COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOCUS GROUP

(Refer to Checklist – Conducting a Community Focus Group)Checklist – Conducting a Community Focus Group)

Focus groups can generate in depth information regarding specific issues. A community focus group can be a useful strategy at various stages in the development of the alternative education program;

  • to gauge community support, or
  • identify potential program partners,
  • to map community resources for the program, or
  • as a program evaluation tool.

Preparation

  • Identify focus group goals
  • What do you want to know/explain?
  • Who do you want to obtain information from/inform?
  • Select a time (not longer than 2 hours), venue, catering, technical aids that are appropriate
  • Use ‘user –friendly’ language at all times
  • Arrange a facilitator to
  • introduce participants and outline the purpose of the session
  • encourage discussion
  • ensure all members have an opportunity to speak
  • maintain discussion on topic
  • summaries points
  • Arrange a scribe to
  • obtain permission to record discussion (if appropriate)
  • to document summarised points and in depth discussion points
  • usually do not participate in discussion

Create a focus group

The purpose of the community focus group will determine the structure of the group session

  • To gauge community support
  • publicise focus group to relevant community sectors eg potential partner agencies (NSW government sector-Police, Health, Community Services; businesses, non-government agencies, Neighbourhood centre, Service clubs, general community, young people and their families/carers
  • outline identified problem and potential solution
  • outline School component, DE component
  • outline potential for community involvement
  • document level and sectors of community interest, suggestions to progress or modify program, and any offers to partner.
  • To map community resources
  • invite 6-12 interested community members/agencies (eg School cluster, Partnership Group, local Child and Family network or Interagency group)
  • target mapping to sectors of the community with potential to assist the program
  • value all resources as equal eg handyman skills may be as useful as a business
  • use a large visual to map resources and potential suppliers in the relevant sphere; see map below

Groups/

Organisations

Physical community

environment

Adapted from: Central Coast, Making Headway Toolkit: Building Your Community, How to Get Started (2003).

  • To evaluate the program
  • invite 6-12 participants in each focus group
  • composition of group will influence data generated
  • select participants with similar interest for each focus group eg students and their family/carers, individual community members, representatives of community agencies
  • develop structured questions for discussion and circulate to participants prior to focus group; include how, what, why questions to elicit discussion, avoid questions with yes/no answers , include positive and negative aspects of program in the questions
  • as discussion progresses the questions should become increasingly specific

Focus Group Outcome

The purpose of the community focus group will also determine the analysis and outcome of the focus group

  • Transcribe discussion (if recorded)
  • When identifying community interest for an alternative education in the community
  • identify the community support?
  • identify the sector/s of the community supportive of the program, and any offers of assistance
  • document meeting outcome and circulate to all attendees
  • arrange meeting with potential partners
  • From the community resources map
  • identify potentially useful resources
  • identify possible suppliers
  • identify possible synergies between the range of resources and suppliers
  • document analysis of map and circulate to Partnership Group
  • arrange to contact potential suppliers
  • Data collected from the evaluation focus group will require analysis
  • collate themes of discussion, identifying the themes that generated greatest discussion
  • collate suggestions for program improvement, identifying suggestions with greatest support
  • Write focus group report and circulate to Partnership Group/stakeholders to inform program review and modifications
  • include focus group outcome, program review and modifications in final Program Report.

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