MCH Needs Assessment Toolkit

Five-Year Title V Needs Assessment. The challenges of the maternal and child health (MCH) system are complex. To create solutions to address these challenges it is important to understand the systems and the interrelated components of the system that shape health. The five-year needs assessment process allows state Title V programs to begin to understand the complexity of these challenges, identify needs, and select priority areas of focus.

To build upon the needs assessment process, the National MCH Workforce Development Center, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and the MCH Navigator created this toolkit to help states use tools to dig deeper into the complex system surrounding the health of the MCH population.

Just Released Resources

Webinars

• AMCHP's Five-Year Needs Assessment Training Schedule Webinars, Learning Labs and Other Resources
• AMCHP’s Needs Assessment 101 Webinar Archive (01/16/2019). Understanding the process: a basic overview of the Title V needs assessment and the 9 steps in the process, tips for leveraging resources in conducting your needs assessment, and strategies for recruiting help.
• AMCHP's Needs Assessment 102 Webinar Archive (01/29/2019). Engaging Stakeholders: Review various tools to assist in identifying partners and discuss strategies for collaborating with tribal organization partners and stakeholders including families and youth.
• AMCHP's Needs Assessment 103 Webinar Archive (02/11/2019). Assessing Capacity: the process of assessing your strengths and capacity, from an organizational and broader systems perspective. Tools and methods discussed may include asset and systems mapping, network analysis, and the CAST V tool.
• Youth and Young Adult Engagement in the Title V Needs Assessment (in partnership with the Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center)
• Building Partnerships Between State MCH Directors and State Dental Directors to Improve Oral Health (9/19/2019) (in partnership with the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors)
• Accelerating MCH Impact: Integrating Direct Services with Policy, System, and Environmental Approaches (11/18/2019) (in partnership with the MCH Nutrition Leadership Training Program & Western MCH Nutrition Leadership Network)

Tools

• A Crosswalk of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program and the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program Needs Assessments
• A Guide to Conducting the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Statewide Needs Assessment Update

The toolkit uses the practical Ready-Set-Go model to:

• Introduce tools likely to be helpful in needs assessment.
• Align the tools with the specific steps of the needs assessment process.
• Provide guidance on how to use the tools for the needs assessment process (via facilitator scripts and scenarios).

Use the navigation bar at the top of the page or the links below to access learning opportunities and tools.

This toolkit was developed as a partnership funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Read more...