Transcript PERFORMING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THE PREVENTION PLANNING PROCESS LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe the basic steps in planning a prevention program  Describe process in performing a.

PERFORMING A NEEDS
ASSESSMENT AND THE
PREVENTION PLANNING
PROCESS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Describe the basic steps in planning a
prevention program
 Describe process in performing a needs
assessment
 Identify steps in performing a needs
assessment interview
 Devise a prevention plan
 Prepare an implementation plan
 List steps for evaluating and revising plan

PLANNING PROCESS
Performing a needs assessment
 Charting a plan

– Goals
– Objectives
– Resources
Implementation
 Evaluation
 Program revision

As a DDRPM, ADAPT, etc you are a
Change Agent!
PREREQUISITE TO SERVING
AS A CHANGE AGENT
Understanding of the community
 Sensitivity to the community

OTHER CHANGE AGENTS

Resource individuals from the community
who are:
 Involved in community affairs
 Valuable contributors in preventing
illegal drug use
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?
Squadron
 A place where you share common public services
 A residential area (housing)

STEPS IN PERFORMING A
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Gather information
 Make rational decisions
 Write reports
 Brief reports

DATA
Reports
 Demographics
 Social
 Economic
 Leadership
 Health and well-being
 Values
 Communications

DATA

Reports
DOD Survey of Health Related Behaviors
Statistics from your local installation
Rates of substance abuse in the local civilian
community (hospitals, schools, mental health
agencies)
Law enforcement
Urinalysis
Others?
DATA

Demographics
 Who lives in the military community?
 What are the ages, back grounds,
grade and gender?
– Are there many single-parent
families? Single people?
DATA

Social
 Where do people get to know each other and
interact socially?
 What are the accepted social activities in your
community?
 How do newcomers meet people?
 Which groups are active?
DATA

Economic
– Where do people spend their money?
 What off-duty opportunities are there for
people?
DATA

Leadership
 Who are the formal and informal leaders?
 Which are the influential groups?
 Who are the people who know what’s going
on in the community?
 Who are the people who are popular, or
listened to by others?
DATA

Health and well-being
What are the major health resources?
Are there plenty of things to do for all age
groups and interests?
Are people active?
What are the health concerns of the
community?
DATA

Values
 Are there any “community” beliefs that seem to
affect decision-making?
 How unified or diverse are people’s values?
 What is the “community spirit” and how is it
expressed?
DATA

Communications
 How is information spread?
 What are the mass media outlets?
 What are the common informal means of
spreading information?
 How accurate is communication?
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Once you know the community
you are dealing with, you need
to develop a plan that focuses on
the concerns and required
changes
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
These questions should help you with your
needs assessment
 What illegal drugs are being used?
 What other programs exist?
 What are the media vehicles?
 What resources exist within the
community?
APPROACHES
Community forums and hearings
 Case studies
 Service provider surveys
 Target population surveys
 Social indicators
 Interviews
 Observation

TOOLS FOR COLLECTING
DATA
Questionnaire
 Sample
 Existing surveys
 Interview with key people

RESEARCH OTHER
PROGRAMS
Avoid duplicating the work of others
 Discover opportunities for working with
other groups (IDS)
 Ensure that your efforts complement what is
already done

PLACES TO CONTACT
Local and state agencies
 Civic and youth groups
 On base activities
 Federal Agencies

NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Helps you identify who is to receive the
services
 What kind of services are needed
 What expertise you will need to provide the
services

NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Helps you determine what focus your
prevention program should take
 Informs you what key groups in your
community perceive their needs to be

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

The results of a needs assessment will form
the basis for your program goals and
objectives
REVIEW!!

Assessing for:
– Prevention needs of your community
– Who can best provide for those needs
LONG TERM GOALS:
Decrease drug related incidents
 Lower substance abuse indicators (DUIs,
Treatment admissions)
 Be an essential part of your unit’s mission
readiness program
– What kills more of our military
personnel? Is it beer or bullets?

METHODOLOGIES:
There are a variety of effective ways to
conduct a needs assessment
 You need to weigh the pros and cons of
each

METHODOLOGIES:

Three main methods
– Observation
– Social indicators
– Interviews
1 OBSERVATION:

This approach allows you to come to your
own conclusion as to what may be needed
by direct observation
USE WHEN:
First hand experience is required
 Units may not be able to relate directly to
needed intervention (need may have
become too much of a norm)

USE WHEN:

Sufficient time is available to make reliable
observation
MAJOR STEPS IN OBSERVATION:

Identify site

Gain access to observe

Take overt or covert
role of observer
MAJOR STEPS:
Establish trust and rapport
 Record observation
 Analyze and compare observation with
other documentation

MAJOR STEPS:

Write report summarizing observation and
conclusions
– I don’t have time to write the report! Lets
discuss this
ADVANTAGES:
Provides information on problems or
service needs which may not be widely
recognized
 Assessment based on professional judgment
 Simple and inexpensive
 Builds CREDIBILITY

ADVANTAGES:

Validates information from other sources
DISADVANTAGES:
Problems identified may be biased by the
observer
 Data may reflect needs of those being
observed and not indicative of the
community as a whole

DISADVANTAGES:

Needs identified may reflect the interest of
the observer
2 SOCIAL INDICATORS:

This approach is based on descriptive data
drawn from records and reports (Security
Forces, SJA, urinalysis, World Wide survey,
etc)
USE WHEN:
Reliable data pool is already available
 Foundation information is needed to build
on
 Verifying identified needs from other
sources
 Man-hours are limited

MAJOR STEPS:
Determine information to be gathered
 Determine existing data on which
information could be interpreted
 Collect data at regular intervals

MAJOR STEPS:

Examine for trends at regular intervals

Compile results and summarize
ADVANTAGES:
Vast existing data pool
 Low cost
 Design flexibility
 Foundation on which to verify other needs
assessment surveys

DISADVANTAGES:
National data may not be indicative of local
trends
 Data is only as good as the provider
 Bias or incorrect inferences can be
introduced

3 INTERVIEWS:

This approach allows you to direct the
assessment at key personnel which may
provide insight into the scope of the
situation or problem
USE WHEN:
It is necessary to make direct contact
 Necessary to build and maintain rapport
 Direct feedback is needed

USE WHEN:
Supplemental information is needed
 Facilitating understanding
 Get command support

INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES







Express a knowledge of the interviewee and the
organization
Use open-ended problem solving questions
Discuss the purpose of the interview
Encourage the interviewee to talk with body
language
Take notes
Offer to answer any further questions
Review, summarize and express appreciation
MAJOR STEPS:
Specify focus of interview
 Establish time frame and identify
interviewer/ees
 Analyze and evaluate interview as soon as
possible (strong and weak points,
improvements)

MAJOR STEPS:
Compile information from interviews using
categories as appropriate
 Write summary

ADVANTAGES:
Simple and inexpensive
 Input from distinct sources
 Identifies level of support/resistance from
key personnel

ADVANTAGES:
Identifies key elements and issues of
importance
 Provides an idea of where your program
stands

DISADVANTAGES:
Identification of problems may be biased
 May exclude personnel whose input should
be included

DISADVANTAGES:

May exclude portions of
command/community that are not provided
an opportunity for input
SUMMARY SLIDE

By accurately assessing the needs of all
involved you can be assured that the goals
and objectives of your program will be
embraced and contribute to the overall
readiness of your community
SUMMARY SLIDE

You are now ready to use the information
compiled to form the goals and objectives
of your prevention program
EXERCISE:

ASSESS FOR PREVENTION NEEDS
using social indicators,world wide survey
EXERCISE:
ASSESS FOR the PREVENTION NEEDS
of your community using your social
indicators
 Present findings

– HOW
– WHY
SEVEN MAJOR STRATEGIES
Information Dissemination
 Deterrence Activities
 Education
 Alternative Activities
 Problem Identification & Referral
 Community-Based Change Initiatives
 Environmental Approaches

SETTING GOALS
DEVELOPMENT OF
OBJECTIVES

Definition of a goal
- An ultimate outcome of a long period
of activity
- Guide for the general direction for the
work to be performed
DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS

Key Question
What do we want to achieve through
prevention activities?
WORLD WIDE SURVEY
EXERCISE
Goal
Priority
Target Date
A Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M)
will be provided on disk
USE THE FOLLOWING STEPS
– Assign the task to a small number of
individuals who are familiar with the needs
assessment
– Analyze the needs assessment point-by-point,
drafting a goal statement for each identified
problem area
– Draft a brief justification for each goal on the
basis of the information collected
– Submit a draft of the goal statements to other
interested members of the community for
review, comment, and possible revision
DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS

Final result
Final set of goals based on community
consensus and the best available research
TASK
Establish goals that accurately reflect potential
solutions to the problems found during the
needs assessment
SETTING OBJECTIVES
DEVELOPMENT OF
OBJECTIVES

Definition of an objective:
- A specific accomplishment to be
achieved during a given period of time
- An aid to attaining the goal by
translating a general purpose into a
series of specific manageable steps
- An aid in determining the resources
necessary to achieve the overall goal
DEVELOPMENT OF
OBJECTIVES

Key Question
What quantifiable results can be achieved
in the near future?
SETTING OBJECTIVES
Begin with a high priority prevention
goal
 List all of DESIRED results

– Select those results which can be achieved in
the first three months (short term)
– Select those results which can be achieved in
the first year (long term)
OBJECTIVE CHECKLIST





Does the objective specify a single quantifiable result?
Are there ways to determine whether the quantifiable
result is met?
Does achievement of the objective contribute to meeting
the goal?
Can the objective be achieved within the time allotted?
Is the objective achievable given the resources
available?
DEVELOPMNET OF
OBJECTIVES

Final result
Reasonable timetable of planned
accomplishments
EVALUATION
WHAT IS EVALUATION:
Evaluation is the systematic collection and
analysis of data needed to make decisions, a
process in which most well-run programs
engage from the outset
PURPOSE OF EVALUATION:
Evaluation is useful and needed to
determine the strengths and weaknesses of
the various areas that determine your total
program
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Pinpointing
the services needed- for
example finding out what knowledge,
skills, attitudes, or problem behavior a
prevention program should address
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Establishing
program objectives
Finding out what specific knowledge, skills,
or attitudinal change will be required to
meet the identified need
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Deciding
evidence that will demonstrate
the objectives have been met Clear,
realistic, and measurable evidence and
objectives are needed
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Developing
or selecting from
alternative program approaches- don't
re-invent the wheel, look at proven
curricula and determine what parts best
achieve your goals (use Dr. Cambridge!)
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Tracking
objectives-set up a system that
will clearly show particulars - who got the
service, how, when service delivered, how
rated or adopted by those involved
EVALUATION ACTIVITIES:
Trying
out and assessing new program
designs - Evaluation is on going Changes
in target group, theories, findings,
implementation are always occurring- Be
prepared
Dimensions of Evaluation:
The different dimensions of evaluation
have formal names: formative, process,
outcome, and impact evaluation
These dimensions build on each other
DEFININTIONS OF
DIMENSIONS:
Formative Evaluation (Planning)
Designed to assess the strengths and
weaknesses or campaign strategies before
implementation
DEFININTIONS OF
DIMENSIONS:
Process Evaluation:
(Design method/means to be measured MOE) - examines the procedures and tasks
involved in implementing a program
DEFININTIONS OF
DIMENSIONS:
Outcome Evaluation (Short Term Results)
Used to obtain descriptive data on a
project and to document short-term results
DEFININTIONS OF
DIMENSIONS:
Impact Evaluation (Effects)
Focuses on the long-range results of the
program and changes or improvements in the
health status
EVALUATION KEYS:
Evaluation should be positive and purposeful
Evaluation is useful to your program
Do it from day one
Listen and record the process
USE EVALUATION TO
DETERMINE:
The
value of learning experiences, past and
present
The value of learning tools and the way in
which they have been used or are being used
USE EVALUATION TO
DETERMINE:
The
effectiveness of program planning,
organization, and implementation
The rate at which change is taking place
The quality of learning
USE EVALUATION TO
DETERMINE:
The
consequence of the differences between
the actual process and what was planned
The changes that must be made to improve
the program
IDEAL SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS:
Needs Assessment-identify
problems and
needs of the community
Policy development-develop priorities and
objectives for meeting the identified needs
IDEAL SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS:
Program
design-develop program to achieve
priorities and objectives
Program implementation-Conduct planned
activities
IDEAL SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS:
Program
evaluation-was the program
implemented as planned? Did it have the
intended effects?
IDEAL SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS :
Program
improvement-revise and refine
program based on evaluation results
MYSTERIOUS?
Program
evaluation is not mysterious We do
it every day We just do not view it as such
GROUP EXERCISE
Goal
Priority
Objective
Target Date
Target Date
Strategy
SEVEN MAJOR STRATEGIES
FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
PREVENION:







Information Dissemination
Education
Deterrence Activities
Alternative Activities
Problem Identification & Referral
Community-Based Change Initiatives
Environmental Approaches
IMPLEMENTATION

Key question
– What procedures will keep the program on
track?
IMPLEMENTATION

Murphy’s law
– Everything that can go wrong will go wrong
EVALUATION

Functions
- Verify
- Document
- Quantify
PROGRAM REVISION

Key question
What changes are needed to improve the
program?
PROMGRAM REVISION

Final result
Plan charting new program directions
FIVE STEP PROCESS
Perform a needs assessment
 Chart a plan
 Implement
 Evaluate
 Revise

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
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