1. Introduction
2. Minutes and update on action
3. Overview of plan implementation
4. Update on pilot questionnaire changes
5. Next Steps
6. AOB
Attendees:
• Keith McSweeney (Chair), Helen McGrath (Secretary), Central Statistics Office
• Elaine Byrnes, National University of Ireland, Galway
• Elaine Mears, Rape Crisis Network Ireland
• Mary Roche, TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency
• Maeve Lewis, One in Four
• Philip McCormack, Department of Justice and Equality
• Hayley Mulligan, National Women’s Council of Ireland
• Sarah O'Connor, Sexual Assault Treatment Unit
• Shirley Scott, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre
• Susan Leahy, University of Limerick
1. Introduction
The Chair welcomed all participants to the virtual meeting. Jessica Coyne, CSO statistician in the Questionnaire Development Unit, offered her apologies. He explained the focus of this Liaison Group meeting was sharing information on the development of the SVS pilot.
2. Minutes and update on actions
The Chair gave an overview of the minutes from the previous meeting and gave an update on the actions from the last meeting. There were no issues raised with the minutes. These will be published online.
3. Overview of plan implementation
Helen McGrath presented on the development work which was completed since the last meeting. The main points of the presentation included:
• An overview of the development work completed to facilitate the pilot design – which was revised due to COVID-19. This included an internal expert review with experienced CSO staff of the CAWI version.
• The instrument build was outlined. The term instrument refers to the questionnaire built into electronic software so that it can be run on a computer/tablet/etc. Two instruments are being built to facilitate the separation of personal data and the revised design. These are being built and tested currently.
• The CSO Social Statistics Ethics Advisory Group (SSEAG) was described. The membership and remit of the group were summarised. An overview of the first two meetings of the group were shared.
o The first meeting included an introduction to the remit for the group and to the SVS survey. In addition, Professor Hannah McGee, RSCI, gave a presentation on the ethical points she felt were important for the SVS from her experience.
o The second meeting concentrated on how the CSO was going to meet its ethical responsibilities as defined by the WHO principles.
The group have submitted their observations to the Director General which are being considered and, in many cases, implemented. It was noted that this group has an advisory function. Any decisions relating to the conduct of the survey are for the CSO to make.
• An outline of the pilot’s two approaches was shared. A reminder of the key aspects was given, noting the survey length, expected low response rates and that prevalence data will not be generated from the pilot.
• Elements of the field operation were described, including the team size, key dates for the pilot and that any field operation must adhere to the COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
There followed some general discussion:
• Clarification on the pilot size was sought. The size of the pilot is 4,000 cases. This is large for a CSO pilot however there is an expectation of low response rates for the pilot due to the nature of the mode of delivery.
• A query was raised about the screen design and if an emergency button would be placed on the screens for respondents. It was confirmed that the screens are still being finalised however there will be a button to press to close down the screen quickly.
• The need for an accessible version of the questionnaire was raised. It was explained that the technology used will facilitate screen readers and an accessibility test is part of the testing of the instrument.
• Additional details were requested on the frame. The frame for the pilot was noted to be a new frame recently developed in the office. It is a frame based on households like the census. This will facilitate the issue of the letters to households rather than just addresses which is important as one approach uses the post to issue the survey invite.
4. Update on pilot questionnaire changes
Helen McGrath gave a presentation on the changes made to the pilot questionnaire. Several points were addressed in the presentation including:
• The development process for the version of the questionnaire in Feb 2020 was outlined.
• The current version of the questionnaire for the CAWI pilot has included changes due to the web-based design, internal review and the SSEAG – however the core of the questionnaire remains the same.
• The concept of graduated consent was referenced as part of describing the introduction to the survey. The pilot will be introduced as a safety of the person survey. Elements of the introduction were outlined including the single use of access details for the survey, completing the survey on their own/in private, the inability to change answers once moved to next question.
• Other changes were described:
o Updated respondent module questions and added clarification for historic image based harassment experiences
o All free text fields were removed from the pilot questionnaire
o New question on respondent consent - clarifying that person 18 and over, understanding that the survey is about sexual abuse, etc has been added.
o New question on non-response is also added to capture if person does not want to continue in an effort to analyse why.
There followed some general discussion:
• A discussion was held on the use of the age of 17 as a cut off point for experiences. It was noted that this was agreed at an early stage as it is the age of consent.
• Clarification on publicity for the pilot was requested. Household surveys are not usually publicised by the office and particularly not pilots which are smaller in size and localised by area. However due to the sensitive nature of this survey, the CSO will be consulting its communication section for advice on how to manage queries raised by this survey.
5. Next meeting
The next meeting will be scheduled for September 2021 where an update on the pilot field operation and the plan for 2022 will be shared.
6. AOB
There was no AOB to share.
Actions for next meeting
Action Organisation responsible
Share the presentation from the meeting with members CSO
Issue minutes for comment as soon as possible CSO
Arrange the next Liaison Group meeting for September 2021 CSO
