Child Abuse and Neglect Resources Demonstration (CANRED) Project. Procedural Guide for Needs and Resources Assessment

摘要

This procedural guide was developed for the child abuse and neglect resources demonstration project administered by the Special Projects Bureau of the Texas Department of Public Welfare. The project goal is to enhance State and regional efforts to identify, investigate, treat, and prevent child abuse and neglect. The project objective has been to design and apply a methodology for conducting assessments of protective services needs and resources. The purpose of the assessment is specifically to identify and assess: the service needs of abused and neglected children and their families in a given county; the available and potential resources to meet those needs; barriers to the utilization of available resources; and gaps in service. Before beginning a needs and resources assessment, funding, time, available personnel, public relations, and cooperation among agencies and individuals are all factors to be considered. The following steps are to be completed during the conduct of a needs and resources assessment: (1) determine what information is to be obtained; (2) operationally define the key data elements; (3) select the appropriate data sources; (4) select the appropriate sampling procedure; (5) select the appropriate data collection technique, design instruments, and data collection procedures; and (6) prepare coding, tabulation, analysis, and report format for each data source. Documentation of the assessment is a critical component of the process, and dissemination of findings will increase utilization. Appendices contain operational definitions, a sample list of service categories, various forms and instruments, and coding procedures for barriers. Portions of this document are not fully legible.