Data for Children Collaborative

A specialist unit within the Edinburgh Futures Institute, aiming to address existing problems for children using innovative data science techniques. They are experts in bringing together diverse data collaborations with values of trust and transparency using safe data to improve outcomes for every child.

Our mission is to provide the best conditions for bringing together the right data and the right expertise to improve outcomes for every child.

We build innovative ways of enabling impactful collaborations between academia, the third, the public and the private sectors and delivering projects responsibly.

We bring together diverse expertise and the appropriate data from our community to address complex problems facing children.
We work with a range of partners to identify demand-driven challenges that require a data-driven solution.
All of our projects are child-focused and work towards one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals and/or the National Performance Framework.

Visit Data for Children Collaborative website

“With a philosophy of delivering challenge-led, transdisciplinary, multi-sector collaborations that innovate responsibly, the Data for Children Collaborative, is a living and breathing example of what EFI is all about – using novel approaches to build better futures.”
Alex Hutchison, Programme Director

In focus

In practice

Putting Ethics into practice

Workflow graphic with people and graph icons. Text reads: 1. The challenge, 2. The Data & Digital Technology, 3. The Public, 4. The Outputs.

Data for Children Collaborative helped develop an Ethical Framework and Workbook for the Scottish Government’s Data and Intelligence Network? The outcome is a practical and valuable tool that helped to embed ethical decision making across the Network’s data science projects.

In practice

The value of challenge questions

Impact Collaborations are a unique way of developing and enabling collaboration. We develop a Challenge Question that looks to address an existing problem for children using innovative data science techniques or novel data sets and data linkages.

News

Home is where the heart is, and we’ve got a new one

Young girl making a heart with her hands

Director Alex Hutchison on how being part of EFI benefits the work of the Collaborative – and how the Collaborative contributes to EFI’s vision and ethos.