1. User engagement: English Indices of Deprivation 2015 RSS Stats User Forum 27th March 2017
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the Indices of Deprivation 2015 in September 2015
The work was conducted by Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI)
NatCen Social Research assisted with user engagement for the update
Baljit Gill, DCLG and Kirby Swales, NatCen

2. Why engage users?
Inform business case – who uses the Indices, how and why
Review the methodology and indicators
invite ideas eg what new data sources are there
test specific proposals
explore appetite for change
Improve dissemination and guidance
How well are the outputs understood?
How easily accessed?
What more information can we share
How can we reduce simple queries

3. Engagement Plan Learning from user queries
DCLG Statistics User Engagement Day
GSS Methodology Advisory Committee: response to paper
LGA and PHE use cases
Government statisticians use cases
Project Board and Advisory Group (central and local government and other interest groups Inc VCS)
Poverty and Inequality Statistics User Forum
Engagement embedded into development and delivery of the Indices contract– appointed OCSI with NatCen
Government consultation
Monitor feedback, queries, analytics

4. How was the user engagement done
Pre-consultation Survey
User Events
Formal consultation survey

5. Pre-consultation survey
Questionnaire
Type of user
Type and examples of use
Versions of IMD used
Ease of use and Access
Closed and open questions
248 submissions a – a good response!
Key learning: sample frames, questionnaire design, organisation vs individual responses, confidentiality, analysis of verbatim text
Good response reflects well on IMD or the method.

6. User events - agenda

7. Findings from user survey, July 2014
Aim 1) What the data is used for, how it is accessed and how well it is understood
Aim 2) Invite ideas for updating and strengthening the Indices
248 fully completed responses: 2/3 of submissions from Local Authorities, followed by central government departments/arm’s length bodies (10 per cent).
63% use Indices data ‘very often’
78% use , or have used, multiple years of Indices data
69% use more than one of the Indices (IMD, IDACI and IDAOPI)
Most use LSOA (94%) and LA level data (78%)
It is used for multiple and varied purposes
User survey… Summer 2014
Received 236 fully completed interviews
Data users predominantly held research and analysis roles within their organisations (64 per cent). Many of the remaining contributors were split between policy (5 per cent); information management (5 per cent); service management (4 per cent); and academic (4 per cent) roles. Three per cent of submissions were made collectively by organisations.
Two-thirds of submissions came from Local Authorities (67 per cent), followed by central government departments or arm’s length bodies (10 per cent). The remaining responses came from a variety of different organisations

8. User events – key points
Format includes presentation and group discussions. About 50 at each event. Don’t under-estimate event planning
Lots of ‘rich’ material generated:
Need for non-technical guidance and summaries
Need to access spreadsheets and underlying data
Sharing of information on tools and resources
Advice on using data, especially changes over time and aggregating geographies
Continuity and change
“Getting the best measure of deprivation at any one point in time is better than sticking with it [previous approach for continuity]. But too far to the right [a radical vision for change] is throwing everything up in the air”
Frequency of updates and issues with measurement (e.g. Universal Credit). Possible new data sources
IN SUMMARY, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET USERS
Almost all people turned up

9. What worked well: each element has strengths
Examples of uses help make the case - including £ involved
Embedding engagement into development work (within a contract) combines expertise and brings meaningful engagement at pace
Surveys allow more open and inclusive user engagement in the early stages of development – rather than wait for formal consultation stage
Helps to have a good user list
One survey can pitch to general and very technical audience
You can present a technical paper within it and invite ideas
Nice to be able to quantify eg the majority find Indices easy to use (90%) and easy to interpret (83%)
Formal consultation is important; gives balance but options offered are limited
Face to face is invaluable:
people seem to like a chance to hear about/discuss upcoming consultation
producers are more available to users, and should get out of London
understand the issues users face, gives colour to survey and consultation
gives good grasp of how to improve outputs eg make more accessible, clear, easy to use. Could test examples.
understand appetite for future development and priorities – more blue skies
What is also needed is to maintain the momentum
Look for ways to keep the user list active
Keep building use cases
Though tend to have a fallow period with this kind of product

10. The Index of Multiple Deprivation measures relative deprivation at neighbourhood level

11. How can the Indices be used?

12. Indices of Deprivation Explorer http://dclgapps. communities. gov

13. Links and register to receive updates
English Indices of Deprivation 2015 published September
(See FAQs for links to mapping tools/resources)
More about the Indices including previous versions
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