The purpose of the network is to 
- Develop mutual understanding of statistical needs and opportunities between local authorities, public bodies and Scottish Government particularly in relation to single outcome agreements;
- Consider the best means for Scottish Government to share its analytical resources with other public bodies to assist the single outcome agreement process and build analytical capacity more widely;
- Consider issues across public bodies in data collection in order to take a strategic approach to harmonisation and efficient use of resources;
- Discuss how Scottish Government statistics are used by public bodies and how they might be improved to be of more benefit;
- Increase knowledge and understanding of functional issues (e.g. Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics, Sample Surveys, Official Statistics), cross cutting themes (e.g. equality statistics, geographical statistics) and methodological issues (e.g. measuring change, reporting on targets).
These aims are met through demand-led local workshops and short-lived working groups. Network members decide what workshops and groups would be of most value and how they should be run. Members contribute to the arrangements for workshops local to their area with support from Scottish Government.
If you are interested in joining the network please emailAnalysts.Network@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
Topic based issues are taken forward by the relevant ScotStat committee or working group. If you want to be kept informed of topic-specific developments, consultations and publications you need to register on the main section of ScotStat and indicate your 'areas of interest'.Click here to register or to update your areas of interest.
Would you like to get involved in planning and organising a Network Survey Day - to share best practice and hear about developments?
If there is sufficient demand we could hold two Survey Days (probably one in the central belt and one in the north) in March or April 2010, and volunteers are needed to shape the aims, content and format of the events as well as helping out on the day or days.
Email analysts.network@scotland.gsi.gov.uk if you are willing and able to get involved - the extent of involvement and time commitment is completely up to you.
There are currently no workshops planned.
Are there subjects that you would like a workshop on?
Please email analysts.network@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or post a comment on the Discussion Forum
Workshops could be on any methodological or cross-cutting issue, such as presenting data, making the most of administrative data, understanding the Scottish Index of Multiiple Deprivation, Scottish neighbourhood Statistics, or anything else.
SRA Training
The Social Research Association (SRA) Scotland are organising the following training courses in the next few months
Quantitative Training courses with Pam Campanelli
24 November 2009 Questionnaire Design
25 November 2009 Key Aspects of Survey Implementation
26 November 2009 Survey Sampling
27 November 2009 Basic Statistical Analysis
The cost of attending one day is £180 for SRA members and £260 for non-members. However, the daily rate reduces if you book to attend two days or more in a series (the qualitative courses being one series and the quantitative courses the other). Costs are as follows:-
2 days - £340 members/£420 non-members
3 days - £480 members/£560 non-members
4 days - £600 members/£680 non-members
5 days - £700 members/£780 non-members
For further details and booking form please contact Lindsay Adams (lindsay.adams@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone 0131 538 6247). Detail about SRA can be found at www.the-sra.org.uk
The working group on ANALYTICAL GUIDANCE met just once in May 2009 and the rest of the work was taken forward through electronic communication. The group a) assessed the availability of guidance material on analytical methods and the suitability of that guidance for analysts in local government and other public bodies and b) established the electronic Analytical Guidance Library.
Details of the meeting can be seen here:
Agenda / Discussion Document
List of guidance documents
Note of meeting
If you have any comments at all on the content or structure of the library, if you would like something added, removed or altered, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
The Local Outcome Indicators Project is being lead by the Society of Local Authority Chief Exectives (SOLACE). The aim is to improve the quality and robustness of indicators used for tracking progress of SOAs.
Click here to see the Project Initiation Document.
The project is being overseen by a Project Board, chaired by David Hume from SOLACE, and the work is being taken forward by a co-ordination group. Both the project board and the co-ordination group are made up of representatives from local authorities, other public bodies, and Scottish Government.
The first output of the project - Version 4 of the Improvement Service's Menu of Local Indicators and accompanying Good Practice note - is now available on the Improvement Service website: http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/
Work is continuing and further versions of the menu will be produced. Suggestions for additional indicators that fit the criteria are welcomed. Suggestions can be sent to:- listen@improvementservice.org.uk
The majority of the indicators contained within the Menu can be accessed via the Local Outcome Indicators reporting tool contained within the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics portal. www.sns.gov.uk/Reports/LocalIndicatorsReport.aspx
If you have any queries about indicators, data, target setting and wider analytical issues associated with SOAs please e-mail analysts.network@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
This website will be kept up to date as plans for the next phase of the project (and how you can get involved) develop.
This is the Scottish Government website containing information about, and links to, Single Outcome Agreements
This website sets out the National Performance Framework. Details of all the purpose targets, national outcomes and national indicators, including technical notes showing data sources and how performance is evaluated, can be found here.
AIR is an electronic community of Local Government analysts in Scotland. You will need to register the first time you visit the site
The Improvement Service was set up to support improvement in the efficiency, quality and accountability of public services in Scotland through provision of advice and consultancy, project management and support for learning and sharing of knowledge.
The Community Regeneration and Tackling Poverty Learning Network is a cross-Government initiative that supports Community Planning Partnerships and their partners to improve the way communities are regenerated and poverty is tackled throughout Scotland. The network gives practical help to organisations and individuals working at a local level.
The key remit of the CHMA is to provide national, central support to local authorities, and other key stakeholders, to aid the strategic planning of housing in Scotland.