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Child Well-being Index
This Child Well-being Index was first produced in January 2009 using data for 2005 where possible. It has been calculated for Lower Level Super Output Areas and Local Authorities.
The Index attempts to reflect the living conditions, health and education of young people.
Local data
Amongst local authorities, Calderdale scored better than any other West Yorkshire district, and better than all immediate neighbours except Rossendale. Out of 354 local authorities, Calderdale was 235th on the average score measure – in other words children in 234 districts were better off in terms of this index, and those in 119 districts were worse off.
Within the district 11 Lower Level Super Output Areas (LSOAs) were in the worst 10% nationally (6 in Park, 3 in Ovenden and 2 in Illingworth & Mixenden). This is estimated to affect 3,300 children (aged under 16), about 8.2% of that age group. In contrast, 4 were in the best 10% (1 each in Greetland & Stainland and Hipperholme & Lightcliffe, 2 in Skircoat). The areas which scored badly were those which also have significant levels of deprivation as measured by the 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), which looks at all households and covers the whole population (10 out of the 11 are in the worst 10% on both indexes).
Uses
More detailed analysis is possible both by area – for each of the 129 LSOAs in Calderdale, and by domain – there is a relative score for each of the 7 domains for each LSOA. This shows considerable variation particularly in the Environment domain, and to a lesser extent in the Health and Crime domains. The dataset can be combined with other measures, such as the IMD, to focus attention on small areas where children are particularly badly off. Population data is also available for LSOAs to identify where there are significant numbers of children, to allow resources to be targeted for the most benefit.
This acknowledgement should be used when quoting the data:
Source: Communities and Local Government, Child Well-being Index, 2009
Background and sources
The data used is taken from a variety of sources, and presented in seven ‘domains’. An overall index figure for each Lower Level Super Output Area and each local authority is produced by combining the 7 domains, and individual figures are also available for each domain.
| Component Domains of the Index | ||
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Data | Source |
| Material well-being | Households claiming benefit | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs |
| Health | Hospital admissions/out-patients aged 0 – 18 Disability claimants aged 0-16 | Hospital Episode Statistics DWP |
| Education | Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 Secondary School Absence Rate Not staying in education aged 16+ Under 21s not in Higher Education | Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and English National Pupil Database PLASC and Department for Education DWP Child Benefit Universities and Colleges Admission Service and Higher Education Statistics Agency |
| Crime | Burglary, Theft, Criminal Damage and Violence (not age–related) | Police Forces |
| Housing | Overcrowding, shared accommodation, concealed households, lack of central heating | 2001 Census data for households with dependent children |
Environment Quality Environment Access | Air quality, Green space Bird species Sport and leisure facilities Distance to school | Staffordshire University European Environment Agency Ordnance Survey PLASC |
| Children in Need | Children in Need Survey | Department for Children, Schools and Families |
The map shows the Lower Level Super Output Areas identified as having high and low levels of child well-being in Calderdale. Around Halifax, parts of Mixenden, Ovenden, Lee Mount, Pellon, and Park Ward all fall within the worst 20% nationally. Outside Halifax, Field Lane in Rastrick is also in this group.
In contrast, areas with a high score are more widely dispersed and include parts of Mytholmroyd, Rishworth, Barkisland, Sowood, Greetland, Bradshaw, Northowram, Shelf, Hipperholme, Lightcliffe and Rastrick.
Contacts and further information
The Index was constructed by the Social Disadvantage Research Centre at the University of Oxford and the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York. They would be pleased to receive feedback on the index and information on how it has been used. They can be contacted by email: indices.deprivation@communities.gsi.gov.uk.
The summary report by the Department for Communities and Local Government is available online: Local Index of Child Well-being 2009|
.
Contact
The Research and Consultation Team can provide local data and advice on the use of the index.
- Email:
- researchandinfo@calderdale.gov.uk
- Telephone:
- 01422 393129.
