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SELDSW Guide to Better Data-Sharing
The following documents and links provide a range of useful resources to help you improve the effectiveness of data-sharing in your area.
Introduction
It is now widely accepted that many problems experienced in our more deprived neighbourhoods are better dealt with through a collective, multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving and intervention. Rarely is a problem effectively remedied by one area of public service delivery in isolation. For example, crime and the fear of crime is not solved solely through better resourced, more punitive law enforcement but also via means such as strengthening the cohesion of our communities, improving mental health care, improving engagement in education and through tackling the route causes of crime such as poverty and social exclusion.
The establishment of structures such as Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and Local Area Agreements (LAAs) now provide us with excellent forums to facilitate multi-agency approaches to delivering public services and improving quality of life in more holistic and sustainable ways.
Successful cross-sector partnership working of this kind relies on cooperation and the effective communication and sharing of skills and knowledge between partners. One area which is crucial to effective joined-up working is how data is shared between partners, both nationally, regionally and at a local level.
Research has revealed that there is considerable diversity in the quality and quantity of data which is effectively shared between organisations across the country who are engaged in public service delivery. Fears around legal rights/responsibilities and civil liberties have hampered effective data-sharing (particularly at a local level) and there is a clear need to improve understanding around the legalities and benefits of effective data-sharing practice.
You can probably think of ways in which you could improve the effectiveness of data-sharing in your area - in ways which improve quality of life for the neighbourhoods you serve whilst preserving the privacy of individuals who the data often represents.
Data Sharing Resources
The Cabinet Office are currently running a one year committee (until Feb 2007) called MISC31 which is investigating data-sharing issues across the UK and preparing guidance to help improve how data is shared across public services. SELDSW presented a briefing to MISC31 based on interviews and messages from the south west intelligence community.
Download SELDSW Briefing on Data-Sharing Issues in the South West here
The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) have produced some basic guidance around data-sharing which can be downloaded here.
Download the NRU Guide to Data-Sharing here
DfES Information Sharing Guidance
The Department for Education & Skills (DfES) have produced a practitioners' guide for information sharing as part of their Every Child Matters/Change for Children resources. View the information sharing guidance.
It includes a practitioners guide, guidance on legal issues and some case examples.
- Download the DfES information sharing practitioners' guide
- Download the DfES information sharing guide to legal issues
- Download the DfES information sharing case examples
Through the implementation of the governments' Change for Children /Every Child Matters agenda
(www.everychildmatters.gov.uk),
many local areas have improved provision for better sharing of information around children. Often, areas have produced guidance such as this example from Bristol:
Download Bristol's children information sharing guide
Improvement & Development Agency (I&DeA) Guidance
The I&DeA have produced various useful resources around data-sharing including sample protocols and guidance for local authorities and data-protection officers. They also provide examples of places where partners have begun to systematically share performance information with each other and a useful briefing on the benefits of and issues surrounding knowledge management.
- View Data Sharing Guidance resource
- Download the sample protocol
- Sharing Performance Information
- Download a briefing on Knowledge management
Legal Guidance
The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) have produced a toolkit on data-sharing and a legal guidance document for the public sector which can be downloaded here:
Local Regeneration Information System (LRIS)
One clearly successful approach to facilitating and organising data-sharing on a local level is through the establishment of some kind of information system. In 2006, the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) commissioned some important research which for the first time, reviewed the range of different information systems across the country which support regeneration delivery at a neighbourhood level. In June 2006 a group of information system managers from across England came together to discuss their experiences in establishing, developing and maintaining such information systems. Small group discussions during this workshop identified 80 tips for success and 39 barriers to system development which can be downloaded here:
Download the LRIS tips and barriers document
Tips for Improving Data-Sharing in Partnerships
The following suggestions for Local Strategic Partnerships have been developed based on research carried out for the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit 'Research Report 18: 'Data Sharing for Neighbourhood Renewal: Lessons from the North West'
Key messages for LSPs:
(For those in strategic leadership roles)
- Take a strategic view of data for performance improvement, identifying future requirements for data access and quality to underpin strategic decision-making, service improvement, tracking of neighbourhood change, robust performance management and public accountability
- Help create the conditions for more effective data sharing: argue the case for more joined-up approaches to performance management and the use of evidence; foster a 'can do' approach; and promote local good practice in data sharing and analysis
- Appreciate the high level issues relating to data sharing and data protection - including powers under administrative law relating to public bodies and the scope for lawful sharing under the DPA. Consider adopting a high level data sharing protocol for those in delivery and analytical roles
Key messages for LSPs:
(For those in delivery and analytical roles)
- Invest time in building relationships with partner agencies, in ways which will build the mutual understanding and trust necessary for successful data sharing. Behave in ways which give others confidence in the integrity of your use of data (eg. in consulting data sources on use of the data supplied; ensuring data quality standards are maintained in one's own organisation)
- Ensure that you - and your partners - understand the legal basis for data sharing, including the specific powers which apply in any given context
- Develop capabilities in negotiating and persuading: understand how to make the business case for ICT and other developments which will strengthen data quality; appreciate the concerns of other parties and put forward compelling cases for data sharing - and develop these skills as part of wider skill sets for multi-agency project working (including, eg. change management and stakeholder analysis)
- Make the most of opportunities for co-location, secondments and 'hot desk' arrangements
- Develop action-oriented information sharing task groups, to plan improvements in data quality and access and act on local data sharing barriers (eg. agreeing common definitions and boundaries; assessing software which can enable anonymised sharing of data)
- Formulate specific protocols to strengthen data sharing arrangements (where warranted) and ensure that all staff involved understand the rationale and their personal responsibilities
- Plan ahead in setting up data gathering systems: build in consent requirements to cross-agency access, for stated purposes, and flag possible future uses
- Explore scope for greater collaboration in research and analytical practices (across themes, across areas)
- Keep up-to-date on national developments which offer potential for improving data access and data sharing, especially relating to local e-Government and Neighbourhood Statistics
Key Messages for Government Office South West (GOSW)
- Promote collaborative approaches to surveys, data methods and data access. Explore with the Regional Intelligence Community (South West Intelligence Group, South West Observatory) how this can be facilitated.
- Promote connections across government policy areas which can reinforce the case for LSP partners giving higher priority to improving data quality and sharing (eg. through Supporting Evidence for Local Delivery, e-Government Group, the Local Government Capacity Building programme, and the ChangeUp programme for voluntary and community sector infrastructure)
- Ask questions in LSP performance reviews which challenge partners on how they are seeking to improve data quality and data sharing as an element in developing a performance culture
- Strengthen in-house ability to alert and signpost partnerships to developments in data sharing and in local intelligence systems
Home Office review of GIS-based information sharing systems
GIS-based information sharing systems have been implemented in many of England and Wales' Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). This review of systems identifies how these systems can be best used to support the business functions of CDRPs and the lessons learned from existing systems, and notes common weaknesses across the systems. It also sets out guidelines on how they should be further developed. At present there are over 20 major systems distributed across England and Wales. A representative sample of ten systems was reviewed.
Download the Home Office review of GIS-based information sharing systems
Some commentators are concerned that data which is collected using public funds is not made more freely available. The Guardian newspaper have even started a lobbying campaign on this issue.
View the Guardian's FREE OUR DATA campaign here www.freeourdata.org.uk
