Introducing the Data Policy Coalition

Strengthening social impact through access and use of administrative data for community benefit  

The Data Policy Coalition has set out to address a longstanding challenge in the nonprofit sector. Currently, most social sector actors cannot access information that could help them address complex social problems and make evidence-based decisions. Administrative data sharing could transform the way our sector uses evidence to create impact. 

The Data Policy Coalition brings together nonprofit advocacy groups, service providers, and funders to develop and pursue a shared agenda for the social sector’s access to and responsible use of government-held administrative data. This includes for purposes related to policy advocacy, integrated services, research, and impact evaluation.

What is Administrative Data?

What is Administrative Data and Why Does it Matter to the Nonprofit Sector?

Administrative data are operational records that governments and service providers keep on the people they serve. Administrative data can provide rich information about communities, creating new opportunities for outcomes evaluation, service delivery, and evidence-based advocacy. Examples of administrative data include: physician visit records, high school completion records, birth and death records, and tax returns. See more detail in our issue brief.

Administrative data-sharing could transform the way our sector uses evidence to create impact

To clearly evaluate the impacts of policies, as well as the outcomes of social services, we need to link records across administrative data in ways that are just now enabled through updated privacy legislation, but not yet implemented. Evidence-based policy development and charitable investment require this level of evaluation. This type of data linking would also allow for more integrated and client-centred services, by tracing user journeys across different providers. Facilitating access to admin data for social sector organizations could dramatically transform the way we understand social issues, deliver services, and evaluate impact. 

Why a Data Policy Coalition?

System change requires a whole system solution. Our cross-sector coalition is made up of more than 30 organizations. The coalition creates an avenue, previously missing in Canada’s social sector, for charities, service providers, advocacy groups, and funders to collectively define and advance a data-driven approach to system transformation. Governments and funders are already moving towards outcomes-based measurement, which creates new expectations for how data are collected and used by nonprofit charities and service providers. Often, organizations are required to adjust to these expectations after decisions have been made. The Data Policy Coalition has the power to amplify community voices and forge a seat at the table. Through the Coalition, social sector actors are empowered to help define the data resources they need to increase and evaluate impact to improve the lives and well-being of people in their communities.

How is the Data Policy Coalition taking action?

We need a civil society coalition to amplify the nonprofit sector’s voice on data issues and priorities. Ontario and Federal governments are already pursuing administrative data-sharing for internal use, but require public support to mitigate controversy of wider application and partnerships beyond government. A successful policy agenda will need to explore different use cases, address questions of privacy, security, autonomy and consent, and draw on best practices for mitigating these risks. This type of policy planning often excludes communities at the margins, who are most likely to be impacted by the associated opportunities and risks. Developing this agenda through an inclusive coalition helps ensure diverse voices are included in crafting these complex policies. It is also the best way to the build the momentum required to ensure their implementation. See our core principles and objectives.

In Spring 2019, we formally launched the Data Policy Coalition and built and incredible Steering Committee of sector leaders. Through the summer and fall of 2019, the Data Policy Coalition engaged with the Ontario Data Strategy Consultation process. For the first time, the social sector has a collective voice to influence important policy conversations around data resources and infrastructure between the nonprofit and public sectors. See our two submissions to the Ontario Data Strategy Consultation.

What’s Next?

We are now working with the federal and provincial (On) government to prioritize our recommendations to the Ontario Data Strategy and identify opportunities to develop solutions together

The coalition is now working to: 

• Develop a data policy agenda to pursue effective, ethical, and responsible rights-based administrative data sharing within the social sector and/or specific domains of the sector.

• Explore projects to demonstrate the value and benefits of sharing administrative data while preventing harm through misuse and misrepresentation.

• Develop relationships, expertise, and mechanisms to implement policy and project interventions.

• Launch, monitor, and evaluate progress of demonstration projects & policy initiatives.

See the Coalition’s Active Membership list.

If you would like more information about the coalition, sign up for our newsletter to receive updates as they become available! If you would like to get involved with this work, send us a message at info@poweredbydata.org

What We’ve Heard From Nonprofits

IMPROVED ACcESS TO ADMINISTRATIVE HEALTH DATA for greater health equity

Every year, over 500,000 people living in Ontario are excluded from access to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) due to their immigration status. Access Alliance is one nonprofit that provides primary health care services to uninsured individuals across Toronto. We spoke to the organization about how greater access to administrative health data could better help them address health inequities for non-insured immigrants and refugees in Ontario.

Recidivism data would support the work of youth justice organizations

Research shows that charging youth with criminal offences has a long-term negative impact, increasing their likelihood of reoffending in the future. Across Canada, youth court diversion programs—which focus on rehabilitation—act as an alternative to prosecution, enabling youth to have criminal charges dropped. However, approaches to court diversion vary widely across programs. How can we know which approaches are most effective? We spoke to Peacebuilders Canada about how access to administrative data on recidivism could help research, evaluation, and advocacy around court diversion and youth justice.

Using Administrative Data to Improve Outcomes for Young People Leaving Care 

Canadian child welfare institutions lack a consistent and cohesive approach for the collection, protection, and use of data about youth in and leaving care. This data deficit means there is insufficient capacity within provincial and territorial child welfare systems to monitor trends and no way to aggregate and compare results across the provinces and territories. Youth in Care Canada and Dr. Naomi Nichols explore potential use and misuse of administrative data in the child protection sector to advance a rights-based approach that empowers young people and addresses systemic inequities.

Some participating organizations

Powered by Data would like to thank the four co-convening partners that helped design this coalition: Philanthropic Foundations Canada, the Ontario Nonprofit Network, Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change, and Dr Janet Smylie of Well Living House.

Powered by Data is also grateful to the following for their support in this initiative: the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Counselling Foundation, the Graham Boeckh Foundation, the Lawson Foundation, the McConnell Foundation, the Metcalf Foundation, Virgin Unite, the Trottier Family Foundation, and the Toronto Foundation.