Creating a Needs Assessment

The 2018 & 2019 Healthy Transitions awardees were required by SAMHSA to conduct a needs assessment as part of the strategic planning process. SAMHSA did not specify the methods or content associated with the needs assessment other than stating that it should focus on opportunities and barriers in the organization that will facilitate or impede implementation of new services. The Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education within the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University facilitated the completion and writing of the needs assessment. The needs assessment should be a collaborative effort involving all parts of the organization. Needs, barriers, and opportunities for service implementation are found across all aspects. In the case of OHTP, an evaluation workgroup that included researchers from the Begun Center, a youth coordinator, and representatives throughout Wingspan and OhioMHAS participated in the planning and many advisors, key informants, survey respondents and volunteers gave of their time to provide data and insight. There are multiple guidebooks available online that will help with ideas about how to frame and conduct needs assessment. They differ somewhat based on how comprehensive the assessment will be and the methods and data sources involved. An important lesson learned was the value of conducting a literature review in the early stages for the needs assessment. There are some needs and barriers that are going to be more universal and impact all implementation sites and service delivery models for the targeted population (i.e., TAY aged 16-25). Examples include difficulty with engagement and retention in services, transportation, transiency, and housing instability are found in the literature. It is also recommended to use multiple sources of data. Our team used an online survey, key informant interviews, and a review of existing supports to gather data for the assessment.