Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland: Background Report
This publication provides information on the history and development of the Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Census in local authority schools in Scotland from 2015 to 2022.
Stakeholder engagement
From 2015, stakeholder engagement has been a key element of the development of the HWB Census.
Stakeholder engagement is set out in table 2 below:
Table 2: Timeline of stakeholder engagement
|
Year |
Stakeholder |
Purpose of engagement |
|
2015 |
Health Boards Association for Directors of Public Health Local authorities Improvement Service Education Scotland Alcohol and Drug Partnerships NHS Health Scotland Scottish Government |
To build ownership of the data collection, inform communications, inform the options, inform sample size, inform sample coverage, inform frequency of collection, agree a governance mechanism for development. |
|
2017 |
Local authorities (selected) NHS Health Scotland Scottish Government Improvement Service Health Boards (selected) |
Feasibility study to confirm need for a new data collection. |
|
2018 |
NIF Directors of Education
Health and Wellbeing Census Implementation Group - local authority representation
Health and Wellbeing Content Group - key local authorities, headteachers, health, and research colleagues |
Set out draft plans and sought feedback on a digital census of late primary and secondary pupils, providing school, local authority and national level data.
To work collaboratively to discuss issues in relation to the local implementation of the HWB Census.
To work collaboratively to discuss the topics/themes and subsequent questions for inclusion in the HWB Census.
|
|
2019 |
Health and Wellbeing Census Implementation Group - local authority representation
Health and Wellbeing Content Group - key local authorities, headteachers, health, and research colleagues
Health and Wellbeing Child Protection Issues Group – key local authority representation
Strategic Group |
To work collaboratively to discuss issues in relation to the local implementation of the HWB Census as development and piloting progressed.
To work collaboratively to finalise the topics/themes and questions for inclusion in the HWB Census.
To review the topics/themes and questions included in the questionnaires in relation to whether these would require local authorities to take further action due to child protection concerns.
To review the need for a HWB data collection. |
|
2020 - 2021 |
Local authorities |
To gather views on feasibility of data collection in 2020-21 given the impact of Covid-19 on education and schools, specifically:
|
|
2020 - 2023 |
Health and Wellbeing Census Implementation Group |
Collaborative working forum to support all aspects of implementation (including Data Protection and UK GDPR), and share good practice. |
|
2021 |
Advisory sub-group for education and children’s issues |
Seek approval for approach to and implementation of HWB Census 2021-22. |
|
2021 |
COVID-19 Education Recovery Group (CERG) |
Seek approval for approach to and implementation of HWB Census 2021-22. |
|
2022 - 2023 |
Health and Wellbeing Census Analytical Group |
Collaborative working forum to support local and national analysis, share methodology, data protection, confidentiality, and share good practice. |
In addition to the above, during the development of the HWB Census, the Scottish Government met with the parent group Connect to discuss the proposed HWB Census including; explaining the purpose of the survey, providing an idea of its content, outlining that this would largely be covering the same topics/themes already asked in existing surveys (e.g. HBSC, SALSUS, etc.), and that it would be aiming to include all pupils from certain stages (rather than a small sample) in order to provide evidence at all levels of the system.
Feedback throughout the 2016 to 2022 period informed a number of decisions:
- To increase the stages included from initially three key stages to P7, S2 and S4 to include all stages from P5 – S6.
- Topics included were informed by the data needs of key users of the data. The options appraisal noted a need for a modular approach whereby local authorities could include questions required locally. Key data users including Scottish Government, Health Boards, Local Authorities, headteachers and Public Health researchers informed the questionnaire content.
- The modular approach, to provide local level data primarily, and national level data for Scottish Government use was essential to meeting the wide range of data user needs from a single data collection. The efficiencies of collecting data once and used to meet a range of data needs was seen as essential in reducing burden.
- Structuring the content around the SHANNARI outcomes was considered important in ensuring content covered the breadth of evidence required by local authorities and Scottish Government in meeting their reporting duties.
- The removal or modification of some questions due to them potentially signifying child protection concerns in which local authorities may feel they would need to take action on. This action was to minimise the risk the data collection would raise child welfare concerns and require identification of an individual.
- The move from a single data collection commissioned by the Scottish Government to each local authority collecting their own data and sharing with Scottish Government, addressing the need to reduce the costs of survey fieldwork, finding a solution that offers comparable information together with local flexibility, and timely information for local authorities and their partners.
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