ADR Wales has today (Thursday 1 December) unveiled its Planned Programme of Work that will help to provide an insight on the key issues facing Wales and the UK.
The ADR Wales Planned Programme of Work 2022-2026 outlines the ten thematic areas that the ADR Wales team will focus their research on to help government address the most pressing issues facing society. The document outlines the team’s upcoming work on Climate Change, Early Years, Education, Health and Well-being, Housing and Homelessness, Mental Health, Skills and Employability, Social Care, Social Justice and a programme to address new and emerging Major Societal Challenges.
The thematic areas build on ADR Wales’ success addressing seven of these thematic areas over the last four years. In addition to the three new themes of Climate Change, Social Justice and Major Societal Challenges, the ADR Wales team have set out their plans to boost training and capacity opportunities for the data analyst community, and a commitment to the Welsh language, continued public engagement and sustainability around its work.
The document was unveiled at the home of Welsh Parliament, Senedd Cymru in front of an audience that included Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and Social Services (pictured top), who spoke in support of the work of ADR Wales. The event was attended by organisations from across the data linkage landscape including policy professionals, academics and data providers.ADR Wales aligns its work with the key areas identified in the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government 2021-2026 and utilises the academic independence and expertise of a team of specialist researchers, analysts, and data scientists.
Speaking at the launch sponsored by Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, Stephanie Howarth, ADR Wales Co Director and Wales Chief Statistician (left) said: “Data, when de-identified and linked securely and safely, can provide the information that is needed to ensure that policy making in Wales and the UK is informed, ultimately helping to make better decisions for the people who live here. We are delighted that the ADR Wales can help to inform this decision making.”
ADR Wales Co Director and Professor of Informatics at Swansea University, David Ford (right), said: “To date, our work has already produced insights that have helped to shape key areas of public policy in Wales. We look forward to building on this and continuing to involve the public fully as we as we champion safe data practices that demonstrate the public benefit of utilising de-identified data to inform decision making in Wales and throughout the UK.”
Speaking ahead of the event, Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government said: “In Wales, we are linking de-identified data collected by public services to help inform policy, operational decisions, and our legislative programme. This work is being driven forward by Administrative Data Research Wales – our Welsh Government and higher education partnership. The achievements of this collaboration so far exemplify why we are committed to working with our stakeholders. We know we can do so much more together.
“This ADR Wales 2022-26 plan builds on established programmes of work in devolved areas such as education and housing and introduces new research themes to inform the climate change emergency and important societal issues, including the cost of living.”
The work undertaken by ADR Wales is made possible thanks to an investment of almost £17m until 2026 as part of the £90 million UK wide Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) investment by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Established in 2018 as part of ADR UK, ADR Wales unites research expertise from Population Data Science at Swansea University Medical School and the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) at Cardiff University with analysts from Welsh Government. The ADR Wales team includes leading academics with expertise in the priority issues facing the nation. Together, ADR Wales works to ensure that timely administrative data-driven insights and evidence are used to help make informed policy decisions for the people of Wales. The ADR Wales team has to date led the way on cutting-edge data analysis techniques and research excellence, working alongside the world-renowned SAIL Databank to deliver robust, secure and informative research. ADR Wales has produced significant researcher-led analysis to inform Welsh Government priority areas in housing, well-being, early years, education and skills, mental health and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic.
This news originally featured on the ADR Cymru website.