenda

53 Key Resources A Community Action Guide to Comprehensive Needs Assessments Community Toolbox Community Action Partnership webinars on Community Commons

54 Three Ways to Leverage Your CNA Community report cards Children s budgets Business plans

55 Community Report Cards Can build on community needs assessments by grading community performance Focus on one or multiple types of outcomes (e.g. education, child care, employment) Compare outcomes with local, state, and national averages Use readily available data from public sources Often paired with annual community summits Used to raise profile of social issues, energize stakeholders, and increase community accountability

56 Community Report Cards

57

58 Children s Budgets Address the need for a big picture of all local, state, and federal funding streams Focus on age range (e.g. 0-5) or type of service (e.g. afterschool programs) Used to identify under-investment, gaps in services, and problems with categorical requirements Serves to connect the dots between funding and outcomes Often coupled with report cards, return on investment studies, or development of policy agendas

59 Colorado s Children s Budget

60 Colorado s Children s Budget

61 Early Childhood and School Readiness Business Plan Developed in Polk County, Iowa in 1999 Grew out of multi-stakeholder collaboration with a School Readiness Partnership, United Way of Central Iowa, and Early Childhood Iowa Area Used to make the case for investing in early childhood services to public and private sector stakeholders Framed the argument for funding services in terms of return on investment

62 Early Childhood and School Readiness Business Case

63 Early Childhood and School Readiness Business Case

64 Early Childhood and School Readiness Business Case

65 Questions

66 Contacts Jarle Crocker Director of Training and Technical Assistance Asdfasdf Asdfasdf Cashin asdfasdf Yiu Program and Event Coordinator Tiffney Marley Project Director, Learning Communities Sonji Dawson Johnson Program Specialist Natalie Kramer Program Support Specialist