Community Needs Assessment, Monadnock Developmental Services

Community Needs Assessment for the Family Council and MDS

In the summer of 2003, the Family Support Council (FSC) of the Monadnock Region commissioned the Community Research Center (CRC) at Keene State College to conduct a needs assessment of families whose members qualify for services provided by Monadnock Development Services (MDS). Eligible individuals are those who have disabilities (including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, severe learning disabilities, and acquired brain disorders) and/or chronic illnesses.

More specifically, the FSC wanted information that would allow them to:

Identify and clarify the needs that families face in the context of caring for one or more family members who qualify for MDS services
Inform funding agencies of these needs
Provide MDS administrators and service providers with information useful for program development, strategic planning, and information that will help improve service delivery.

The CRC gathered this information in the fall of 2003 by administering a mail survey to parents and guardians of people receiving services from MDS and/or Partners in Health (PIH). The report of the survey addresses needs in the following areas:

Respite
Support/Networking
Coping as a Family
Recreation and Community
Medical/Dental
Training and Information
Environmental Modifications/Adaptive Equipment
Special Education
Transportation

The report is 88 pages in pdf format. You download a copy by clicking here. In addition, there is a supplemental report which you can read about below.

Supplemental Report of the Community Needs Assessment For the Family Council and Monadnock Developmental Services

This report supplements the Summary Report of the Community Needs Assessment for Monadnock Developmental Services submitted to The Family Support Council of the Monadnock Region. The Community Research Center (CRC) at Keene State College collected the data for these reports from a mail survey it designed in conjunction with Monadnock Developmental Services (MDS) and the Family Support Council (FSC). The CRC sent the survey out in two waves to 660 clients of MDS, Partners in Health, and the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire; it received a total of 182 completed surveys for a response rate of 27.5%. Analyses reported here focus only on the 139 respondents with family members receiving MDS services (Family Support, Case Management, Life Arts, Partners in Health, and Early Supports and Services). The reader may consult the larger report for specific details regarding background, research methods, and additional data analyses. Also note that Appendix A of the larger report contains the cover letter and survey instrument.

The supplemental report is 51 pages in pdf format. You download a copy by clicking here.