One of the many reasons social workers conduct needs assessment is to provide support for new programs. Social workers have many methods available to collect necessary data for a needs assessment.

Social workers can use existing data from a wide range of sources, including local and national reports by government and nonprofit agencies, as well as computerized mapping resources. Social workers can gather new data through interviews and surveys with individuals and focus groups. This data can provide the evidence that supports the need for the program.

To prepare for this Assignment, review the needs assessment plans that you and your classmates generated for this week’s Discussion. Also, review the logic models that you created in Week 7 and any literature on needs of caregivers that you used to generate them. Consider the following to stimulate your thinking:

• Getting information about the needs of the target population:
  • Who would informants be?
  • What is your purpose for interacting with them?
  • What questions would you ask?
  • What method would you use (interview, focus group, questionnaire)?
• Finding potential clients:
  • Who would informants be?
  • What is your purpose for interacting with them?
  • What questions would you ask?
  • What method would you use?
• Interacting with the target population:
  • Who would informants be?
  • What is your purpose for interacting with them?
  • What questions would you ask?
  • What method would you use?

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper outlining a hypothetical needs assessment related to the support group program for caregivers. Include the following:

• The resources needed to operate this service
• The program activities
• The desired outcomes
• A plan for gathering information about the population served
• Justifications for your plans and decisions
• A one-paragraph conclusion describing how you might conduct a follow-up to the needs assessment at the implementation stage of the program evaluation

Required Readings

Dudley, J. R. (2014). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do. (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
(For review) Chapter 6, “Needs Assessment” (pp. 107–142)
Chapter 7, “Crafting Goals and Objectives” (pp. 144–164)

Document: Tutty, L. M., & Rothery, M. A. (2010). Needs assessments. In B. Thyer (Ed.), The handbook of social work research methods (2nd ed.,pp. 149–162). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (PDF)
Copyright 2010 by Sage Publications, Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Optional Resources

Stewart, K. E., Phillips, M. M., Walker, J. F., Harvey, S. A., & Porter, A. (2011). Social services utilization and need among a community sample of persons living with HIV in the rural south. AIDS Care, 23(3), 340–347.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Walter, H. J., Gouze, K., Cicchetti, C., Arend, R., Mehta, T., Schmidt, J., & Skvarla, M. (2011). A pilot demonstration of comprehensive mental health services in inner-city public schools. Journal of School Health, 81(4), 185–193.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

week 7 discussion

Practice-level logic model outline

Problem

Needs

Underlying causes

Intervention activities

Outcomes

-Overwhelmed by the responsibilities 

-displeasures with meals

-lacks support from the family including the kids and the husband

– exhausted both mentally and physically.

– Attention is needed

– Social support from the kids and husband

-psychiatric therapy on self-care strategies

– training that can help deal with caregiving activities.

– Not accepting that the family can help in household chores and needs

– the only available caregiver for the widowed 81 years

– meagre self-care

– Inadequate skills for the caregiving activities.

– support groups that deal with caregiving

– Both profit and nonprofit organizations specializing in caregiving 

– fortified with new caregiving skills

– improved insight in self-care bettered by self-care routines

– Tiredness, fatigue and stress will be reduced.

Due to lack of support from family members (kids and husband), Helen is overwhelmed and stressed and this are signs of depression. Depression and fatigue according to Nipp et al. (2016) are some of the signs that caregivers have to suffer from. According to Clauss et al. (2018), interventions such as focusing on caregiver behaviors can help reduce fatigue and stress.

Program-level logic model outline

Problem 

Needs 

Underlying causes 

Intervention activities 

Outcomes 

– Lack of support from the family team, especially in helping her mother-in-law who also has declining mental ability.

-problems with caregiving the elderly 81 years old mother-in-law

– obtain knowledge, skills and strategies that can help in providing sufficient care for the elderly widow.

– accept the need that she can’t do all the caregiving alone and that the family (kids and husband) need to be included

– lack of support from the family 

– inadequate knowledge and skills that can help in caregiving

– Inadequate resources that can help in caregiving.

This program should help in offering support services that are sufficient for training caregiving strategies and skills.

-connections that can help link up organizations that are experts in caregiving with the caregiver.

– adequate skills that are satisfactory for caregiving

– coping appliances 

– help from family members

– protracted provision system

– Open-mindedness in caregiving and affluence in stress. 

Psychiatric therapy and participation in caregiving programs are some of the ways that can help Helen’s need for assistance. Since psychiatric therapy is all about talking and encouraging, the client is able to cope with matters before him/her. Chen et al. (2019) explain that psychiatric therapy helps promote quality of life for people experiencing difficulties in their lives.