data for policy makers

Data for policy makers

Stories from building and using the

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tom Smith

Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI)

[email protected]

@_datasmith

www.ocsi.co.uk

Tom Smith, OCSI | www.ocsi.co.uk | @ocsi_uk | 01273 810 270

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.twitter.com/_datasmith

http://www.ocsi.co.uk/

OCSI who?

• Improving local services through data and analysis

– Oxford University ‘spin-out’ 2004

– Worked with >200 public and community sector organisations

• Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015

• Tools to support local services & research teams

– Data Packs – Hampshire, Trafford & systems for >50 LAs

– Local Insight, Planning4care, Social Impact

– First government open data catalogue (Data4nr.net)

• Analysis and research projects

• Open data support – ODUG, Environment Agency


Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

Visualisation and data stories

www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/mar/29/indices-multiple-deprivation-poverty-england

• Solving a recognised problem …

where are the areas with highest need

• Transparent & trusted methodology

– Consultations. Open data and methodology

• > £1 billion per year.

– Openly reusable by any organisation

– Local and national government. Charities. Housing

Associations. Football Association. Health researchers.


The data you need

is not always under the street light

Indices of Deprivation data sources


Estimating mental health ‘need’

• No single indicator of mental health need captured the

issues we wanted to cover


Hospital

admissions

GP

prescribing

DWP

benefitsSuicides

Mental health indicator

Estimating mental health ‘need’

• No single indicator of mental health need captured the

issues we wanted to cover

• Basket of indicators was used

– Combination of data sources > sum of the parts

• Mixture of open data & data from closed sources

– Not all valuable data is going to be open, eg sensitive benefits

and health statistics

• Finding the right data = detective work and sometimes

data licensing

– Search out (or construct) data that’s not under a street light


Engaging and helping users

to reuse your data

Maximising reuse / impact of the IMD

• Consultations with (potential) users – online &

workshops

• Technical report – how the data was constructed,

design choices etc

• Research report – examples of analysis, and

examples of how data used

• Guidance on how-to use, FAQs for users

• National Statistic – publication date announced one

month in advance


BBC news 30th September 2015


National and local media …


Local authorities and services reusing …


Research & analysis


Resource targeting & funding


So what was the impact?

• Most visits to govt statistic page – 36,000 in Oct 2015

• National & local media picking up headline messages

– #1 story on BBC media when launched

• Local authorities and services quickly reusing

• Researchers picking up messages for policy makers

• Resource targeting and funding

• Perhaps >£1 billion per year focused using the IMD

• http://indicesofdeprivation.co.uk/ and @indices2015


http://indicesofdeprivation.co.uk/

Data for policy makers

Stories from building and using the

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tom Smith

Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI)

[email protected]

@_datasmith

www.ocsi.co.uk


mailto:[email protected]

https://www.twitter.com/_datasmith

http://www.ocsi.co.uk/

Image credits

• Neon open sign photo – Martin Alvarez Espinar http://bit.ly/1hDqoVv

• Overflowing – zoetnet http://bit.ly/1gcomzw

• Closed – Steve Snodgrass http://bit.ly/1edkGih

• All Access – Rebecca Siegel http://bit.ly/1gPg1h2

• John Wanamaker, Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wanamaker#mediaviewer/File:John

_Wanamaker.jpg

• Icons – The Noun Project http://thenounproject.com


http://bit.ly/1hDqoVv

http://bit.ly/1gcomzw

http://bit.ly/1edkGih

http://bit.ly/1gPg1h2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wanamaker

http://thenounproject.com/

data for policy makers

Data & Analytics