IT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE VIRGINIA COMMISSION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH FOR USE BY VIRGINIA AGENCIES. A NEEDS ASSESSMENT IS A DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITY DESIGNED TO LOCATE SERVICE DELIVERY GAPS AND SUBSTANTIATE UNMET NEEDS IN A COMMUNITY. COMMON NEEDS INFORMATION REQUIRED INCLUDES THE SIZE OF THE CLIENT POPULATION, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF NEED, TYPES OF NEEDS, AND COSTS. INFORMATION SOURCES INCLUDE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, REGIONAL PLANNING DISTRICTS, STATE AGENCIES, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND LEGISLATIVE ANALYSIS. PREREQUISITES TO A NEEDS ASSESSMENT INCLUDE DETERMINING THE REASONS FOR THE ASSESSMENT, IDENTIFYING INFORMATION REQUIRED, IDENTIFYING PRIOR AND CURRENT WORK IN NEEEDS ASSESSMENT, AND CONSIDERING INFORMATION SOURCES. THE NINE ALTERNATIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES ARE GENERAL POPULATION SURVEY, TARGET POPULATION SURVEY, SERVICE PROVIDERS SURVEY, DECISIONMAKERS SURVEY, SECONDARY INFORMATION ANALYSIS, REVIEW OF NEEDS INDICATORS, REVIEW OF MANAGERIAL INFORMATION, REVIEW OF NEEDS INFORMATION AS IDENTIFIED BY OTHER HUMAN SERVICES PLANNING SYSTEMS, AND PUBLIC HEARINGS OR BUDGET REVIEW. CONDUCTING A STATEWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENT INVOLVES SPECIFIC VARIABLES SIMILAR TO THOSE USED BY CITIES, COUNTIES, AND REGIONAL PLANNING DISTRICTS. USE OF BOTH A TARGET POPULATION SURVEY AND SOME OTHER TECHNIQUE ARE RECOMMENDED TO DETERMINE NEED. A NEEDS ASSESSMENT SHOULD SHOW PROGRAM UTILIZATION AND JUSTIFY BOTH NEW PROGRAMS AND THE MAINTENANCE OF FUNDING FOR EXISTING PROGRAMS. CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING AND IMPLEMENTING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE INCLUDE REVIEWING THE CURRENT SITUATION, UNDERSTANDING THE SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM, PREPARING A DETAILED PLAN FOR CONDUCTING THE ASSESSMENT, USING A STRUCTURED AND TESTED INSTRUMENT, AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO ALL PARTICIPANTS. CHARTS, A FEW FOOTNOTES, AND NINE REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.