Assuring Proper Measurement of Need Through Identification

Imagine that you have been tasked with creating a program to address malnutrition in preschool-age children in your small town. You helped to design a similar program in the large city where you previously worked, and in order to save time and resources, you use the design of that program to plan for this new small town. Are there inherent problems with such an approach? Is it possible to have a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing needs?

It is important that as a program planner and evaluator you determine the unique needs of each client by gathering information, conducting surveys, and collecting data. You should also determine the nature of the needs (i.e., whether the needs are normative, expressed, perceived, or relative) so that you can formulate appropriate conclusions. Because needs assessment is an inexact science, it is important to create as thorough a picture of the situation as possible to accurately determine the needs of your target population. This approach ensures that you address the causes rather than the symptoms of problems and allows you to target the clients’ most pressing or urgent needs.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review Chapter 3 in your course text, focusing on the framework for program analysis. Reflect on how using the steps listed will assist with identifying the real need when exploring a social problem.
• Review Chapter 4 in your course text and think about which of the four different perspectives would be most appropriate for dealing with a homeless population.
• Review the two newspapers about homelessness, Street Sense and Homeless Voice. You can also search for street newspapers from your own city or a city you select. Think about how the needs expressed by the homeless population in the street newspapers may differ from their actual needs and the needs you may have expected.
• Pay particular attention to the types of needs you can identify from the information covered in the newspapers about homelessness you selected. Think about what additional information is necessary to identify the real needs of the homeless population in your community.
• Think about the needs of the homeless population in your community. Consider the importance of accurately understanding the needs of this population when developing programs to offer assistance.

The Assignment (1–2 pages):

• Explain how perceived needs of the homeless in your community may be different from their actual needs.
• Explain the importance of understanding the accurate needs of populations during the development of a program hypothesis and plan.
• Explain possible methods for gathering the accurate needs information for the homeless population in your community.