COMMUNITY
NEEDS
ASSESSMENT
Presented by:
JOSEPHINE H. MENDOZA, MAED
GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY!
■Taga-Efeso 6:1
■Mga anak, sanglit mga
Cristohanon man kamo, sunda
ninyo ang inyong mga ginikanan
kay mao kini ang husto.
What is a “Community?”
■Communities are typically defined by a
geographic area; however, they can also be based
on shared interests or characteristics such as
religion, race, age, or occupation. People within
a community come from different backgrounds
and have unique cultures, customs, and values.
What is a Community Needs Assessment?
A community needs assessment provides
community leaders with a snapshot of local policy,
systems, and environmental change strategies
currently in place and helps to identify areas for
improvement. With this data, communities can map
out a course for health improvement by creating
strategies to make positive and sustainable changes
in their communities.
Needs and Resources
■Needs can be defined as the gap between what is and
what should be. A need can be felt by an individual, a
group, or an entire community.
■Resources, or assets, can include individuals,
organizations and institutions, buildings, landscapes,
equipment -- anything that can be used to improve the
quality of life.
■WHY DEVELOP A PLAN
FOR ASSESSING LOCAL
NEEDS AND RESOURCES?
There are really two questions here:
■The first is why assess needs and
resources?
■The second question is: Why
develop a plan for that
assessment?
1. Why assess needs and
resources?
■ It will help you gain a deeper understanding of the community. Each community
has its own needs and assets, as well as its own culture and social structure -- a
unique web of relationships, history, strengths, and conflicts that defines it.
■ An assessment will encourage community members to consider the community's
assets and how to use them, as well as the community's needs and how to address
them.
■ It will help you make decisions about priorities for program or system
improvement.
■ It goes a long way toward eliminating unpleasant surprises down the
road.
Why develop a plan for that assessment?
■ It allows you to involve community members from the very beginning of
the process.
■ An assessment is a great opportunity to use community-based participatory
research, further involving community members and increasing community
capacity.
■ A good plan will provide an easy-to-follow road map for conducting an
accurate assessment.
■ A planning process will give community members the opportunity to voice
their opinions, hopes, and fears about the community.
OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY
NEEDS ASSESSMENT STEPS
■ Step 1: Plan for a community needs assessment
Identify and assemble a diverse community team
Develop a team strategy
Define community to assess (e.g., region, village)
Identify community sectors to assess (e.g., health care, schools)
Identify community components to assess (e.g., nutrition, tobacco)
Develop questions to ask for each community component
Select sites and number of sites to visit within each sector
Determine existing data to use or methods for collecting new data
Identify key informants to contact
OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY
NEEDS ASSESSMENT STEPS
Step 2: Conduct the needs
assessment
Step 3: Review and rate the data
■Develop a rating scale
■Make a team decision on ratings
Step 4: Record and review
consolidated data
Enter the data,
Total the data, and,
OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY
NEEDS ASSESSMENT STEPS
Step 5: Develop a community
action plan
• Identify community assets and
needs,
• Prioritize needs,
• Develop and prioritize strategies
for improvement; and
• Create an action plan for top
priority strategies.
Group Work Activity
1. Is your community healthy? Justify your
answer.
2. Cite and describe one huge area of concern
in your community. What should be
considered before beginning a community
needs assessment to solve the area of concern
you have cited in your community?
3. By following the five steps of community
needs assessment, list the specific things to do
based on the needs of your community.
