ADR Wales recognised as data collaboration exemplar in Digital Strategy for Wales
ADR Wales has been recognised as an exemplar for data collaboration in the new Welsh Government Digital Strategy for Wales.
The Strategy, which sets out the roadmap for digital services and inclusion in Wales highlighted the role played by the ADR Wales partnership which brings together Government and academia to provide data driven analysis to areas of Welsh Government policy.
The plan identifies a series of priority areas under six missions which, when taken together, aim to accelerate the benefits of digital innovation for people, public services and business. It is designed to focus change across Wales and brings together the collective efforts of local authorities, academia, community councils, health boards and trusts, education providers, fire and rescue bodies, arms-length bodies, third sector and social partnerships.
We want to improve the services provided by working together and making sure that all data is used and shared effectively
The Digital Strategy for Wales sets out how Wales will design and implement better public services, develop the economy and reduce inequalities. Included in its plan is the mission for the better use of data and collaboration:
“Data underpins everything we do digitally. A key part of our ambition to provide better digital public services has to include the better use of data. It enables responsive and continuous improvement in public services, supports seamless services, enables digital innovation and automation, and informs good decision making.
“We want to improve the services provided by working together and making sure that all data is used and shared effectively, has consistent standards, is protected and gets to where it needs to go. This can include the innovative use of data and data analytics to radically transform the way we deliver public services by delivering new insight. The ADR Wales Partnership has already shown what can be achieved by working together in using data for research. We will champion greater use of data linking and enhance data science capability in the public sector to transform how our information is used for public benefit.”
ADR Wales unites specialists in each field from Swansea University Medical School and the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) at Cardiff University with statisticians, economists and social researchers from Welsh Government.
The data linked and analysed by ADR Wales aims to address the priority areas for action in Wales, as identified in the Welsh Government’s national strategy Prosperity for All. Early years, housing, social care, mental health, wellbeing, skills and employment, and most recently rapid analysis to aid Covid-19 response in Wales, are at the centre of the partnership’s work.
ADR Wales’ work enables Welsh Government to understand far more about the relationship between different areas of service provision and to better understand the experiences of people as they move through different services. This in turn aids the development of better integrated policy to support future generations. ADR Wales builds on a history of using innovative methods and infrastructure to securely link and analyse anonymised data. Previous analysis has contributed to the development, monitoring and evaluation work of Welsh Government policy interventions.