Engaging with Children

Children’s rights are central to everything that we do with children’s data. We want to make sure that children and young people have a say in how their data is used and communicated. In this new pilot project, ADR Scotland is working in partnership with Children in Scotland to talk with children and young people directly to learn about their views on administrative data, how it is collected, stored and used and to discuss how results of research projects using data are communicated.

Project Focus:

The Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR) is working to embed the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in its work and has a children’s rights approach to its daily practice. In particular, SCADR is committed to children and young people’s right to be heard, informed and involved in how their data is used and shared. This pilot project aims to explore and understand young people’s views about their data to inform future work and ways to develop our engagement with children and young people.

Project details:

Every day, information is collected about the services that children and young people use, such as school and healthcare. This information can be used to help researchers and policymakers understand how to make children and young people’s lives better. In recent years we have seen an increase in engagement with individuals whose data is being used for research purposes. It is important that this engagement is not only with adults, but also includes children and young people’s views and perspectives.

This pilot project consists of a series of workshops with a group of children and young people from across Scotland with a range of ages, experiences, needs, and interests. The five workshops will include discussions around:

• What is data? 
• How is administrative data collected? 
• How do we know if someone is using our data for research?
• How is this data stored, and who can access it? 
• What is administrative data research used for?
• What are the best methods of communication to inform children and young people about how their data is used?

This pilot project has two key objectives: 

1. To inform the conduct of SCADR researchers in how they use and communicate in relation to children and young people’s administrative data.

2. To pilot and develop a process of engagement with children and young people around administrative data in Scotland.

Alongside this project, Children in Scotland will be delivering training to SCADR staff to improve staff knowledge and confidence around children’s rights and the UNCRC.

Project details:

Project leads: Professor Morag Treanor and Dr Robert Porter, Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (ADR Scotland) 

Duration: December – June 2022

This project is funded by ADR Scotland via its core grant from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) as an ADR UK partner.