Realising the Potential of Census 2021 data in Northern Ireland: Engage, Inform and Train

The 2021 Census in Northern Ireland (NI) has the potential to identify numerous underrepresented, vulnerable, and disadvantaged groups within the NI population. Whether identified using individual census indicators, such as, the ethnicity indicator (ethnic minorities), the sexual orientation indicator (sexual minorities), the parental status indicator (single parents/mothers), the carer indicator (unpaid/child carers), or the thirteen-category health indicator (e.g. groups such as those with an intellectual disability, a mental health problem, wheelchair users etc.), this unique population data resource has the potential to make visible, and accessible, many of society's most vulnerable, in a way and at level, that few other data resources can.

While census data has obvious advantages for academic researchers interested in studying vulnerable populations, few are better placed to leverage the data's full explanatory power than those who advocate, support, and actively care for these populations. Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations in NI are extremely well placed to know what to ask of this data and, more importantly, to realise the full potential of whatever the data reveals.

Aim: In preparation for the release of the NI Census '21 data, researchers from Ulster University, Queen's University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, and representatives from NI's VCSE sector, aim to develop a suite of research engagement, awareness, and training workshops and resources, based exclusively on the NI Census '21, in order to stimulate meaningful collaboration between NI researchers and VCSE organisations nationwide.

Objectives: Five work-packages (WPs) will deliver this aim. In WP1, the academic team will partner with selected VCSE organisations to demonstrate how census data can be used to (i) identify their target populations, (ii) profile their socio-demographic characteristics, (iii) understand their educational/employment needs/challenges, (iv) profile their (multi)morbidity, (v) describe their households, and (vi) geographically locate them. Via two 'flagship' projects, the team will develop training resources specifically designed to showcase and facilitate wider census-based research and academic-VCSE engagement and collaboration nationwide. In WP2, the team will invite other VCSE organisations to a series of Census '21 research awareness and engagement building workshops informed by the flagship studies and associated findings delivered in WP1. In WP3, using the methods and analyses developed from WP1, the team will host a series of data/analysis training workshops for academics across disciplines at UU and QUB to demonstrate how census and other administrative data in NI can be accessed and used to produce impactful, population-based research. In WP4 the team will host a "Census Hackathon", bringing together VCSE representatives from workshops in WP2 with 'census-ready' researchers from WP3. Finally, in WP5, the team will evaluate the entire programme, refresh training materials, and launch the first NI Census '21 academic-VCSE partnered project applications.

We believe that this project will ensure that NI's most vulnerable can be seen and heard in the way they deserve to be, and that NI's VCSE sector can become more autonomous and self-sufficient in generating the evidence they need to continue the important work that they do for us all.