Reference no: EM133409229

The profession of social work has an established history of focusing on the identification of community needs and the development of resources to address those needs. Needs can be identified as the gap between what is determined as a necessary level of resources and what resources actually exist. Needs can be felt by an individual, a group, or an entire community. They can be as concrete as the need for food and water or as abstract as the need for community cohesiveness. One of the many reasons social workers conduct needs assessment is to provide support for new and existing programs. Social workers have many methods available to collect necessary data for a need's assessment. They can use existing data from a wide range of sources, including local and national reports by government and nonprofit agencies, as well as computerized mapping resources and they can also gather new data through interviews and surveys with individuals and focus groups. This data can provide the evidence that supports the need for the program.

 describing a hypothetical needs assessment related to the support group program for caregivers. The support group is for families and individuals that are the caregivers for elderly and/or disabled individuals. The support group meets once a week with the goal of supporting the group members in their efforts to care at home for their loved ones.

Include the following:

1. The resources needed to operate this service
2. The program activities
3. The desired outcomes
4. A plan for gathering information about the population served
5. Justifications for your plans and decisions
6. A one-paragraph conclusion describing how you might conduct a follow-up to the need's assessment at the implementation stage of the program evaluation
7. Resources that are needed

Consider the following to stimulate your thinking. 

Getting information about the needs of the target population:

• Who would informants be?
• What is your purpose for interacting with them?
• What questions would you ask?
• What method would you use (interview, focus group, questionnaire)?

Finding potential clients:

• Who would informants be?
• What is your purpose for interacting with them?
• What questions would you ask?
• What method would you use?