Contrast
Font Size

Drivers for Change – Identify and Address Needs

Equity Framework > Drivers for Change > Identify and Address Needs

The perspectives informing a needs assessment haves deep implications for the work. To begin understanding community needs, it is important to reflect on who identifies need and how the need is identified. Identifying needs is an opportunity to focus on lived experience and involve community. Supporting participation from people with lived experience must recognize the value of their expertise. Examples of ways to respect and value community’s time include:

Community-based needs assessments consider strengths and reflect many perspectives from that community. Needs assessments speak to what the community sees as most important. A thorough needs assessment considers the history of change in a community. This includes past engagement and the impact of previous work to identify needs.

Adapted from:

Racial Equity Tools – Tip sheets: How can we Assess Our Community, and What are the Initial Steps and Considerations for Doing Racial Equity Work? Retrieved from
https://aurora.edu/documents/academics/social-work/field-instructor-resources/tipsheet-how-can-we-assess-our-community-and-what-are-the-initial-steps-and-considerations-for-doing-racial-equity-work.pdf

Feige, S., & Choubak, M. (2019). Best Practices for Engaging People with Lived Experience. Guelph, ON: Community Engaged Scholarship Institute.https://www.cesinstitute.ca/system/files/Feige_Choubak_PeerEngagementProject_LiteratureReview_%202019.pdf

Further Reading/ Additional Resources:

  1. The Community Engaged Scholarship Institute at the University of Guelph has prepared a document entitled Compensating people with lived experience: best practices from the literature review for the Guelph neighbourhood support coalition. The document identifies best practices for engaging and compensating people with lived experience in organizations’ work, and for communicating the importance of adopting best practices. Available from: https://www.cesinstitute.ca/system/files/Feige_Choubak_PeerEngagementProject_LiteratureReview_%202019.pdf
  2. The Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. It offers thousands of pages of tips and tools for taking action in communities. It is developed and managed by the KU (University of Kansas) Center for Community Health and Development. Available from: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources

Sample Tools:

The Needs Assessment Resource Guide is a product of the Quality Improvement and Innovation Partnership and its Working Group on Evaluation, Measurement and Needs Assessment –
http://www.hqontario.ca/portals/0/documents/qi/qi-rg-needs-assessment-0901-en.pdf

Comprehensive Needs Assessment: Materials adapted from “Planning and Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical Guide” (1995) –
https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/compneedsassessment.pdf

Racial Equity Tools – Tip sheets: How can we Assess Our Community, and What are the Initial Steps and Considerations for Doing Racial Equity Work? Retrieved from
https://aurora.edu/documents/academics/social-work/field-instructor-resources/tipsheet-how-can-we-assess-our-community-and-what-are-the-initial-steps-and-considerations-for-doing-racial-equity-work.pdf