Performance
Data sharing on worklessness
One of the key issues affecting the efforts of local partners to tackle worklessness relates to contraints on data sharing. This has been raised consistently, most recently in the Tackling Worklessness (Houghton) Review. CLG and DWP agreed to initiate a pilot project in order to demonstrate the ways that relevant data can be shared within the current legislative framework. The pilot involves Kent, Leeds and Liverpool City Region, and aims to clarify current barriers, enabling factors and ways forward.
Derrick Johnstone is one of three Local Improvement Advisors (LIAs) supporting the pilot areas and contributing as a member of an Expert Group. The role of the LIAs is to:
Derrick Johnstone is one of three Local Improvement Advisors (LIAs) supporting the pilot areas and contributing as a member of an Expert Group. The role of the LIAs is to:
- broker relationships and facilitate discussions around local needs for worklessness data
- facilitate data sharing and data management to achieve better outcomes
- help identify solutions to obstacles, including ways of ensuring data security
- working with local partners, CLG and DWP to test and provide exchange protocols, data sharing principles, Memoranda of Understanding, and other tools to underpin this process
- identify lessons and good practice to be shared more widely as outcomes from the project.
West Cumbria Public Service Delivery Board
Educe were invited to facilitate a workshop for members of the West Cumbria Public Service Delivery Board (PSDB), to help ensure that it is 'fit for purpose' for the future and maximises its potential. The workshop sought to:
- clarify what partners really hoped to achieve through the PSDB: outcomes and service improvements for local people – and benefits for partner organisations
- consider what does the PSDB need to be good at, and how it needs to change & develop
The ground covered included priority setting, the style of meetings and agendas and the role of individual partners in making things happen.
Building R&I capacity in the East Midlands
Local Authorities in the East Midlands are spending considerable time collating datasets for strategic assessment and service improvement. Responsibility for collation is spread across a range of services in councils (and partners) creating the risk of duplication. Data managers and their teams are carrying out large amounts of work to repackage nationally available data for local needs.
Analytical capacity is stretched by current demands and available data are not always used to the full. Research and intelligence is not always joined up where and when it matters – within local authorities and across partners. CAA, LAAs and the recession place these issues in sharp perspective.
Derrick Johnstone was commissioned as a Local Improvement Advisor to undertake a scoping project to:
Analytical capacity is stretched by current demands and available data are not always used to the full. Research and intelligence is not always joined up where and when it matters – within local authorities and across partners. CAA, LAAs and the recession place these issues in sharp perspective.
Derrick Johnstone was commissioned as a Local Improvement Advisor to undertake a scoping project to:
- clarify common needs for improved access to, and use of data, including the use of tools such as MOSAIC, ACORN and OAC (ONS) and the resources of regional and sub-regional observatories
- identify the potential for further pan-regional collaboration, including ways of developing and making better use of regional and sub-regional R&I infrastructure
- assess models for joint use and acquisition of Customer Insight packages, along with potential savings through joint procurement arrangements
- identify priorities for learning and sharing good practice, to inform the future work of the Improvement and Efficiency Partnership
The report is to provide the basis for regional consultation, with an event planned for 16 July.
A national information function for local government?
The Local Government Association (LGA) wishes to establish what actions might be needed to ensure local government has access to good data and information to help improve services and outcomes for local people, whether it be for needs assessment, service planning, performance management, informing citizens about performance, or more generally, decision-making with partners. Effective use of information will be a key focus of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).
With Oxford Conusltants for Social Inclusion, we undertook took a range of soundings and background research to explore:
With Oxford Conusltants for Social Inclusion, we undertook took a range of soundings and background research to explore:
- the need for sector action to improve access to, the sharing and use of data, including possibly support in breaking down cultural and other barriers to better use of information
- realistic options for a local government sector-owned function, that will collect, store and make accessible data and information – linking as appropriate to other national systems, eg, the Data Interchange Hub being developed by Communities and Local Government
An early presentation on the project was made to the CLIP (Central Local Information Project) annual conference in October, and a project briefing note (
44KB) can be downloaded. In essence, the report concludes that while there is a great deal of data available to councils and partnerships, but they do not always have the ability or capacity to use it. There are also gaps in information or it is scattered across a range of sources making it time-consuming to collate. There are key areas where councils could potentially benefit from LGA Group support. These range from small, quick wins such as sharing knowledge on research/data suppliers and services using a Community of Practice (low cost) to larger initiatives such as setting up a local government-owned benchmarking system (higher cost).
Our report is to be considered by a working group being set up the the LGA Improvement Board. This has been covered in a Local Government Chronicle article on 21 May 2009.
data4nr
Educe are working with OCSI (Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion) in the future development of the well-regarded Data4nr (“Data for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration”) website, under commission to the Department for Communities and Local Government (Regeneration Performance and Digital Inclusion Division).
Data4nr identifies and signposts the datasets available for targeting, monitoring, priority setting and performance management at a neighbourhood level, also highlighting where possible sources which provide equalities data.
Our role is to advise and support on user engagement in developing the site, and help feed in new material.
Data4nr identifies and signposts the datasets available for targeting, monitoring, priority setting and performance management at a neighbourhood level, also highlighting where possible sources which provide equalities data.
Our role is to advise and support on user engagement in developing the site, and help feed in new material.
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