Ministry of Justice Data First team wins award for outstanding collaboration across government and academia

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First team has been awarded the Analysis in Government Collaboration Award by the Analysis Function at the Office for National Statistics. The award recognises outstanding collaboration both across and beyond government boundaries in delivering impactful analysis. Data First is an ambitious and pioneering data-linking programme led by the MoJ and funded by ADR UK.

Data First harnesses the potential of the wealth of data already created by MoJ by linking administrative datasets from across the justice system and beyond. The team has shared nine linked datasets with academic researchers and built partnerships across academia and government to create new and unique opportunities for analysis for policy insights.

To date, Data First has facilitated over 40 research projects addressing priorities for evidence-based policymaking as set out in MoJ’s Areas of Research Interest, including via several cohorts of funded fellowships in partnership with ADR UK. These fellowships have led to a wide range of impact across policy and practice. They include projects such as Dr Katie Hunter’s, who used the Ministry of Justice – Department for Education linked dataset to provide insights into how social care and offending intersect, as reported by The Guardian.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician and Head of the Government Analysis Function, featured in a video to congratulate the team:

Richard Price, Director General of Performance, Strategy and Analysis at Ministry of Justice, said: “We are delighted to receive this Analysis in Government Collaboration Award. It reflects our commitment to working in partnership to maximise the use of our data and deliver powerful new insights for decision-making at MoJ. We are very proud that Data First has been recognised as an outstanding example of what can be achieved when we collaborate with partners across and beyond government boundaries, and are grateful for ADR UK’s continued investment and support.”

A full list of the winners and runners-up will be published on the Analysis Function website on Tuesday 23 January. The Analysis Function is also launching the new People’s Choice Award, for which more details will be published on their website next week.

Learn more about ADR UK Research Fellowships using MoJ Data First linked datasets

• The first users of the Data First magistrates’ and Crown Court linked datasets
• Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education linked datasets fellowships
• The first users of the Data First probation and criminal justice linked datasets
• Understanding experiences of the family justice system

The MoJ Data First datasets are available to apply to access from the ONS Secure Research Service. You can find out more on the ADR UK Data Catalogue or the ADR UK flagship datasets pages.