This workshop will introduce participants to the new workforce data site which holds information on the social services sector’s workforce throughout Scotland. It gives an overview of the data available and how to access it and also point participants in the direction of similar useful data sites providing information on population and service users. Contributed by: Scottish Social Services Council

1. Workforce Data: supporting
local and national workforce
planning
Mike Docherty
Intelligence Manager
Edinburgh
18 March 2014

2. Development of data site
Key driver – SSSC approved as an Official Statistics
producer (in June 2012 for annual workforce data
report) and is currently being assessed as a
National Statistics producer (for MHO report).
Code of Practice for Statistics:
Publicise official statistics in ways that enable users to
identify and access information relevant to their needs.
Make access to official statistics as straightforward as
possible by providing easy-to-use entry points.
Ensure that official statistics are disseminated in
forms that enable and encourage analysis and re-use.
Release datasets and reference databases, supported
by documentation, in formats that are convenient to
users.

3. What is available on the
workforce?
“Data” – the raw material gathered.
“Information” – the data cleaned up
and presented in charts, tables etc. –
with limited commentary.
“Intelligence” – the information
contextualised – i.e. made meaningful
in terms of the particular situation and
context it refers to.

4. What is available on the
workforce?
Data gathering
processes:
- SSSC - Census of
local authority social
work services
(LASWS) (approx.
10% of workforce).
- Care Inspectorate –
annual returns of
registered care
services (approx.
90% of workforce)

5. Who provides the data?
32 local
authorities
(SSSC)
13,810
registered
services
(CI)
172,000
individual
employee
records

6. What workforce data are
requested?
Provider data set (e.g. name or
provider and type)
Service data set (e.g. name of
service, postcode and type of
service)
Person data set (e.g. d.o.b.,
gender, ethnicity)
Post data set (e.g. start date in
post, SSSC registration
category, contract type and job
function).
What is in the
core minimum
data set (CMDS)?

7. Data issues & gaps
Not all data
requested have
been published
• providers data
• qualifications
• exit data (impact
on turnover)
Missing
workforce
• PAs
• Non-registered,
non-public
services.
Future work:
• Publish “experimental”
statistics e.g.:
• stability index
• WTE data
• With CI revise 3 data
items – contract type;
working hours pattern;
employee status
• New data items –
country of birth of
migrant workers;
relevant SSSC
registration category.

8. Combining data sets
- Comparing data within a data set can help provide some wider context
to particular stocks and trends within one area/sub-sector etc.
- Value of combining related data from different data sets.
- Criticism of strategic commissioning of services – lack of population
data and understanding of population need.
- Population data - National Records of Scotland – Census data explorer:
http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ods-web/home.html
- workforce size by population (e.g. per 10,000)
- dependency ratio – working age pop.(< 16 + those of retirement
age)
- equalities data – extent to which workforce age, ethnicity, gender
etc. reflects wider population
- carers information (the “unpaid workforce”).

9. Service user and provision data
- No one source and some missing (e.g. adult day care).
- Scottish Government - “Social Care” services (delivered in users’
homes) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/8713
- Scottish Government – Criminal Justice Social Work -
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/1332
- ISD – Care Homes for Adults - http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-
Topics/Health-and-Social-Community-Care/Care-Homes/Census/

10. Service user and provision data
- Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration:
http://www.scra.gov.uk/cms_resources/Online%20annual%20da
shboard%202012-13.swf
- Scottish Government - Children's Social Work Statistics
Statistics on children looked after, child protection and secure
care and close support accommodation
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/03/5229
- Care Inspectorate – childcare statistics
http://www.scswis.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=c
at_view&gid=467&Itemid=100182