California Children’s Services Needs Assessment: Looking Back to Move Forward

Title V legislation requires a statewide needs assessment every five years to examine needs and select priorities for maternal and child health program improvements. The Family Health Outcomes Project at the University of California San Francisco conducted a case study to examine what was and was not accomplished following previous needs assessments of California Children’s Services, one of the programs funded in part by Title V. This report includes results from an environmental scan outlining contextual factors that may have affected California’s progress in addressing issues and needs that were identified. The author offers strategies and recommendations to ensure that progress is made on the priorities raised by stakeholders who participate in future needs assessment cycles. Also see the webinar that features a stakeholder discussion of the report findings.