FOI request details

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Request

Subject: Data linkage practices

Reference: WBC-FOI-00780

I would like to submit a freedom of information request regarding your council's data linkage practices. Data linkage (also known as matching, entity resolution or record linkage) is the process of joining data sets through deciding whether two records, in the same or different data sets, belong to the same entity (Harron et al., 2016).

1. Do you currently link your education and social care data for children and young people?

Y/N/in development

2. Which of your datasets are you linking? please state all the apply

School census

Children in Need (CiN) census

Children looked after return SSDA903 data collection

Other (please specify)

3. Which groups of children and young people do you link data on? Select all that apply

Children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Children in Need

Children looked after (care experienced)

Children and young people on Free School Meals

All children and young people

Other (please specify)

4. How are you using the linked data?

Strategic planning

Data dashboard

Joint commissioning

Service review

Targeted interventions (individuals)

Other (please specify)

We aren't using linked data

6. Do you currently link local authority data sets for children and young people with health data sets? Y/N/in development

7. Which health data sets are you linking with education and or social care? Select all that apply

Primary care (GP data)

Community Services Data Set (CSDS)

Secondary care (CAMHS)

Children and Young Peoples Service (CYPS)

Accident and Emergency data

Secondary Uses Services (SUS) also known as HES (Hospital Episode Statistics)

Community Services Datasets (CSDS)

Child Health Records

Deaths

Births

Other (please specify)

Response

Full Disclosure - 15 March 2023

Request for Information - WBC-FOI-00780 - Data linkage practices

I refer to your request for information received on 15 February 2023. Please see the information below in response to your request: -

1. Do you currently link your education and social care data for children and young people?

Yes, we match across both education and social care datasets.

2. Which of your datasets are you linking? Please state all the apply.

We link the data when there is a need to do so and can include the following data sets:

  • Children in Need Census

  • SSDA903 Children Looked After return

  • Ofsted Fostering return

  • School Census return

  • Alternative Provision Census

  • SEN2

  • Early Years Census

  • EHE and CME

  • Housing data - temporary accommodation

  • Pupil assessment/test data

    3. Which groups of children and young people do you link data on? Select all that apply.

  • Children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities

  • Children open to social care including CIN, CPP, CLA and Care Leavers

  • Children attending school

  • Children Suspended and excluded

  • Children eligible for Free School Meals

  • Children known to social care and the Youth Justice Service

  • Child and young people's ethnicities for EDI monitoring

    4. How are you using the linked data?

    Data matching takes place to identify individuals that appear across multiple cohorts to support the following:

  • Strategic and forward planning

  • Further development of performance dashboards

  • Joint commissioning

  • Service reviews

  • Targeted interventions (individuals)

  • EDI monitoring

  • FOIs

    6. Do you currently link local authority data sets for children and young people with health data sets?

    No.

    7. Which health data sets are you linking with education and or social care? Select all that apply

    N/A

    I hope this information meets your needs. If you do not understand the information provided or wish to discuss anything further, please feel free to contact us.

    Please note, all material provided by the Council in response to your request for information is for your personal, non-commercial use. The Council reserves all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised copying or adaptation of the information without express written confirmation from The Council may constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this information commercially may require consent. Please forward any requests for re-use of information to the FOI officer.

    If you are dissatisfied with the information provided in relation to your request, you may make representations to the Information and Transparency Manager. Any such request for an internal review should be made within 40 days from today's date. Correspondence should be addressed to: FOIW@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

    If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision at: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

    Regards,

    FOI and DPA Officer

    FOIW@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Please note that our responses were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of release, and have not subsequently been updated. This information should be considered an historical record only.