Partnership Action for Continuing Employment - partnership data sharing: project report

Appendix 3: Stage 1 Topic Guide

PACE Partnership – Data Sharing (Stage 1)

Aims and Objectives (for reference only – do not read out)

We need to assess the extent to which PACE delivery partners are supportive of customer data sharing and if so, what data they feel able to share and the barriers, challenges, legal/technical/governance issues may need to be overcome to implement effective data sharing. Overall objectives of this work are to:

• Ascertain the views and level of commitment of PACE delivery partners to establishing a formal PACE data sharing system
• Identify any barriers that may stand in the way of data sharing
• Identify approx. costs for partners to implement data sharing
• Identify any current data sharing arrangements between the PACE delivery Partners
• Identify what data, if any, is currently held on clients made redundant
• Make recommendations about the feasibility of PACE data sharing and the practical steps needed to implement it.

1. Introduction

Aim: to introduce the research and understand respondent / organisation background

• Introduction to the research and purpose of interview. Paraphrase the following…

The PACE Partnership (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) was established in 2009, bringing together 22 organisations^[27] to ensure joined up re-employment responses to redundancy situations. By providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimize the impact of redundancy on affected individuals.

The current PACE continuous improvement programme includes a resolution to investigate data sharing amongst PACE delivery partners. This is based on the belief that an effective approach to data sharing could support the Scottish Government's PACE policy by achieving a more complete and reliable data set for all partners to use for the benefit of clients.

Rocket Science have been commissioned to ascertain if PACE delivery partners are supportive of customer data sharing and if so, what barriers, challenges, legal/technical/governance issues may need to be overcome to implement effective data sharing.

• Name/s, role/s and responsibilities of participants

2. Overall views

Aim: to ascertain the views and level of commitment to data sharing amongst PACE partners

Hand-Out 1

The PACE continuous improvement programme includes a resolution to investigate data sharing amongst PACE delivery partners. This is based on a belief that an effective approach to data sharing could support the Scottish Government's PACE policy by achieving a more complete and reliable data set for all partners to use for the benefits of clients.

• What are your views on the importance of 'data sharing' amongst Scottish public sector organisations?
  • How important or critical do you feel data sharing is to your organisation?
• Are you aware if your organisation has any specific goals or plans around effective data sharing with partners and other organisations?
• What do you perceive as the benefits of data sharing to your organisation / for PACE Partnership / PACE partners? [e.g. timeliness / personalisation of services]
• What do you perceive as the risks of data sharing to your organisation / for PACE?

3. Services offered

Aim: to establish the range of services offered to PACE clients

• What services do you offer to PACE clients currently?

Hand-Out 2

Are any of the following services offered by your organisation:
Alternative Employment

• Employability advice (including CV production, help with applications etc)
• Career development
• Literacy/numeracy support
• Core skills training
• Vocational training
• Business start-up advice

Income And Money Management

• Benefits advice
• Rights and entitlements advice
• Money advice
• Pensions advice

Well-Being

• Coping with stress
• Mental health and well-being support

[If Applicable] Are the services you offer provided by you or sub-contracted to other organisations?

4. Data collection

Aim: to establish what data is currently collected by PACE partners and how is it used/prioritised

• What data does your organisation currently hold that is relevant to the PACE partnership? [Probe for information about PACE clients, the support you offer them and any information about outcomes related to this, as well as related data eg. employer, supporting data, employment statistics etc…}
  • Why is this data collected?
  • How is this data stored and in what form?
  • How is this data used?
  • How often is this data updated?
  • How would you rate the quality of this data?

Hand-Out 3

• [If Not Already Mentioned] Is any of the following data collected:

for individuals supported by PACE:

• Criteria for classifying an individual as a PACE client (e.g. under threat of redundancy or in receipt of PACE services)
• Flagging of PACE clients on your organisational database/s
• Unique identifiers e.g. National Insurance / candidate numbers etc… (if not, how do they identify repeat clients)
• Client demographics e.g. gender, age, DoB, ethnicity, residence
• Client postcode
• Client employment history (employer/s)
• Client skills, qualifications and experience
• Client benefits/UC/housing history (DWP & LA)
• Client Tax records (HMRC)
• Redundancy arrangements
• PACE interventions e.g. presentations, training, alternative employment
• Monitoring PACE client progression e.g. through training or in new roles
• Monitoring outcomes e.g. no's on training, in jobs, sustainability met etc…
• Estimate of time spent on PACE activities with supported businesses
• Data protection/sharing arrangements (e.g. sign-off on data sharing by PACE clients)
• PACE client feedback information
• Other data related to PACE individuals?

for businesses supported by PACE:

• Data held about businesses who have received PACE support from your organisation (e.g. a record of name, address, key contacts, details of services provided etc...
• Estimate of time spent on PACE activities with supported businesses
• Data protection/sharing arrangements (e.g. sign-off on data sharing by PACE co's)
• Other data related to PACE businesses?

for intelligence about redundancies:

• Local sources of intelligence about redundancies used by your organisation to identify/engage PACE clients (e.g. local newspapers)
• Information gathered on additional services or funding (e.g. for training and qualifications)
• Management information gathered to monitor your performance with PACE clients
• Other data related to PACE intelligence?

[For Above - Repeat Questons On Why Data Is Collected etc…]

• Are there any other types of data you would like to have/collect?
  • What software system/s are used to hold/analyse the data you collect?
  • What types of output can these systems generate eg. reports, excel, csv files
• Are your systems considered compatible with other systems eg. internally, during data sharing?

5. Data sharing - examples of data sharing arrangements

Aim: to understand partners experience of data sharing and how this has worked / not worked

• To what extent is the data you collect on PACE clients shared with all / some PACE partners?
  • If there is data sharing, what data is shared with who and how is this done?
• How do partners know what you are doing for PACE clients?
• How do you know what other partners are doing for PACE clients?
• Have you been involved in any data sharing arrangements with other organisations eg. outside PACE– in past, currently, or planned for future?
  • Please provide an overview of this/these data sharing arrangements
  • Why did this/these data sharing arrangements happen e.g. what were the objectives / perceived benefits?
  • What worked well / less well e.g. were the perceived benefits realised? Were there IT/compatibility issues?
  • How long have/did these data sharing arrangements been/stay?
  • Have these data sharing arrangements been reviewed?
  • Have this/these data sharing arrangements been repeated?
  • How much did this/these data sharing arrangements cost e.g. financially or in terms of time/resources?
  • What lessons were learned for future data sharing initiatives?
• Have you explored any other data sharing arrangements? If so:
  • What has this involved?
  • How effective has this been?
• What obstacles or challenges have been encountered?
• What difference would these other data sharing arrangements make:
  • To your organisation
  • To the PACE clients you work with
• Can you think of any other data sharing arrangements that would:
  • Benefit your organisation?
  • Benefit the PACE clients your work with?

6. Barriers (and how to overcome them)

Aim: to understand perceptions of barriers to PACE data sharing and how they could be overcome

• Are there barriers to your organisation sharing data with PACE partners?
  • If yes, what are these?
  • How could these barriers be overcome?

Hand-Out 4

[If Not Already Mentioned] Are any of the following barriers to effective data sharing with PACE partners (and if yes, how could these be overcome):

• Infrastructure requirements e.g. equipment, software, licences
• Technical incompatibilities e.g. different systems
• Variations in data recording methods
• Cultural resistance eg. amongst staff
• Legal considerations eg. data protection/GDPR considerations
• Issues with secure data transfer
• Variations in unique identifiers used
• Others?

Which of these barriers:

• Can be overcome most easily / cost/time effectively?
• Are longer term, costlier to address?

7. Implementation - feasibility and practical steps

Aim: to gather advice and suggestions for practical steps involved in data sharing

• What understood by 'data sharing' within the PACE partnership context?
  • Is it sharing data between individual partners?
  • Is it sharing data in a centralised database across all partners?
  • What is good data sharing from your point of view eg. benefits, ease-of-use
• Thinking about our conversation on data collection, what data would you:
  • Be interested in sharing with PACE partners?
  • Be able (allowed) to share with PACE partners?
  • Be interested in receiving from PACE partners?
• How could this data be shared e.g. practically, with PACE partners
  • Is it supplying aggregate data?
  • Is it a dual entry/access platform?
  • Is secure data transfer for all partners a viable option?
• Does the method of data sharing affect what you can /can't share e.g. legalities, technical limitations
• Is there a difference between what you'd like to share and what you can share? If so, please explain what this/these differences are and why it/they exist
• Are there assurances / legal steps that would help your organisation share data with PACE partners e.g. data sharing agreements, retaining overall control of your data etc.
• What would be the key steps in effective data sharing with PACE partners?
  • Which of these are essential and which are optional?
  • Which of these are immediate priorities and which are medium/long term?
• Would the data sharing we have discussed:
  • Improve the quality of the data you hold? If so, how?
• Bring any efficiencies eg. reduce the need for data collection, reduce burden on PACE clients for data supply

8. Costs (financial and resources)

Aim: to understand partner's perceptions of the cost and resourcing involved in PACE data sharing

• Thinking of the key steps in effective data sharing with PACE partners, how much would it cost or take to resource these steps eg. approx. £ or staffing requirements [Probe Fully. Highlight Key Steps Mentioned. If Relevant, Ask Participant To Draw On Previous Examples Of Data Sharing. Ask Them To Think About Any Software, Equipment, It Changes Or Sub-Contracting That Might Be Involved, Or To Quantify Staff Costs In Some Way Eg. Pro Rata / Secondment Periods etc...]

9. Final thoughts

Aim: to gather any final comments and identify most important points

• Any other comments interviewee/s would like to make on PACE data sharing
• Revisit main points relating to overall views, barriers and implementation steps/advice