SLC Statistics: User Engagement Strategy
Updated 28 November 2024
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This page was last updated/reviewed on 28 November 2024.
1. Introduction
The Student Loans Company (SLC) in compliance with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics has been charged with the duty to ‘give users of statistics and citizens confidence that published government statistics have public value, are high quality, and are produced by people and organisations that are trustworthy’.
Users of statistics and data should be at the centre of statistical production; their needs should be understood, their views sought and acted on, and their use of statistics supported.
SLC engages with users and potential users of statistics to help us:
- shape new and existing statistical products and services
- gather and share feedback and expertise
- ensure we are responsive to emerging and urgent needs
- identify and fill gaps in knowledge and evidence
This ensures our new and refined statistical products and services:
- are relevant, fit for purpose and help answer people’s questions
- make a real contribution to our better understanding of the world
- instil confidence and deliver maximum impact and value to the user
- empower better evidence-based decision-making
2. Approach for the Engagement
Identifying the users of the statistics and how the statistics are being used.
User: A user of statistics can be any person or organisation whose work, actions or decisions are influenced by official statistics or by messages derived from statistical data.
Potential User: This can be any person or organisation who might be influenced by the statistics.
Based on these definitions, we are able to identify our Users and Potential Users. These identified Users were divided into two groups: the Internal and External Users.
Internal Users comprise of the employees within Student Loans Company departments; Corporate Communications, Data Centre of Excellence and Freedom of Information team, etc. This group uses the statistics to answer questions from the public, media, government agencies, parliamentary questions and research groups.
The External Users include our stakeholders (which include Government Administrations, Universities and funding bodies) press, journalists, researchers / academics, students and parents. The external group uses the statistics for research purposes and awareness.
3. Modes of Engagement
SLC’s user engagement activity is performed on an ongoing basis and varies depending on the purpose for the engagement. Modes include:
- Announcements on SLC statistics gov.uk page.
- Working directly with the stakeholders to ensure they are fully understood, and they are considered in the decision making of publications.
- User engagement where users can get the opportunity to review the current statistical publications and provide feedback on new proposals for future releases.
- Email notifications relating to specific statistical publications, future publication, pre- announcements etc.
- Contact email address provided for queries, complaints or feedback on our SLC statistics gov.uk page.