Develop and use data analytics tools in children's social care
How local authorities can develop, use and improve data analytics tools in children's social care.
Applies to England
This guidance outlines the process which children’s services teams should follow when you develop and use data analytics tools.
Data analytics tools help you to:
- analyse large quantities of data
- draw conclusions from the data to support decision-making
Learn about data analytics
Senior leaders who are responsible for the provision of services and care should read our .
Before teams start developing tools, leaders should understand:
- the benefits and risks of using data analytics tools in children’s social care
- what responsible innovation means
- the process which teams should follow
Data practitioners supporting children’s services may also find this introduction useful, if they have not developed data analytics before.
Assess and reduce your exposure to risk
Data practitioners should use the to:
- identify the specific risks which their project faces
- inform how they respond to or reduce those risks
Complete the ethics triage before development begins on all data analytics projects.
Get support from:
- information governance teams, for support and advice on the safe and responsible use of data
- oversight or scrutiny groups
Oversight or scrutiny groups are panels of:
- senior leaders
- child and family practitioners
- technical experts
They can challenge, advise and give feedback.
Develop your tool
Those creating data analytics tools will include:
- data and performance analysts
- information managers
- business intelligence developers
Use our to:
- understand how to follow an agile development cycle
- get practical guidance for every step of the process
Using agile methods will mean you:
- build quickly
- test and improve what you have built in cycles
Assess and reduce risk during development
Respond to the questions in our at the end of each phase of the project.
An internal or independent scrutiny group should review the responses.
This is to assess how teams are addressing ethical considerations.
Get support from information governance teams, or oversight or scrutiny groups. These are the same teams who can support on the ethics triage.
Respond to common challenges
Use our .
You will need to:
- engage with social care practitioners and families
- communicate transparently about what the tool does and the data it uses
- store, share and use your data effectively
- make sure data is fit for purpose
- reduce bias
- assess how well your tools are working, and how to improve them
Senior leaders must make sure there is accountability for decisions.
Commissioners and procurement officers must make sure procurement meets teams’ needs.
Get support and give feedback
Contact rtau@dsit.gov.uk to:
- discuss opportunities to work together
- get support on using the guidance
- give feedback