Research Using Administrative Data to Support the Work of the Expert Panel on Modernising Child, Youth and Family (AP 16/03)

Abstract

This paper sets out the findings from three studies that were undertaken to support the work and analysis of the Expert Panel on Modernising Child, Youth and Family. The studies provide new insights into both the extent of contact with Child, Youth and Family, outcomes for children and young people who have contact with the agency and some of the associated long-term fiscal costs.

The studies were undertaken using newly linked administrative data. The first study was conducted in early 2015 and used the Integrated Child Dataset. The other two studies were undertaken later in 2015 and used the Integrated Data Infrastructure.

As well as providing important new findings, the studies also demonstrate the future potential for using new linked administrative data to understand child and youth development and informing the design and delivery of effective services for vulnerable children and their families.

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Analytical Paper are strictly those of the author(s). They do not necessarily reflect the views of the New Zealand Treasury, Statistics New Zealand or the New Zealand Government. The New Zealand Treasury and the New Zealand Government take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in, or for the correctness of, the information contained in this Analytical Paper.

The results in this report are not official statistics - they have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) managed by Statistics New Zealand.

Access to the anonymised data used in this study was provided by Statistics NZ in accordance with security and confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act 1975. Only people authorised by the Statistics Act 1975 are allowed to see data about a particular person, household, business or organisation, and the results in this paper have been confidentialised to protect these groups from identification.

Careful consideration has been given to the privacy, security and confidentiality issues associated with using administrative and survey data in the IDI. Further detail can be found in the privacy impact assessment for the Integrated Data Infrastructure available from www.stats.govt.nz.

The results are based in part on tax data supplied by Inland Revenue to Statistics NZ under the Tax Administration Act 1994. This tax data must be used only for statistical purposes, and no individual information may be published or disclosed in any other form or provided to Inland Revenue for administrative or regulatory purposes.

Any person who has had access to the unit-record data has certified that they have been shown, have read and have understood section 81 of the Tax Administration Act 1994, which relates to secrecy. Any discussion of data limitations or weaknesses is in the context of using the IDI for statistical purposes and is not related to the data's ability to support Inland Revenue's core operational requirements.