Assignment: Planning a Needs Assessment II
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
Week 7 needs assessment plans

Statement of problem/need, problem conditions, and purpose for creating the program: 
Military vets face incredible challenges as they reintegrate into civilian life after service. Veterans face psychological trauma, physical disabilities, unemployment, relationship issues and difficulty finding a new career path. This has led to rising cases of suicide, crime and violent conduct among some vets. Vets need not only counselling but empowerment to enable them to start over with access to jobs and entrepreneurship. The program will take place in the top five states with the highest number of veteran suicides that comprise of Nevada, Montana, Washington, West Virginia, Kentucky and Utah due to the high rate of veteran suicides (Knowlton and Phillips, 2012). This program aims to offer free readjustment counselling and referrals to vets enabling them to seamlessly reintegrate into society.                
Planning
Anticipated Outcomes & Impacts
Resources
(Inputs)

The people, time, $, and assets we already have and those we need for the program/ treatment
Activities
To address the need, we will conduct these general activities. For this exercise, choose from counseling, education, recreation, and basic needs.
Outputs/interventions
Expand upon the type of program in Activities. Include the specific services or products you intend to provide to recipients. Include how often, when, where, and what kind of users/clients you intend to address.
Provide details!
Short-term
benefits for recipients
Long-term
benefits for recipients and wider community
Near-immediate benefits for recipients who participate in the program
Longer-term positive effects of the program on the recipients and community
This project will require human capital, time, materials, physical space and financial support for it to be a success.
The project will teach various professionals ranging from counsellors, entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, veteran welfare officials from the department of defense, veteran’s welfare organizations representatives, social workers and veterans living in the respective states.
The project will also require meeting space, training materials, food and drinks for participants and guests.
Also, guests will require accommodation while participants will require allowances.
The project will require cabs for guests and an event planner (Logic Models and Program Evaluation, n.d.).
Time is also a vital resource that must be managed to meet the project goals.
The program schedule will teach the needs of the veterans to ensure they benefit through the free provision of counselling and referrals. The project will be carried out for one month, with six-hour sessions per day for the guests and participants.
Basic needs
Education.
Counseling
The counselors will ensure that the participants have access to counseling sessions.
Volunteers will assist in creating publicity through the distribution of brochures to vets and vet organizations.
The events planner will be hired to coordinate the meetings to ensure better coordination of the counselling sessions.
The events planner will also provide catering services to participants to ensure smooth implementation of the project (Logic Models and Program Evaluation, n.d.).
The project will hire business leaders, entrepreneurs and successful vets who have set the precedence so that they motivate the veterans.
Empowerment sessions will allow the participants to change their perspectives, discover ways of tackling challenges and grow new networks through referrals.
More veterans will benefit from interaction with counsellors so that they deal with mental and physical issues.
Veterans families will know how they can provide further support to affected veterans
Veterans will benefit from new and existing opportunities due to referrals.
Also, new referrals will empower veterans to make better choices in entrepreneurship and employment.
The veterans will better integrate into society since they will feel more supported to live a full and productive life
Economic empowerment of veterans through the start of new careers will boost their productivity in nation-building.
Free counselling sessions major activities will involve publicizing the program, notifying guests and participants, hiring an events planner, making reservations and allocating counsellors to each group.
After group sessions, participants will have a chance of meeting counsellors for private sessions and further help.
Furthermore, the referral program main activities will include inviting participants, matching veteran skills with industry needs and inviting relevant business leaders for the networking and referral sessions with participants.
References:
Knowlton, L. W., & Phillips, C. C. (2012). The Logic Model Guidebook: Better Strategies for
Great Results. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Logic Models and Program Evaluation. (n.d.). Developing Nonprofit and Human Service
Leaders: Essential Knowledge and Skills, 73-84. doi:10.4135/9781483388007.n7