Changes to collection of information on funded Early Learning and Childcare

20th June 2018

The Highland Council is informing parents on changes in how the authority collects information on funded Early Learning and Childcare following guidance introduced by the Scottish Government.

The guidance states:

Each year the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) census collects information about children receiving funded ELC across Scotland. Scottish Government is currently trying to improve this data collection as they realise that the current ELC census doesn't provide the information required to manage this sector. It also places a burden on ELC funded centres and local authorities, with little benefit to them.

The ELC Data Transformation Project is a new development, which is building on the existing census to make vital information available to measure the Scottish Government's commitment to providing high quality funded ELC. The data collected will be used to inform future planning for provision and the ELC workforce, as well as to better support children and families. There will be a number of data trials to test changes to the process before the new census is fully established.

What data will be collected on your child?

The information that will be collected on your child has been chosen to help Scottish Government understand how families are using funded ELC and to help ensure that funded ELC is accessible to all. The following will be collected:

Gender
Date of birth
Home postcode
Ethnicity
Home language
Stage (e.g. 3 years old)
Disability status
Additional support needs
Support plans
If Gaelic medium education
Eligibility reason for 2 year olds
Funded ELC provision (hours, days, weeks)
The data will be provided by the local authority (parents do not need to do anything). Information such as name or medical information will not be shared.

Information will be transferred from local authorities to the Scottish Government using secure data transfer systems, and access to data will be restricted.

Further information regarding the project, data security, your rights and how the data is processed can be found on the ELC Data Transformation Project webpage: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/ELCData/ELCDTP

Any questions or concerns can be emailed to: [email protected].