Meeting 3: 21 September 2023

Growing Up in Ireland Bilateral Steering Group Meeting

21^st September, 2023 11:30 – 15:00

Board Room, Central Statistics Office, Skehard Road, Cork

Agenda

1. Opening and adoption of agenda

2. Minutes of meeting of 03 July 2023 & Actions

3. Update to Governance Framework Document

4. Work programme CSO

• Activity report Jun - Sept 2023
• Work plan Q4 2023 - Q1 2024

5. Work programme DCEDIY

• Activity report Jun - Sept 2023
• Work plan Q4 2023 - Q1 2024

6. Cross-cohort matters

• Communications/events
  • GUI conference 08 November, 2023
• Confidentiality Working Group
• Ethics structures and items for ethical review
• Legal query - Intellectual Property

7. Project plan and key roles 2024 - 2026

8. AOB

9. Close

Minutes

Attendees:

• Mr Richard McMahon, Central Statistics Office (Chair)
• Ms Gillian Roche, Central Statistics Office
• Mr Ger Doolan, Central Statistics Office
• Ms Fiona O'Riordan, Central Statistics Office
• Ms Bridget Hearne, Central Statistics Office
• Mr Daniel Watts, Central Statistics Office
• Mr Aidan McCarthy, Central Statistics Office
• Ms Aoife O'Neill, Central Statistics Office
• Dr Amanda Quail, Central Statistics Office
• Ms Denise Kelly, Central Statistics Office (Secretariat)
• Ms Laura McGarrigle, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Ms Ciara Pidgeon, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Dr Aisling Murray, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Ms Nessa McKevitt, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• Dr Anthony O'Reilly, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integratioin and youth

Apologies: Mr Damien Lenihan, Central Statistics Office

1. Opening and agenda

Mr McMahon opened and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The agenda was adopted without amendment.

2. Minutes of meeting 07 July 2023

Minutes of the GUI Bilateral Steering Group meeting on 07 July 2023 were taken with one amendment.

Review of Actions agreed from 07 July meeting:

3. Update to Governance Framework Document

Governance Framework was updated and circulated with regards to CSO project structure.

DCEDIY to update the Governance Framework in light of new Statement of Strategy. An updated version will be circulated in advance of the December meeting once this is complete.

4. Work Programme Central Statistics Office

4a. Mr McMahon presented on the GUI project structures in CSO.

4b. Project updates were given as follows:

Cohort '08 update presented by Ms O'Neill outlining the following:

• Pilot will begin in September 2024 to ensure whole sample has reached 17 years of age.
• Main survey will commence in Q2 2025.
• Research Needs Report has been received from DCEDIY and has been shared with the CSO Questionnaire Design Unit (QDU) and project managers.
• Work is needed to finalise the questionnaire spec:
  1. QDU working to standarise blocks across cohorts and waves.
  2. DCEDIY hosted a stakeholder engagement consultation to discuss spec on 20 September 2023. Feedback will inform next iteration of the questionnaire.
• For the pilot the mode will be CAPI for household interviews. Mode for school data collection still under consideration.

Cohort '98 update presented by Mr McCarthy on behalf of Mr Lenihan:

1. Wave 5: returns to date on:
   1. Q2: 39.8% of the full sample for the quarter
   2. Q3: 36.1% of the full sample for the quarter (still running)
   3. Emigration Rate: 9.86%
      1. It was noted that these first two are raw percentages of the original sample and not correctly calculated response rates which will have to adjust for ineligible cases through emigration and other causes.
2. Wave 5: looking forward
   1. Q4 CAPI fieldwork starts on the 09 October 2023
   2. Unassigned cases from Q2 and Q3 due to staffing
   3. Non-response follow up campaign.
3. RAP:
   1. Plan to link CSO Administrative Data to GUI output, starting with current Cohort '98. Work has begun on data linkage with a focus on education and income data. This will expand over time.

Cohort '24 update presented by Dr Quail outlining the following:

Work to date:

• Sampling frame generated and sample selected
• Questionnaires at final testing stage
• Communications campaign
  1. Ploughing Championships
  2. Pregnancy and Baby Fair
  3. GUI branded gifts procured for at events and in field
  4. The "Count on Us, we count on you", CSO radio awareness campaign
• Field work structures in place.

Next steps:

1. Cohort '24 Pilot field work will run mid-October to early December
   1. Interviewer training will begin early October
   2. First letters to households in early October
2. Cohort '24 Pilot review
   1. Interviewer debriefing and respondent feedback
   2. Review data and evaluate questionnaires
3. Admin data analysis

Ms McGarrigle offered that DCEDIY could link CSO with relevant NGO stakeholders.

4c. Strategic Initiatives

Ms O'Riordan presented on Outreach and Promotion:

1. General CSO communications campaign "Count on Us"
2. GUI attending the Pregnancy and Baby Fair in September 2023 and March 2024
3. Liaised with Pavee Point and plans for further engagement with IHREC
4. Engaged Department of Health's Statistical Unit
5. Demo given on TV/radio ads and video on baby names.

Ms Pidgeon advised that there is a DCEDIY stand at Bloom and may be a means of promoting GUI. Also offered assistance with communications such as retweeting or posting communications.

4d. Confidentiality WG

A draft scoping document has been drafted and is with the CSO Data Office and legal unit for review. The scoping document will be circulated by the next Bilateral Steering Group meeting. Ms McGarrigle asked for clarification that this would not conflict with any data rights principles established in the Birth Information Tracing Act.

4e. Data Linkage

1. All cohorts - GUI and water quality data
   1. Historic data file (FCD). Current data - Irish Water via CSO Environment and Climate Division
   2. Scoping of technical requirements and data governance procedures just commencing
   3. Priority to start with Cohort '98 Wave 1.
2. Cohort '24
   1. National Childhood Immunisation Scheme (NCIS) intake well progressed
   2. National Perinatal Reporting System (NPRS) data governance procedures in progress.
3. Cohort '98
   1. Initial analysis of cohort in Educational Longitudinal Dataset by graduate. To arrange a session to discuss this data.
   2. Potential for analysis of non-response in current wave.

5. Work Programme DCEDIY

Dr Murray presented on the work programme for DCEDIY:

5a. Activity Report

Cohort '08 @ 17

1. Stakeholder engagement held on the 20th of September 2023 on the questionnaire.
   1. A diverse mix of topics were discussed with request for more additions. Stakeholders can send written feedback until Wednesday 27 September 2023. To be reviewed and incorporated into Research Needs Report.
   2. Discussed data linkage with Exam results. CSO already have access to Leaving Cert results and will begin process to request Junior Cert results via the Administrative Data Centre.
2. Research Needs Report is ready for publication subsequent to incorporating the feedback from the Stakeholder engagement
3. Questionnaire to be submitted to interim REC for observations. Timing of submission to be decided.

Infant Cohort '24 Questionnaires

1. Draft questionnaires and brief Research Needs Report was sent to interim REC for observations. Due back by the end of September 2023.

5b. Activity Report (Outputs)

1. Research Needs Report to be finalised
2. Design Report for Cohort '08 at 13 was published online the end of August
3. AMF outputs for policy-makers and data users.

5c. Activity Report (Other)

1. Recruitment to REU
   1. Dr Anthony O'Reilly (AP)
   2. Mr Derek Nolan (AO)
   3. Ms Ciara Pidgeon (Head of REU)
2. Preparation for annual conference (November) is under way and registration is open.
3. Ongoing engagement with other cohort studies
   1. Dr Eoin McNamara and Dr Aisling Murray to present at SLLS conference in October.

5d. Work Plan: Oct-Mar

1. GUI Data workshops
   1. Discussed hosting data workshops. CSO to look at input they can give
   2. Signpost researchers to RCU training already provided by CSO which is distinct from GUI Data workshops.
2. Another spotlight style report being considered
3. Agreed that CSO and DCEDIY will liaise on outputs to avoid overlap.

6. Cross Cohort Matters

1. GUI Conference on the 8th November in the Gibson Hotel
   1. DCEDIY and CSO will liaise regarding presentation
   2. 24 presentations have been arranged in different blocks
   3. 118 already registered with capacity for 20.
2. Ethics Structure
   1. Interim REC is now in place.
3. Legal query - Intellectual Property
   1. Discussed intellectual property in terms of who owns the data
   2. Legal unit in the CSO are already looking into this issue with regards to data collected previously under old contract
   3. Ns Roche and Ms Pidgeon agreed to look at the questions regarding this issue and report back at the next Bilateral Steering Group meeting.

7. Project plan and key roles 2024 - 2026

Agreed that a separate meeting would be set up between CSO and DCEDIY to discuss the Project plan and key roles.