1. Title of assessment
Geographic scope / national / county / community / region ………………………………..
Lead agency / institution ………………………………………………………………...........
Assessment period ………………………………………………………………………..........
Key partners / justice actors, CSOs, community groups…...…………………………………..
Contact person email phone …………………………………………………………………..
2. Objectives of the needs assessment
Briefly describe the purpose of the needs assessment
For example: ‘To identify barriers to justice for vulnerable people’; ‘To identify existing legal services and identify gaps’
3. Target population/group description
Primary target (women, youth, persons with disabilities, Indigenous communities…………………………………………………………………………………….
Stakeholders engaged (for example, judiciary, police, chiefs, paralegals, NGOs, traditional leaders)
4. Methodology
Tool ……………………………………………………………………………………………..
Activity …………………………………………………………………………………………
Purpose …………………………………………………………………………………………
Target group ……………………………………………………………………………………
Sample size ……………………………………………………………………………………..
Notes
5. Legal needs survey
Identify common justice problems and user behaviour / general population / vulnerable groups ………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. Focus group discussions (FGDs)
Understand perceptions, barriers and coping mechanisms
Women ……………………………………………………………………………………...
Youth ……………………………………………………………………………………….
Local leaders ……………………………………………………………………………………
7. Key informant interviews (KIIs)
Expert insights into system performance and gaps with judges, chiefs, police, legal aid actors
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………..........................
8. Service mapping
Inventory of available justice services and referral mechanisms / service providers
Justice audit / community scorecard / community-based assessment of local justice institutions / local communities
9. Key findings
Common legal problems faced by communities
Problem area ……………………………………………………………………………………
Frequency …………………………………………………………………………………........
Vulnerable group most affected ………………………………………………………………
10. Barriers identified
Land disputes …………………………………………………………………………………..
Women / widows / farmers / chiefs / courts / cost, delay, bias
Gender-based violence ……………………………………………………………………….
Child custody ……………………………………………………………………………………
Debt …………………………………………………………………………………………….
Employment disputes …………………………………………………………………………...
Category description …………………………………………………………………………..
Examples
Structural: cost / distance to courts / lack of transport …………………………………….
Legal: gaps in legislation or enforcement …………………………………………………
Institutional: corruption, inefficiency, bias ………………………………………………..
Cultural: social stigma, power dynamics, language ……………………………………….
Knowledge/awareness: low legal literacy, lack of information …………………………
11. Existing justice services
Service type / provider / coverage area / gaps noted Legal aid available / not available ………………………………………… …………………
Traditional dispute resolution: elders / chiefs / community-wide / gender bias concerns ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Court services / magistrates / mobile courts …………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
12. Recommendations
Provide prioritised, actionable recommendations.
Examples
Scale up legal aid in underserved areas, train chiefs and local leaders on gender-sensitive justice.
Establish mobile legal clinics in rural counties.
Increase use of local languages in court forms.
13. Annexes
For example:
Survey questionnaire / interview / FGD guides / list of stakeholders consulted / maps or service inventories/ data tables / raw findings