Community Appraisal

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Brief Description:

Community Appraisals are surveys of local need and opinion about issues such as: local housing, schooling, training, employment, culture, health, social welfare and community facilities.

Description:

Community Appraisal is a method that includes gauging the viewpoints of all members of a community on particular issues. Community Appraisals may be conducted to form a plan of action to resolve an issue or improve existing services.

Used For:

Gauging community opinion and possible solutions to local problems.

Suitable participants:

Councils in particular use Community Appraisals to involve local citizens, who in turn are suitable participants.

Cost:

Medium/High.

These can be high to cover training for staff and organising events.

Time Requirements:

Time requirements can be lengthy, depending on the extent of the appraisal. A thorough participatory appraisal will go through various stages including:

Training of participants and staff.
Data collection through surveys, then again to gauge possible solutions to established issues.
Planning of stakeholder events where residents meet to discuss possible action plans.