Community Learning Development Resource 301 – 02
FINDING OUT ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES – SOURCES OF FACTS AND FIGURES
SUMMARY
An exploration of a range of statistical and analytical sources in the UK which over the last decade have provided access for workers to local statistics which contribute to their understanding of the nature of the communities they work with. A table: examples of sources of information and data about local communities, households and people.
1. Statistical data sources with analysis and commentary.
SOURCE |
INFORMATION |
| 1991/2001 Census of Population | LatestUKnational census – April 2001 for which figures are available. (See CLD resource 301-09 for details of staged release of data from the 2011 National Census, between 2012 and 2014) |
| District Community Profiles – produced by Local Authorities | In each, the Executive Summary gives key variations.Sections relating to specific Indicators, including household income, ‘the poor’, mortality rates, multiple deprivation, etc. – are qualitatively described, locally identified and mapped. |
| Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 | Ward level scores produced by combining income, employment, health deprivation & disability, education skills & training, housing and geographical access to services data. Nationally comparative within local authority areas, e.g., for Leicestershire most deprived = 1 (North Braunstone = 57) / least deprived = 8414 (Lutterworth,Linden= 8282)Source : DETR. Used in producing District Community Profiles |
| Neighbourhood Statistics | Central Government – ‘the Office for National Statistics (ONS), should pull together ’Neighbourhood Statistics’ into an accessible database, enabling a more tailored and better-monitored response to deprived problem areas. Parallel changes could improve data on ethnic minority disadvantage’. |
| Targeting date | Data assembled by central and local government to aid in the planning of services and developments. Variety of purposes and areas of interest – frequently developed to steer prioritisation and funding arrangements. |
| Major strategic analyses | Planning services and expenditure in relation to the diverse nature of the UK population often is supported by statistical evidence assembled by national government or local government departments – for example Health statistics; Educational attainment data; transport planning data, etc. |
| Commercial and business sector data and analyses | Business sectors and individual companies may engage in research intoUKpopulations in order to shape market and business planning, e.g., the development of major supermarkets or industrial sites. |
2. Networking sources – providers, inter-agency and partnerships
| Guidance – NextStep (Gain) | The collection and sharing of data within the local network of Matrix accredited providers. Assured via a National Guidance Council quality requirement for providers and NextStep partnerships. |
| Employment Services – trainee information ( Job Centre Plus, etc.) | Information and data is shared with training providers and accompanies the movement, progress and referral of trainees within the sector.Commercial sector training providers often rely heavily upon data about potential learners collected and collated by the front line guidance and recruitment services.
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3.Local Surveys
| Provider surveys | Educational providers carry out needs identification and assessment surveys in local areas – a technique rarely used, sometimes triggered by a concern to review and change direction in terms of provision and services or as a feasibility study approach to establishing outreach activity. |
| Outreach activity | The specific methodology for gaining information and data on behalf of providers, which can work at the level of the individual in the community.‘It is difficult to define needs from a remote place. Define them from within the community – from the bottom-up. Knowledge, prior experience and needs should be interpreted and assessed. This is the agenda for the professional’. (NIACE presentation)
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PROMPTS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION:
- What information do you need to begin to identify the local learning needs and priorities for action?
- Are the sources familiar to you and do you know of others?
- Why is it important to have information from as wide a range of sources as possible?