STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SOURCES
CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE & SOCIAL CARE STATISTICS,
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
The main Scottish Government Statement of Administrative sources covers all
sources of administrative data used by Scottish Government Statisticians.
This statement can be found on the Scottish Government website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About/NatStats.
This note provides more details on the administrative sources used by the
Children, Young People and Social Care Statistics Branch.
Background
Official statistics produced by the Children, Young People & Social Care
statistics branch (CYPSC) in the Scottish Government are based on two main
sources of data. These sources are statistical surveys and censuses, and
data extracted from administrative or management information systems from
other organisations (mainly local authorities).
The use of administrative or management information from other
organisations enables CYPSC to reduce the burden it places on data
providers in terms of the time and cost involved in data collection exercises,
and it also has the advantage of often being more timely than survey data, as
well as having the potential to collect a wider range or breadth of information.
The UK Statistics Authority encourages the use of administrative data for
statistical purposes, but it recognises that the statistical advantages of such
arrangements can only be fully realised if statisticians have appropriate
access to such systems; if statistical purposes are reflected in the design,
management, and development of such systems; and if adequate safeguards
are put in place to ensure the professional integrity of any official statistics
derived from them.
Protocol 3 in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics requires producers of
official statistics to publish a ‘Statement of Administrative Sources’, which
covers the administrative systems used to produce official statistics,
information about administrative sources not currently being used but with the
potential to be so used, and arrangements in place to provide statistical staff
with appropriate access to such sources; to take account of changes to such
systems; to audit the quality of the administrative data used for statistical
purposes; and to ensure the security of the resultant statistical processes.
1. Administrative Systems Currently Used in the Production of Official
Statistics
Data
Source
Children
Looked
After
Statistics
Child
Protection
Statistics
Name/Title
of original
admin/MI
data source
Social Work
Services
Management
Information
Systems
Social Work
Services
Managemet
Information
Systems
Name of
Organisation
responsible
for this
system/
source
Main
administrative
purpose of
this
system/source
Geospatial
Coverage
Local
Authorities
Individual level
information
about children
looked after
Local
Authority
level,
Scotland
Local
Authorities
Individual level
information
about children
involved in child
protection
issues
Local
Authority
level,
Scotland
Title(s) of
all
Statistical
Products
derived
from this
source
Children
Looked After
Statistics
Child
Protection
Statistics
2. Other administrative sources with the potential to be used for
statistical purposes
The Scottish Government is continually investigating such sources, and any
developments will be updated in this document here.
3. Information about CYPSC Statistics governance arrangements for
Children Looked After Statistics (CLAS) and Child Protection (CP)
administrative data sources
i) Arrangements for providing statistical staff (whether inside or outside the
organisation) with access to administrative or management sources for
statistical purposes
The CLAS and CP datasets are maintained by the ScotXed unit within
Education Analytical Services Division. Access to the CLAS and CP datasets
is governed by strict processes to protect data confidentiality. In order to
access the data, a data access form must be completed by each individual
wishing to access the data. This form is considered by the Data Access
Panel, who decide whether or not access to the datasets is granted. If access
is granted the individual requiring access and the Scottish Government sign a
data sharing agreement. Further details on this process can be found here.
ii) Arrangements for auditing the quality of the original source data
We undertake a range of validation checks on administrative data as part of
the quality assurance process of preparing official statistics.
These
procedures include; trend analysis, comparing against other available
sources, and checking outliers with data providers.
The specific procedures for auditing the quality of the CLAS data provided by
local authorities are:
1. Local authorities upload their data using Procxed.net,. This software
carries out initial validation checks, as detailed in the data specification,
available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/SurveyC
hildrenLookedAfter
2. Once local authorities feel they have corrected any errors satisfactorily
using the procxed.net software, they release the data to the Scottish
Government. If an authority feels that an error has been incorrectly
flagged by the system, they have the ability to add a comment to their
submitted data.
3. CYPSC Statisticians then look at the released data and check for any
remaining errors and look at any comments added to the submission
by a local authority. CYPSC Statisticians then send queries on any
outstanding errors back to the LA to resolve.
4. Once all the errors highlighted in Procxed.net have been resolved,
CYPSC Statisticians produce a set of aggregate level tables, which are
sent to individual LAs to check and confirm they are content with their
figures.
5. If any further errors are identified at this stage, LAs are asked to correct
their data and resubmit through Procxed.net as part of an iterative
process until the LA confirms the figures are accurate and correct.
6. If there are any unusually large changes in their data compared to
previous returns, LAs are requested to provide the SG with an
explanation as to why these large changes have occurred so that these
can be used in the statistical publication.
7. Only once the data has reached this stage do the SG consider the data
to be fit for use.
The specific procedures for auditing the quality of the CP data provided by
local authorities are:
8. Local authorities complete an aggregate spreadsheet return, which has
built in validation checks and enable local authorities to provide
commentary.
9. Once local authorities feel they have corrected any errors satisfactorily
using the spreadsheet, they send their completed return to the Scottish
Government via a secure file transfer process
10. CYPSC Statisticians then look at the released data and check for any
remaining errors and look at any comments added to the submission
by a local authority. CYPSC Statisticians then send queries on any
outstanding errors back to the LA to resolve.
11. Only once all the queries have been resolved does the Scottish
Government consider the data to be fit for use.
12. The above procedures will be changing in light of the developments to
the CP return in 2011/12 and 2012/13, to something similar to the
CLAS procedures outlined above.
iii) Procedures for handling changes, and possible discontinuities, in the
underlying source data
CYPSC Statisticians maintain contact with data providers through regular
meetings with the Local Authority Social Work Statistics (LASWS) Children &
Families Group. This group provides a forum for CYPSC Statisticians to
consult with data providers and bring any changes to data collection
requirements to their attention. It also provides a forum for data providers to
advise CYPSC Statisticians of any forthcoming changes to their
administration systems that may affect the data collection.
The ScotXed unit within Education Analytical Services is responsible for
managing any changes to the data collection. Once agreed with data
providers through the LASWS Children & Families Group, any changes to the
data specification are raised with the ScotXed unit using their change
management procedures. A change request form is submitted by CYPSC
Statisticians. This request then goes through a process of review and
assessment from registered data providers and the Change Advisory Board. If
the change request is approved it is implemented by the software developers
and/or the ScotXed unit.
Data providers are provided with finalised data specifications 12 months
before the start of the reporting period to enable them to ensure that they
have their reporting systems ready, and any necessary changes in local
practice and procedures introduced, in time for the start of the reporting
period.
iv) Procedures for ensuring the security of the statistical processes which use
administrative or management sources
CYPSC Statisticians ensure the security of statistical processes that draw on
administrative data by following a set of best practice guidelines regarding the
secure receipt, transmission, storage, access and disposal of data. A Privacy
notice relating to Looked After Children data, outlining what information is
collected, what it is used for, how the data is stored and the security
arrangements for managing the information can be found on the ScotXed
website here. A similar Privacy Notice for the Child Protection data will be
produced and will be found on the ScotXed website here. The CYPSC
Statistics branch adopts Scottish Government current practice on
confidentiality. The statement on current practice covers data security,
statistical disclosure methods and data sharing/ access agreements. This
statement can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About/NatStats
Access to administrative data is only granted to authorised individuals who
require it to carry out their work. CLAS and CP data is stored on secure
servers, to which only restricted individuals who have been granted
permission have access. Permissions are regularly reviewed and updated.
Any data sent via email is subject to strict regulations on which networks it
can be sent to and what levels of Government security markings can be
transmitted in this way. Where removable storage devices are necessary,
only encrypted devices are used in compliance with new Scottish Government
policy.
CYPSC Statistics
Scottish Government
May 2011