Data to Insight is not a software supplier in the traditional sense -- we're here to help local authority (LA) colleagues get work done and share it with each other. The best thing about Data to Insight is the community of analysts who are doing and sharing great work through this network.
We recognise that different LAs want different levels of engagement with our work. As such, we offer four key collaboration approaches to suit different users’ information needs.
What we do
Data to Insight (D2I) is the sector-led service for local authority children's data professionals.
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With support from DfE, DLUHC, Ofsted and ADCS, links to local authorities and regional networks all over England, and a cross-sector board of non-executive directors, we run a service hosted and led by local authorities to further their children's services data work on a national scale.
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We draw funding from central sources where our goals align with government, in order to ensure that our service is freely available to every local authority, whether or not they are able to directly contribute to our work.
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We work to strict delivery standards to ensure quality and accessibility; most of what we do can be adopted by any local authority without the need for any new software, data processing, or data sharing.
We maintain shared toolkits, support collaborative projects, help build local capabilities, and enable engagement with national partners. We're working to improve the children's services data life-cycle, because converting data to insight is crucial in enabling services to support children.
Economies of scale, at a local level
"For an LA such as ours with a small CSC data team, this would be the opportunity to use a far better tool than we would have time to develop independently."
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By working together, we find the places we can unlock economies of scale, and we deliver tools which enhance the local-level analysis which can't be done without local expertise.
New initiatives to benefit the whole sector
From demand modelling to sector-tailored apprenticeships, from multi-year funded projects to small tweaks of existing tools, our priorities are defined by local authority data professionals.
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We're led by local authorities and we define our goals accordingly.
Advocacy and expertise, nationally
As a dedicated central resource we can help represent local authorities to national data providers, legislators and other stakeholders.
As part of the Children's Services National Performance and Information Management Group, we help find new ways for local knowledge to inform national approaches.
Supported by:
Safely and securely improve and speed up data work
Our in-browser Python data validation approach helps you quickly validate and clean data for key returns like the SSDA903 without having to download software or upload data.
Generate insight and impact decisions with free and open data tools.
Use tools developed by local authority analysts to easily generate impactful and insightful visualisations of your data, helping to expand your toolkit and inform future decisions.
Learn and collaborate with peers - and help other local authorities too.
Learn Python, SQL and advanced Excel, help define our agenda for future developments, or find a community of local authority analysts sharing challenges and approaches. Help make sure our tools and community work for you, and know that your work will benefit colleagues all over England.