PERFORMING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THE PREVENTION PLANNING PROCESS

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PERFORMING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THE PREVENTION
PLANNING PROCESS
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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

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PLANNING PROCESS

• Performing a needs assessment
• Charting a plan
• Goals
• Objectives
• Resources
• Implementation
• Evaluation
• Program revision

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• As a DDRPM, ADAPT, etc you are a Change Agent!

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PREREQUISITE TO SERVING AS A CHANGE AGENT

• Understanding of the community
• Sensitivity to the community

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OTHER CHANGE AGENTS

• Resource individuals from the community who are
• Involved in community affairs
• Valuable contributors in preventing illegal drug
  use

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WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?

• Squadron
• A place where you share common public services
• A residential area (housing)

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STEPS IN PERFORMING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• Gather information
• Make rational decisions
• Write reports
• Brief reports

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DATA

• Reports
• Demographics
• Social
• Economic
• Leadership
• Health and well-being
• Values
• Communications

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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?

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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?

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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?

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DATA

• Economic
• Where do people spend their money?
• What off-duty opportunities are there for people?

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DATA

• Leadership
• Who are the formal and informal leaders?
• Which are the influential groups?
• Who are the people who know whats going on in
  the community?
• Who are the people who are popular, or listened
  to by others?

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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?

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DATA

• Values
• Are there any community beliefs that seem to
  affect decision-making?
• How unified or diverse are peoples values?
• What is the community spirit and how is it
  expressed?

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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?

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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

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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?

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APPROACHES

• Community forums and hearings
• Case studies
• Service provider surveys
• Target population surveys
• Social indicators
• Interviews
• Observation

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TOOLS FOR COLLECTING DATA

• Questionnaire
• Sample
• Existing surveys
• Interview with key people

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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

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PLACES TO CONTACT

• Local and state agencies
• Civic and youth groups
• On base activities
• Federal Agencies

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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

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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

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NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• The results of a needs assessment will form the
  basis for your program goals and objectives

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REVIEW!!

• Assessing for
• Prevention needs of your community
• Who can best provide for those needs

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LONG TERM GOALS

• Decrease drug related incidents
• Lower substance abuse indicators (DUIs, Treatment
  admissions)
• Be an essential part of your units mission
  readiness program
• What kills more of our military personnel? Is it
  beer or bullets?

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METHODOLOGIES

• There are a variety of effective ways to conduct
  a needs assessment
• You need to weigh the pros and cons of each

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METHODOLOGIES

• Three main methods
• Observation
• Social indicators
• Interviews

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1 OBSERVATION

• This approach allows you to come to your own
  conclusion as to what may be needed by direct
  observation

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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)

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USE WHEN

• Sufficient time is available to make reliable
  observation

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MAJOR STEPS IN OBSERVATION

• Identify site
• Gain access to observe
• Take overt or covert role of observer

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MAJOR STEPS

• Establish trust and rapport
• Record observation
• Analyze and compare observation with other
  documentation

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MAJOR STEPS

• Write report summarizing observation and
  conclusions
• I dont have time to write the report! Lets
  discuss this

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ADVANTAGES

• Provides information on problems or service needs
  which may not be widely recognized
• Assessment based on professional judgment
• Simple and inexpensive
• Builds CREDIBILITY

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ADVANTAGES

• Validates information from other sources

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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

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DISADVANTAGES

• Needs identified may reflect the interest of the
  observer

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2 SOCIAL INDICATORS

• This approach is based on descriptive data drawn
  from records and reports (Security Forces, SJA,
  urinalysis, World Wide survey, etc)

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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

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MAJOR STEPS

• Determine information to be gathered
• Determine existing data on which information
  could be interpreted
• Collect data at regular intervals

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MAJOR STEPS

• Examine for trends at regular intervals
• Compile results and summarize

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ADVANTAGES

• Vast existing data pool
• Low cost
• Design flexibility
• Foundation on which to verify other needs
  assessment surveys

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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

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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

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USE WHEN

• It is necessary to make direct contact
• Necessary to build and maintain rapport
• Direct feedback is needed

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USE WHEN

• Supplemental information is needed
• Facilitating understanding
• Get command support

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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

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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)
  

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MAJOR STEPS

• Compile information from interviews using
  categories as appropriate
• Write summary

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ADVANTAGES

• Simple and inexpensive
• Input from distinct sources
• Identifies level of support/resistance from key
  personnel

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ADVANTAGES

• Identifies key elements and issues of importance
• Provides an idea of where your program stands

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DISADVANTAGES

• Identification of problems may be biased
• May exclude personnel whose input should be
  included

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DISADVANTAGES

• May exclude portions of command/community that
  are not provided an opportunity for input

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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

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SUMMARY SLIDE

• You are now ready to use the information compiled
  to form the goals and objectives of your
  prevention program

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EXERCISE

• ASSESS FOR PREVENTION NEEDS
• using social indicators,world wide survey

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EXERCISE

• ASSESS FOR the PREVENTION NEEDS of your community
  using your social indicators
• Present findings
• HOW
• WHY

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SEVEN MAJOR STRATEGIES

• Information Dissemination
• Deterrence Activities
• Education
• Alternative Activities
• Problem Identification Referral
• Community-Based Change Initiatives
• Environmental Approaches

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SETTING GOALS
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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

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DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS

• Key Question
• What do we want to achieve through prevention
  activities?

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WORLD WIDE SURVEY EXERCISE

• Goal Priority Target Date
• A Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) will be
  provided on disk

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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

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DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS

• Final result
• Final set of goals based on community
  consensus and the best available research

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TASK

• Establish goals that accurately reflect potential
  solutions to the problems found during the needs
  assessment

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SETTING OBJECTIVES
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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

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DEVELOPMENT OF OBJECTIVES

• Key Question
• What quantifiable results can be achieved in the
  near future?

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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)

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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?

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DEVELOPMNET OF OBJECTIVES

• Final result
• Reasonable timetable of planned accomplishments

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EVALUATION
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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

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PURPOSE OF EVALUATION

• Evaluation is useful and needed to determine the
  strengths and weaknesses of the various areas
  that determine your total program

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EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

• Pinpointing the services needed- for example
  finding out what knowledge, skills, attitudes, or
  problem behavior a prevention program should
  address

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EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

• Establishing program objectives Finding out what
  specific knowledge, skills, or attitudinal change
  will be required to meet the identified need

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EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

• Deciding evidence that will demonstrate the
  objectives have been met Clear, realistic, and
  measurable evidence and objectives are needed

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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!)

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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

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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

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Dimensions of Evaluation

• The different dimensions of evaluation have
  formal names formative, process, outcome, and
  impact evaluation
• These dimensions build on each other

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DEFININTIONS OF DIMENSIONS

• Formative Evaluation (Planning)
• Designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses
  or campaign strategies before implementation

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DEFININTIONS OF DIMENSIONS

• Process Evaluation
• (Design method/means to be measured - MOE) -
  examines the procedures and tasks involved in
  implementing a program

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DEFININTIONS OF DIMENSIONS

• Outcome Evaluation (Short Term Results)
• Used to obtain descriptive data on a project and
  to document short-term results

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DEFININTIONS OF DIMENSIONS

• Impact Evaluation (Effects)
• Focuses on the long-range results of the program
  and changes or improvements in the health status

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EVALUATION KEYS

• Evaluation should be positive and purposeful
• Evaluation is useful to your program
• Do it from day one
• Listen and record the process

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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

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USE EVALUATION TO DETERMINE

• The effectiveness of program planning,
  organization, and implementation
• The rate at which change is taking place
• The quality of learning

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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

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IDEAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

• Needs Assessment-identify problems and needs of
  the community
• Policy development-develop priorities and
  objectives for meeting the identified needs

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IDEAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

• Program design-develop program to achieve
  priorities and objectives
• Program implementation-Conduct planned activities

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IDEAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

• Program evaluation-was the program implemented as
  planned? Did it have the intended effects?

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IDEAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

• Program improvement-revise and refine program
  based on evaluation results

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MYSTERIOUS?

• Program evaluation is not mysterious We do it
  every day We just do not view it as such

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GROUP EXERCISE

• Goal Priority Target Date
• Objective Target Date Strategy

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SEVEN MAJOR STRATEGIES FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
PREVENION

• Information Dissemination
• Education
• Deterrence Activities
• Alternative Activities
• Problem Identification Referral
• Community-Based Change Initiatives
• Environmental Approaches

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IMPLEMENTATION

• Key question
• What procedures will keep the program on track?

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IMPLEMENTATION

• Murphys law
• Everything that can go wrong will go wrong

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EVALUATION

• Functions
• - Verify
• - Document
• - Quantify

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PROGRAM REVISION

• Key question
• What changes are needed to improve the
  program?

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PROMGRAM REVISION

• Final result
• Plan charting new program directions

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FIVE STEP PROCESS

• Perform a needs assessment
• Chart a plan
• Implement
• Evaluate
• Revise

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