Needs Assessments and Research

When organizations and communities identify a potential gap in services, a broader needs assessment and targeted research allows the voices of the end users to be heard. Needs assessments and research help guide planning by ensuring that program development matches the current needs. Examples of needs assessments and research completed to date are:

• Child care needs assessments
• Out-of-school programs needs assessments
• Adolescent needs in relation to cancer prevention education
• Social-emotional and health needs of children in middle childhood
   

Program Design

By listening to the needs of clients and incorporating best practices, programs (e.g., workshops, materials, curriculum) are designed to assist people in gaining the necessary knowledge that they require in their field of focus. Examples of programs designed to date include:

• Development of pre-school Sun Safety curriculum
• Development of numerous workshops for parents, teachers and clinicians focusing on social-emotional competence, resiliency, attachment, and mental health
• Development of curriculum materials for physicians to facilitate professional development in the area of Dementia Education
• Creation of frameworks for best practices in early childhood development and health literacy

Program Delivery

After carefully designing workshops of varying lengths, these programs are delivered to various groups of people with the goal of increasing skills and knowledge. In turn, as most of the workshops are conducted with adults who have a stake in child development, these individuals can then apply learning to their direct practice. Examples of workshops include.

• Fostering social-emotional competence in children (3 day workshop for school personnel and clinicians)
• Attachment and resiliency in clinical practice
• Program evaluation for program enhancement

Program Evaluation

Evaluation of programs (e.g., workshops, long-term programs) is critical in order to continually focus on program improvement. This is a fundamental part of ensuring that programs are of high quality and are of benefit to clients. Arbor conducts evaluations for these purposes. Examples of Arbor evaluation projects include:

• Evaluation of “Jessie's Hope” Men's Health Group for Men with Disordered Eating
• Implementation Evaluation of the “Seeds of Empathy” Program
• Evaluation of the BC Cancer Agency’s “Stop Smoking Before Surgery” material
• Evaluation of "Respectful Relationships": A School-Based Violence Prevention Program

For more details, please go to the various sections of this website.