1. Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys Sarah E. Walker, MPH CHW Instructor

2. Why do we do Community Needs Assessments?

3. Why should you do a needs assessment survey?  To learn more about your group or community needs  To get a more honest and objective description  To become aware of needs you never knew about  To document your needs  To make sure your future actions are in line community needs  To garner greater support  To involve more people in the subsequent action  They are required and mandated by law

4. A Needs Assessment Survey:  Has a pre-set list of questions to be answered  Has a pre-determined sample  Is done by interview, phone, or written response  Has results that are tabulated, summarized, distributed, discussed, and used

5. Examples:  http://www.asante.org/about- us/community-health-needs-assessment/ http://www.asante.org/about- us/community-health-needs-assessment/  http://oregon.providence.org/~/media/Fil es/PDFs%20OR/About%20us/2013CHNA.p df http://oregon.providence.org/~/media/Fil es/PDFs%20OR/About%20us/2013CHNA.p df  http://www.co.josephine.or.us/Files/jojack final.pdf http://www.co.josephine.or.us/Files/jojack final.pdf

6. How do you carry out a needs assessment survey? 1. Identify reasons for choosing to do the survey. 2. Identify survey goals. 3. Decide how much time you have to do the survey. 4. Decide how many people you are going to question. 5. Decide who will be asked. 6. Decide what questions will be asked. 7. Decide who will ask the questions.

7. How do you carry out a needs assessment survey? 8. Create a draft of the survey. 9. Try out the survey on a test group. 10. Revise the survey. 11. Administer the survey. 12. Tabulate your results. 13. Interpret your results. 14. Plan future actions. 15. Implement your actions. 16. Repeat your assessment.

8. Video of Community Needs Assessment  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=092b 5jqYLQo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=092b 5jqYLQo

9. Conducting Interviews

10. What is an interview? It’s a conversation with purpose.

11. Interviews are not the best option when:  It is large-scale  You need numeric data  There are too many traps  Interviewee has an agenda

12. Decide carefully whom you should interview

13. Types of interviews  Face-to-face  Telephone  Focus groups

14. Conducting an interview  Practice  Small-talk  Be natural  Look sharp  Listen

15. Problems with questions:  Intimidating questions  Two-in-one question  Complex questions  Question order  Entrapment

16. Summary:  Determine what you want  Discuss possible questions  Draft questions  Decide on interviewee  Train your interviewers  Contact interviewees  Make appointments  Analyze the data

17. Conducting Focus Groups

18. What is a focus group? A focus group is a small group discussion guided by a trained leader, used to learn more about opinions on a designated topic, and then guide future action.

19. How are focus groups different from regular “groups”?  They are focused on a specific topic  They have a trained facilitator  Members of the group are encouraged to talk openly about their opinions and respond to other members

20. When should you use a focus group?  When considering introducing a new program or service  When the main concern is depth or shading of opinion  When you want to ask questions that can’t easily be asked or answered in a written survey

21. How to Conduct a Focus Group: Before the meeting: Recheck your goals Consider other methods Find a good leader Find a recorder Decide who should be invited Decide about incentives

22. How to Conduct a Focus Group: Before the meeting:  Decide on the meeting particulars.  Prepare your questions.  Recruit your members.  Review the arrangements.

23. How to Conduct a Focus Group: When the group meets:  Thank people for coming.  Review the group's purpose and goals.  Explain how the meeting will proceed and how members can contribute.  Set the tone by asking an opening question and making sure all opinions on that question are heard.

24. How to Conduct a Focus Group: When the group meets:  Ask further questions in the same general manner.  When all your questions have been asked, ask if anyone has any other comments to make.  Tell the group about any next steps that will occur and what they can expect to happen now.  Thank the group for coming!

25. How to Conduct a Focus Group: After the meeting meets:  Make a transcript or written summary of the meeting.  Examine the data for patterns, themes, new questions, and conclusions.  Share the results with the group.  Use the results.

26. Windshield and Walking Surveys

27. Windshield surveys are systematic observations made from a moving vehicle. Walking surveys are systematic observations made on foot. What are windshield and walking surveys?

28. Why would you conduct windshield or walking surveys? 1. Windshield or walking surveys give an objective view of the community. 2. They can be adapted to community-based participatory action research, inviting community participation. 3. They may allow you to see assets that community members take for granted or don’t see. 4. They can be the easiest and quickest way to get an overview of the entire community.

29. 5. They allow clear comparisons among different neighborhoods in a city, villages in a rural area, etc. 6. They can be very useful in understanding specific aspects of a community. 7. They give you a “feel” for the community. Why would you conduct windshield or walking surveys (continued)?

30. When you conduct a survey depends on your purpose in doing so: If the information you’re gathering is geographic or physical – where things are located, what housing is like – then the survey can be conducted anytime. If you want to understand how people use the community, you have to conduct your survey at times – perhaps a number of different times – when they’re likely to be engaged in the activities you’re interested in. You may have to do a number of surveys at different times of the day, week, and/or year to find out what you want to know. When should you conduct windshield or walking surveys?

31. A small urban neighborhood or rural village might be adequately surveyed in a day by a single person. A large city might require several days by several teams of observers. If you’re engaged in participatory research, you might organize observers in teams, each of which has representatives of several different stakeholder groups – different ages, cultures, ethnicities, income levels, community sectors (business, government, health and community services), etc. Who should conduct windshield or walking surveys?

32. If the survey is to be done within your organization, you might consider using teams composed of folks from different parts of the organization (line staff, administrators, support staff, etc.) or from different locations. Consider safety when assigning particular people to particular neighborhoods, and when deciding whether individuals or teams should conduct the survey. Who should conduct windshield or walking surveys (continued)?

33. General guidelines for both windshield and walking surveys 1. Determine who will conduct the survey. 2. Decide on the questions you want your survey to answer. 3. Decide on the areas you’ll include in your survey. 4. Decide when you’ll conduct your survey. How do you conduct windshield or walking surveys?

34. 5. Train the people who are going to conduct the survey in the following strategies: Get well acquainted with your questions, the purpose of the survey, and what you’re looking for Make and use a checklist to ensure that you address all your questions, and observe all the areas you want to Try to be unobtrusive Carry identification Take notes as you go along If you’re working in teams, assign roles Discuss your findings as you go Pay attention to safety How do you conduct windshield or walking surveys (continued)?

35. 6. What to examine in a general community assessment survey: Environmental quality Race/ethnicity Faith communities Health services Community and public services Community safety Public schools Higher education Political activity Community organizations Media Differences among neighborhoods or areas of the community The “feel” of the community Housing Other buildings Public spaces Parks Culture and entertainment Streetscape Street use Commercial activity Signs Industry Land use Infrastructure Public transportation Traffic How do you conduct windshield or walking surveys (continued)?

36. 1.Use a map 2.If you can, try to use a team of at least two 3.Drive at a moderate speed, and avoid unexpected actions 4.Drive both on major and minor streets, particularly in residential neighborhoods 5.Pull over at regular intervals to make and compare notes 6.Try to be inconspicuous Guidelines for a windshield survey

37. 1.Study a map beforehand, or do a drive-through so you’ll know where you’re going. 2.Again, it can be helpful to work in teams. 3.If you want to experience the community, take part in everyday activities. 4.Go inside public buildings and cultural institutions. 5.Sit down in a quiet place to take notes. Guidelines for a walking survey

38. Sometimes, the best survey can be a combination of walking and driving. Analyze what you’ve seen and decide how to use the information. Windshield and walking surveys

39. What is photovoice? Photovoice is a type of participatory action research in which people – usually those with little power – use photographs and/or video to picture their environment and experiences and to express their thoughts about them. The goals of photovoice: To provide a voice for those who have none. To instill critical consciousness. To influence policy.

40. Why should you use photovoice? The rewards of taking photographs are immediate. Photography is both fun and creative. Taking photographs or videos of familiar scenes and people can change participants’ perceptions about their social and physical environment. Basic photography is easy to learn and accessible to almost everyone. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

41. Images can be understood regardless of language, culture, or other factors. Policy makers can’t deny reality when it’s staring them in the face. Pictures, by creating a clear record of what exists at a particular point in time, can be used to hold policy makers and others accountable. Photography and video provide a means for empowerment without requiring people to stand up and speak in public. Why should you use photovoice?

42. Who should use photovoice? People who lack a voice in the community or society, including: Children and youth in difficult circumstances. Homeless adults and families. People with physical and mental disabilities or mental health issues. People with chronic diseases or medical conditions. Members of racial, ethnic, language, religious or cultural minorities.

43. Who should use photovoice? People whose way of life is threatened. People who are discriminated against because of class, caste, way of life, or poverty. The rural poor. People who live in difficult or unacceptable conditions and want to change them.

44. Some types of organizations that could benefit by using photovoice with participants: Schools and other organizations that work with children and youth. Orphanages, group houses, homeless shelters, and other living situations for those who need care. Organizations that work with people whose needs and humanity are commonly ignored. Community health centers and similar health providers. Who should use photovoice?

45. Organizations that serve people with physical and mental disabilities or mental health issues. Advocacy organizations or health and human service organizations that include advocacy in their mission. International aid and refugee organizations. Who should use photovoice?

46. When might you use photovoice? When photovoice can change people’s opinions about themselves and their environment. When a group’s situation needs to be publicized. When a problem needs to be publicized. When change is necessary, and photovoice can help sway policy makers.

47. When a community assessment is needed or in progress. When you need to document the process of or gather data for an evaluation of an intervention or program. When you need to hold policy makers or others accountable. When you need to document a site, an event, or a way of life that is threatened or about to disappear. When might you use photovoice?

48. How do you use photovoice? General guidelines: Photovoice should be a participatory, collaborative process from the beginning. Participants and staff need training. Participants need support. The project should result in some action.

49. Putting together a photovoice project Recruit participants, a mentor/facilitator, and staff and/or volunteers. Plan the project with the community or group you’re working with. Train participants: Technical training Training in ethical and safe photography in various situations. Group-building and training in working in a group.

50. Train staff and/or volunteers: Technical training. Group facilitation. Basic counseling skills. Structure and aims of the project. Get out and take pictures. Work regularly in small groups to discuss and reflect on the experience and the pictures, and to choose each participant’s best photographs or video sequences. Stage an exhibit of participants’ photographs or videos. Putting together a photovoice project

51. Take action. Follow up. Evaluate. Do it again. Putting together a photovoice project

52. Let’s take a look… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lSw5 Cdi8k