Working with Communities Reflective Writing Task ‐ What is Needs Assessment and Why is it Important (1,000 words) Worth: 25% A1 Description Attachments to read in conjunction with this assessment task: • Marking/Grading rubric attached to the Assessment Submission Link • Assessment One: Needs Assessment Report Guide attached to the Assessment Submission Link Title: What is Needs Assessment and Why is it Important? Purpose: To build knowledge of needs and needs assessment in preparation for the group work activity. Task: Using a minimum of 6-7 references from the recommended reading list and 4 from your own searching, prepare a 1000 word report that answers the questions; "What is Needs Assessment?" "Why is this important to professions in the social sciences?" "How does this apply to my chosen profession?" Format: Report ‐ use the questions above as major section headings. This is not an essay, it must be formatted as outlined in the Guide. Approach: Do the required reading. In the process, make notes (and record citation information) about the key concepts that define needs and needs assessment. Organize these in a logical structure. Answer the questions by referencing what you write to the literature you have read. IMPORTANT! For this task all cited works MUST have the correct page reference as part of the citation. The usual practice for Harvard citation is (Author, Date), but you are required to use the expanded form (Author, Date: Page Number). Essential Reading • Beckers, J. 1997. Community needs assessment: a guide to methods. Dubbo, N.S.W. : Centre for Population Health, Macquarie Area Health Service. pp. 1‐30. • Dawes, A. and Beckers, J. 1999. Section 1: Introduction to Atlas project Concepts. In Community needs assessment as a tool for community development: the Atlas project working guide. Dubbo, N.S.W. : Remote and Rural Health Training Unit. pp. 8‐21. • Dawes, A. and Beckers, J. 1999. Section 4: Identifying the major issues of your community. In Community needs assessment as a tool for community development: the Atlas project working guide. Dubbo, N.S.W.: Remote and Rural Health Training Unit. pp. 56‐66. • Watkins, R., Meiers, M.W. and Visser, Y. 2012. Section Two. In A guide to assessing needs: essential tools for collecting information, making decisions, and achieving development results. The World Bank, Washington DC. • Reviere, R., Berkowitz, S., Carter, C., and Graves Ferguson, C. 1996. Introduction: Setting the Stage. In Needs assessment: a creative and practical guide for social scientists. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis. pp. 1‐12. • Altschuld, JW, & Kumar, DD 2010. A generic needs assessment model and steps. In Needs assessment: An overview, Needs assessment KIT. SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 29‐57. • Altschuld, J.W., Hung, H.L, & Lee, Y.F. 2014. Needs assessment and asset/capacity building; A promising development in practice. In J.W. Altschuld & R. Watkins (Eds.), Needs assessment: Trends and a view toward the future. New Directions for Evaluation, 144, 89‐ 103 Peterson, DJ & Alexander, GR 2001, 'Communicating needs for community action', in Needs assessment in public health: a practical guide for students and professionals, Kluwer Academic, New York, NY, pp. 61-74. Peterson, DJ & Alexander, GR 2001, 'Determining and developing solutions: the importance of goals and objectives', in Needs assessment in public health: a practical guide for students and professionals, Kluwer Academic, New York, NY, pp. 91-105. Peterson, DJ & Alexander, GR 2001, 'The selection and use of indicators', in Needs assessment in public health: a practical guide for students and professionals, Kluwer Academic, New York, NY, pp. 75-90. Royse, D, Staton-Tindall, M, Badger, K & Webster, JM (eds) 2009, Needs assessment, Oxford University Press, New York, NY. Soriano, FI 2013, Conducting needs assessments: a multidisciplinary approach, 2nd edn, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA. Watkins, R, Meiers, MW & Visser, Y 2012, 'Part 3A: data collection tools and techniques', in A guide to assessing needs: essential tools for collecting information, making decisions, and achieving development results, World Bank, Washington, DC, pp. 83-164. Watkins, R, Meiers, MW & Visser, Y 2012, 'Part 3B: decision-making tools and techniques', in A guide to assessing needs: essential tools for collecting information, making decisions, and achieving development results, World Bank, Washington, DC, pp. 165-244.