Welcome to Unit 2Welcome to Unit 2

Needs Assessment: Needs Assessment:

Community and IndividualCommunity and Individual

Craig Owens, LCSWCraig Owens, LCSW

Craig or “Prof C”Craig or “Prof C”

Seminar AgendaSeminar Agenda

• Warm-up ActivityWarm-up Activity

• Review last week and apply the learningReview last week and apply the learning

• Individual Assessment, “do’s” and “don’ts”Individual Assessment, “do’s” and “don’ts”

• Individual Assessment – case studyIndividual Assessment – case study

• How do we “Assess” an entire community?How do we “Assess” an entire community?

• Hypothetical community assessmentHypothetical community assessment

• Looking ahead – Unit 3 ProjectLooking ahead – Unit 3 Project

Warm-up – What is one thing that always helps you calm down when you are stressed or feeling like you are about to go into crisis?

Last week we discussed how to approach a client in crisis Last week we discussed how to approach a client in crisis and the first things we should do when we arrive on the and the first things we should do when we arrive on the scene. Briefly describe one new thing you learned in that scene. Briefly describe one new thing you learned in that discussion and how you will apply that to your work in discussion and how you will apply that to your work in human service.human service.

Assessing client needsAssessing client needs• Human service professionals Human service professionals

constantly assess client needs constantly assess client needs according to the emergence of social according to the emergence of social problems compared with service problems compared with service availability. This assessment is availability. This assessment is completed in formal or informal completed in formal or informal settings such as an office interview settings such as an office interview (formal) or observations made during (formal) or observations made during an in-home visit (informal). Knowing an in-home visit (informal). Knowing how to assess clients’ needs and then how to assess clients’ needs and then how to make an appropriate referral is how to make an appropriate referral is an essential job task.an essential job task.

• Creating appropriate needs Creating appropriate needs assessment surveys of clients assessment surveys of clients during an intake session helps during an intake session helps human service professionals human service professionals make appropriate referrals to make appropriate referrals to agencies. Understanding what to agencies. Understanding what to ask, how to ask, and then how to ask, how to ask, and then how to prioritize needs is essential for prioritize needs is essential for effective delivery of service. effective delivery of service.

Individual Assessment Individual Assessment Time!Time!

•Do’sDo’s •Don’tsDon’ts

Individual Assessment Individual Assessment Time!Time!

•DoDo– EngageEngage– Discuss ConfidentialityDiscuss Confidentiality– Assess SafetyAssess Safety– Priority Priority

Needs/Referrals?Needs/Referrals?– Goals?Goals?– Natural supportsNatural supports– Begin Psycho-socialBegin Psycho-social– Agree on next stepsAgree on next steps

•Don’tDon’t– Go too fast!Go too fast!– JudgeJudge– Impose our valuesImpose our values– Write “our” goalWrite “our” goal– Forget to validate Forget to validate

feelingsfeelings– Forget to check with Forget to check with

client to see if we are client to see if we are actually helping!actually helping!

Assessing client needs takes Assessing client needs takes patience and “real patience and “real listening”listening”• We (clients) need to “feel heard” We (clients) need to “feel heard”

before we can move on to solutions.before we can move on to solutions.

• In our first meeting with a client; we In our first meeting with a client; we need to listen and validate their need to listen and validate their feelings and situation.feelings and situation.

• It is not unusual to spend the entire It is not unusual to spend the entire first meeting doing this and gathering first meeting doing this and gathering data. data.

• Avoid speeding to solutions!Avoid speeding to solutions!

Jim brings his 11-year-old daughter, Sylvia, in to your community mental health agency because she keeps hanging out on the streets with older kids after school. He is at his wits’ end, saying he has to work two jobs since her mother died 3 years ago. He says the trouble started about two years ago and is getting worse. He is sure she is smoking and might be doing drugs or drinking. She is beginning to fail in school. He says, we can’t seem to communicate any more. The daughter just sits and stares at the floor while he talks. Without rushing to solutions yet, stay with “assessing” what you know so far. What are some key facts we know about this family from what Jim has shared?

Practice Time - Individual Assessment Intake Case Study

Jim brings his 11-year-old daughter, Sylvia, in to your community mental health agency because she keeps hanging out on the streets with older kids after school. He is at his wits’ end, saying he has to work two jobs since her mother died 3 years ago. He says the trouble started about two years ago and is getting worse. He is sure she is smoking and might be doing drugs or drinking. She is beginning to fail in school. He says, we can’t seem to communicate any more. The daughter just sits and stares at the floor while he talks. What is one “open-ended” question you might ask Jim or Sylvia at this early stage of assessing their needs?

Practice Time - Individual Assessment Intake Case Study

Jim brings his 11-year-old daughter, Sylvia, in to your community mental health agency because she keeps hanging out on the streets with older kids after school. He is at his wits’ end, saying he has to work two jobs since her mother died 3 years ago. He says the trouble started about two years ago and is getting worse. He is sure she is smoking and might be doing drugs or drinking. She is beginning to fail in school. He says, we can’t seem to communicate any more. The daughter just sits and stares at the floor while he talks. What would your first response to these two folks be? Take a moment and think about this and then type your response as if you are talking directly with Jim and Sylvia.

Practice Time - Individual Assessment Intake Case Study

Jim brings his 11-year-old daughter, Sylvia, in to your community mental health agency because she keeps hanging out on the streets with older kids after school. He is at his wits’ end, saying he has to work two jobs since her mother died 3 years ago. He says the trouble started about two years ago and is getting worse. He is sure she is smoking and might be doing drugs or drinking. She is beginning to fail in school. He says, we can’t seem to communicate any more. The daughter just sits and stares at the floor while he talks. What are some of the service referrals you would suggest Jim consider for Sylvia and for himself?

Practice Time - Individual Assessment Intake Case Study

Assessing Community Assessing Community NeedsNeeds• Often, the social problems of a Often, the social problems of a

community are similar to the individual community are similar to the individual problems of clients in that community. problems of clients in that community. For example, if a large local employer For example, if a large local employer suddenly closes; substance abuse and suddenly closes; substance abuse and mental health referrals will increase (as mental health referrals will increase (as will referrals to homeless shelters). will referrals to homeless shelters). Assessing a community’s needs helps Assessing a community’s needs helps professionals to understand and prepare professionals to understand and prepare for providing adequate services for for providing adequate services for clients who live in that area clients who live in that area

Assessing Assessing Community Community Needs Needs Con’tCon’t

• Using knowledge of social problems and Using knowledge of social problems and problem solving skills will assist the problem solving skills will assist the human service professional in making human service professional in making predictions of services that will be predictions of services that will be needed in the future. For example, if an needed in the future. For example, if an information and referral specialist who information and referral specialist who works on the local crisis hotline notices works on the local crisis hotline notices an increase in calls for food shelters, an increase in calls for food shelters, agencies that provide this service can be agencies that provide this service can be notified of the increased need.notified of the increased need.

• Human service professionals must adhere Human service professionals must adhere to federal and state laws and regulations to federal and state laws and regulations that dictate proper collection, storage, and that dictate proper collection, storage, and use of client private information. As a use of client private information. As a result of issues with breaches of result of issues with breaches of confidentiality and obtaining health confidentiality and obtaining health insurance after leaving a job, the insurance after leaving a job, the government enacted HIPAA laws. Human government enacted HIPAA laws. Human service professionals who work in most job service professionals who work in most job settings are carefully trained and required settings are carefully trained and required to follow these regulations. Failure to do so to follow these regulations. Failure to do so can result in being fired and/or losing state can result in being fired and/or losing state or national certifications (field specific) or national certifications (field specific)

Individual and Community Needs Individual and Community Needs Assessment (Hypothetical Case Scenario)Assessment (Hypothetical Case Scenario)

• For the past few months, you have been working as substance abuse program aide in an outpatient program (clients return home after treatment each day). Lately, your town has had many budget cuts and you have noticed this in the number of clients who complain about not having enough food or clothes for themselves and their children. Other complaints relate to bus route cuts and the closing of two government- funded day care centers. Counselors in your program have noticed a significant drop in client daily attendance. One of your job tasks is to call clients who miss treatment each day and discuss the reason for the absence and help them to solve whatever obstacle is preventing their attendance. During a staff meeting, your program director asked you to make a list of the main obstacles reported by clients and to propose ways in which the agency can prevent or reduce those obstacles, or how many agencies together might be able to solve the problems.

– List the obstacles that you see in the scenario above to people achieving good health in this community.

Individual and Community Needs Individual and Community Needs Assessment (Hypothetical Case Scenario)Assessment (Hypothetical Case Scenario)

• For the past few months, you have been working as substance abuse program aide in an outpatient program (clients return home after treatment each day). Lately, your town has had many budget cuts and you have noticed this in the number of clients who complain about not having enough food or clothes for themselves and their children. Other complaints relate to bus route cuts and the closing of two government- funded day care centers. Counselors in your program have noticed a significant drop in client daily attendance. One of your job tasks is to call clients who miss treatment each day and discuss the reason for the absence and help them to solve whatever obstacle is preventing their attendance. During a staff meeting, your program director asked you to make a list of the main obstacles reported by clients and to propose ways in which the agency can prevent or reduce those obstacles, or how many agencies together might be able to solve the problems.

– Good job! Now lets prioritize these obstacles to human health from biggest to least.

Individual and Community Needs Assessment (Hypothetical Case Individual and Community Needs Assessment (Hypothetical Case Scenario)Scenario)

• For the past few months, you have been working as substance abuse program aide in an outpatient program (clients return home after treatment each day). Lately, your town has had many budget cuts and you have noticed this in the number of clients who complain about not having enough food or clothes for themselves and their children. Other complaints relate to bus route cuts and the closing of two government- funded day care centers. Counselors in your program have noticed a significant drop in client daily attendance. One of your job tasks is to call clients who miss treatment each day and discuss the reason for the absence and help them to solve whatever obstacle is preventing their attendance. During a staff meeting, your program director asked you to make a list of the main obstacles reported by clients and to propose ways in which the agency can prevent or reduce those obstacles, or how many agencies together might be able to solve the problems.

– How might your agency solve the first obstacle on our list?

You are working as a community resource coordinator at a Workforce One You are working as a community resource coordinator at a Workforce One Stop. Your primary duties are to attend community fairs and events to Stop. Your primary duties are to attend community fairs and events to advertise the services provided at the One Stop (usually job training, food advertise the services provided at the One Stop (usually job training, food stamps, cash assistance, housing, and referrals to substance abuse and stamps, cash assistance, housing, and referrals to substance abuse and mental health treatment). Your supervisor asks you to create a coordination of mental health treatment). Your supervisor asks you to create a coordination of services plan to update and connect clients in your agency with appropriate services plan to update and connect clients in your agency with appropriate services offered by other agencies. The plan must include:services offered by other agencies. The plan must include:

• Guidelines for Confidentiality – Be Specific!

• Guidelines for Making and Evaluating Referrals – Details!

• Identifying Barriers – Client’s role and your role!

• Timeline for Referrals – This needs to be very specific!

• Guidelines for Coordinating Services – Describe and give multiple examples of different services and your role!

(This project should be between 800 and 1000 words, not including your title and reference pages)

Unit 3 Project Preview

Great job on Individual and Community Needs Assessment Folks!

Any questions