The report concerns the Danish Ministry for Children and Social Affairs’ (Ministry of Social Affairs) efforts to ensure that data available from the national statistics databases provide a basis for documenting the effect of social interventions.
The purpose of the study is to assess whether the Ministry of Social Affairs has ensured an adequate basis for documenting the effect of social interventions. The report answers the following questions:
- Has the Ministry of Social Affairs provided a framework that facilitates systematic reporting of data from the municipalities to the national statistics databases?
- Has the Ministry of Social Affairs supported work procedures that ensure the reliability of national statistics data?
- Has the Ministry of Social Affairs ensured that national statistics data provide the basis for developing knowledge to document the effect of social interventions?
It is Rigsrevisionen’s assessment that the Ministry of Social Affairs has not, to the extent required, ensured that national statistics data provide a basis for documenting the effect of social interventions. This is not considered satisfactory by Rigsrevisionen when taking into account that changing governments for the past ten years have shared an ambition to achieve just that. Knowledge about the effect of social interventions will make the municipalities better equipped to deliver the right social services to the citizens. To this should be added that evidence-based social policy is also associated with potential cost savings.
Rigsrevisionen initiated the study in February 2016.
Read the 1st chapter of the report (PDF)