Community supports for parents of young children: A needs assessment (original) (raw)

Statement of the problem: Supporting parents with young children has increasingly become an essential part of public policies. Manitoba Parent-Child Coalitions are tasked with identifying community needs and priorities related to community programs for families with young children and developing a sustainable plan for addressing community needs. The methods used to establish community needs and priorities vary considerably. Only a handful of the needs assessments (NA) related to community supports for parents found in the literature focused broadly on the needs of all parents at the community level. In addition, the nature and quality of the NA varied considerably, and parents were often not involved in the process. Use of a participatory NA process such as the Concerns Report Method (CRM) could provide communities with important information about the community support needs of parents with young children while involving parents in the decision-making process. Methods: The CRM uses a mixed methods exploratory sequential research design. Phase 1 of the CRM, reflection on values and issues of importance, involved the use of several qualitative methods: a document review of existing community data and community supports, interviews and focus groups with parents (N=29) and service providers (N=11). The results of Phase 1 were used to develop a Community Concerns Report Survey for parents (N=319) and service providers (N=47) that was used in Phase 2 of the CRM, identifying community concerns. Logistic regression was used to determine the child and family characteristics that were associated with parent perceived community support needs. v Dedication To my parents, Albert and Marlene Leclair, my first and greatest supporters To my children, Elia and Franco, my inspirations and raison d'etre vi Tables of Contents