Criminal justice social work statistics in Scotland: 2013-14

Annex A Sources of information and data quality

A.1 The annual aggregate CJS return for local authority criminal justice social work services was introduced for 1999-00 and covered social enquiry reports, community service and probation orders. The content and format of the return has changed over time to reflect new developments and an increasing demand for information, as well as clarify points of definition in relation to particular data items. Additional items include:

• supervised attendance orders (2000-01)
• throughcare (statutory post release supervision) (2001-02)
• diversion from prosecution (2001-02)
• drug treatment and testing orders (2003-04, removed from 2012-13 onward)
• bail information (2003-04)
• voluntary assistance/throughcare (2004-05)
• court services (2004-05)
• throughcare addiction service (2005-06)
• community payback orders (2011-12, removed from 2012-13 onward)

A.2 Data for community payback and drug treatment and testing orders has been collected at unit level for each order since 2012-13. The aim of this change was to be able to analyse the process and outcomes for individual orders, which is not feasible through a collection of aggregate tables. While only 29 of the 32 Scottish local authorities were able to provide the CPO unit level data in 2012-13, all 32 did so in 2013-14. In both years, some local authorities were not able to supply all the variables requested. As a result, some tables will include estimates, and such cases will be indicated in the footnotes. With the introduction of the CPO, the aggregate return now includes less information for the legacy orders.

A.3 Changing from aggregate to unit level data collection can result in differences compared to previous years, and comparisons should therefore be made with caution. Comparability will improve over the coming years as the legacy orders are phased out completely.

A.4 As a result of information provided by local authorities with their 2013-14 unit returns, some revisions were made to the 2012-13 data for CPOs and DTTOs. These revisions were mainly a result of:

a. The inclusion of orders which were in existence during the 2012-13 year but which had erroneously not been included in the original 2012-13 data returns, and

b. Some orders which were previously advised in the 2012-13 returns as being in existence at the end of that year but which had actually been completed/ terminated before then.

For new records added to the 2012-13 data as a result, not all information was supplied. As a result, some tables contain a "not known" category for the information in question (e.g. Table 9, CPOs by court type).

A.5 The statistics presented in this bulletin reflect information on criminal justice social work activity in the financial year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014. Figures are extracted from live information management systems and may differ slightly from those published previously as administrative systems are updated.

A.6 Revisions are flagged up in the publication at the time but not in future publications. The live tables, including earlier data at sub-Scotland level, on the Scottish Government crime and justice statistics website may be revised at any point if required, and revisions are highlighted in the relevant table.

A.7 Figures in this bulletin on the number of new orders commenced are not collected on the same basis as those published in the criminal proceedings bulletins. This is due to differences in the unit of analysis (cases versus orders) and criminal proceedings data referring to the court rather than the local authority implementing the order.

A.8 The data obtained from local authorities is considered of good quality as they come from recording systems which the local authorities use for case management and for internal monitoring. However, administrative data of this type will be subject to some degree of error which may arise in any large scale recording system. Therefore the data have been quality assured as far as practicable through a series of validation processes before publication.

A.9 The aggregate return includes electronic checks to notify local authorities of inconsistencies within the data. In the case of substantial changes since the previous year, the local authority is asked to confirm the figures are correct. Once data returns from all authorities have been received, further analysis is carried out to detect any major changes to figures over recent time periods.

A.10 The unit level collections for community payback and drug treatment and testing orders include automatic checks built into the data loading system so that errors in information provided are flagged up at an early stage for correction. The data are checked for consistency by internal statistical administrative staff. Checks are also made to ensure there is consistency between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 data in that any orders which the 2012-13 data is indicating were in existence at the end of that year are accounted for in the 2013-14 submission.

A.11 Additional datasets at local authority level are available on the Scottish Government website. These also show data for community justice authorities. The community justice authority structure is currently under review. A consultation paper on the future model for community justice was published in April 2014. The Scottish Government's response to the consultation is available in the Key Points and Frequently Asked Questions documents published in December 2014.