Study highlights statistical variation

A study
of eight local authorities has highlighted reasons for the variance
in council statistics on child protection and looked-after
children.

The
report by London University’s Institute of Education found that
variations had several causes: technical reasons such as poor
recording systems or inaccurate use of statistics; where it was
difficult to have exact figures, such as the large numbers of
asylum-seekers; and questions of interpretation, for example to
what extent ratings in indicators were a true reflection of
services.

Other
causes identified by the report were: policies and staff attitudes;
the extent of inter-agency working; professional expertise and
management skills; and availability of family support services
could have contributed to the variations.

–
Figures and Facts: Local Authority Variance on Indicators
Concerning Child Protection and Children Looked After,
available from 020 7612 6050.