Inclusive Data Principle 3: Coverage
About Principle 3: Ensure that all groups are robustly captured across key areas of life in UK data and review practices regularly.
There are 70 commitments under Principle 3, the highest compared to the other Principles. Figure 4 shows the distribution of the commitments by their RAG status. 80% of commitments were green or complete (47% and 33% respectively). 14% of commitments in this Principle are red, which is high compared to the other Principles and can be linked generally to changing departmental priorities. Below we describe a project by Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to release additional information alongside Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (HCLIC) publications.
Figure 4: RAG status of all 70 IDTF commitments under Inclusive Data Principle 3
Case study: New flows tables subgroups within Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (HCLIC) statistical releases, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Commitment:
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have produced a range of new outputs from the statutory homelessness dataset (HCLIC) to meet user needs around the flows through the system of specific subgroups, including rough sleepers and those aged 18-20 leaving custody and care. User needs will be reviewed in advance of the next publication to ensure reporting reflects groups that are the highest priority.
The MHCLG releases annual statistics on statutory homelessness assessments and activities in England, known as HCLIC publications, which provides information about those who local authorities have a duty to accommodate as they are homeless through no fault of their own, eligible for assistance, and have a ‘priority need’. These releases provide information on demographics including age, ethnicity and employment status, to enable analysis of the data by sociodemographic background.
Regular user engagement and feedback enables MHCLG to be aware of changing user needs. Statistical products are updated to ensure timely and appropriate statistics are reported by updating data collection through new options and questions in the data specification.
These reporting requirements are validated through new burdens assessments and Central Local Authority Partnership (CLIP-H) meetings with local authority representatives where feedback is provided on the ease with which these changes can be implemented. Policy colleagues and advisers are engaged with regularly to ensure the products are fit for purpose, and views from general users of statistics are welcomed through the mailbox and surveys.
To ensure that the diverse needs of a range of users are taken into account in data collection and reporting activities, a range of new outputs have been produced as part of the 2022-23 release. Flows tables, which explore the flow of households through homelessness duties and their outcomes, now include cohorts of households with physical ill-health and disabilities, learning disabilities, and access to asylum support. This will enable more in-depth analysis of outcomes by circumstance and comparison across multiple areas of disadvantage.
Going forwards, MHCLG plan to review the user requirements associated with the dataset and additional interests of stakeholders for potential new cohorts to include in the 2023-2024 annual publication.
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