Module 5: Conducting Community Service Assessments in Native Communities

Goal of Module 5:

To provide Community Services Assessment steps, tools, and resources for the development of an HIV/AIDS prevention intervention program.

This module contains the fundamentals for the systematic gathering of knowledge to better understand the needs and strengths in your community as they relate to HIV. The knowledge gathered will help to build a strengths-based and community-driven HIV prevention intervention program which responds to community needs. The model used is based on the Community Services Assessment (CSA). This module will take you through the steps of a CSA: needs assessment, resource inventory, and gap analysis.

Contents
2b CSA Resources

This module helps you create and conduct a CSA to aid in planning your HIV prevention intervention program.

It includes information on:

Conducting a CSA can be a resource intensive process. Devote some time to identifying possible resources for the work. (In this instance, “resources” includes more than just financial support.)

  • Identify available funding sources for the research, estimate costs, and develop a budget.
  • Determine if any time constraints exist, and develop a timeline for the research. (For example, one clinic received $10,000 to assess the need for midwifery in a Native community and submit a report to the fund-makers. The clinic had a six-month timeline in which to complete the work.)
  • Think about who is available to collect and analyze the data and write up the results. If volunteers are performing the needs assessment, then it is important to have reasonable expectations. Share those expectations with the volunteers ahead of time.
  • Contact NNAAPC for assistance in the area of planning your Community Services Assessments.

Click here for a step by step example of how Our Town funded its CSA.