Frequently Asked Questions
What measures have been put in place to ensure privacy protection and security of data?
All data displayed in the Child Development Atlas are aggregated to the relevant geographic boundary prior to being uploaded into the maps - no individual data is displayed in the maps or accessible to users of the Child Development Atlas. All data is stored on the secure server at the Telethon Kids Institute, which is protected from unauthorised external access via networks through the use of firewalls and secure encrypted access pathways.
Wherever possible, data are mapped to the smallest geographical boundary (Statistical Areas 2), which allows finer detail investigations of area level characteristics. Data from areas with small populations, or areas where few children have a particular outcome, are either not displayed in the maps, or mapped to a larger geographic boundary.
We have undertaken a variety of measures to ensure privacy protection and we have addressed the Five Safes, a set of five principle-driven criteria that must be applied and satisfied before an agency can share information with another party
- All data are aggregated and deidentified with suppression rules applied for low counts
- It is not possible to identify an individual in the maps
- Children living in same area have been grouped together
- Small populations aren’t shown or neighbouring areas are combined to increase population size
What data are included in the Child Development Atlas?
The data displayed in the Child Development Atlas come from many datasets, including administrative, census, registry, and service data sources. Wherever possible, data has been mapped from 1990 onwards, for all children and young people (aged 0-24 years) residing in Western Australia. This includes some information on parents of these children (e.g., parental mental health diagnoses)
Mapping data from 1990 onwards allows the presentation of time-series and trends. This enables, for example, comparison of community profiles at two points in time before and after changes in policy and/or service delivery, which may help to reveal policy and/or service impact in a geographic area. Longitudinal data also enables analysis of trends in community profiles over time, showing how the characteristics of an area have changed. This information can inform place-based activities focused on improving outcomes for Western Australian children and young people.
Information about the specific indicators and respective data sources included in the Child Development Atlas is available on the CDA Indicators page.
What geographic information is used to assign a person to a geographic location?
Data are mapped in the Child Development Atlas according to the person's residential area, rather than the location of the service they attended (e.g., hospital, school). Data with address information are assigned a 'geolocation' - that is, the latitude and longitude of a person's residential address are used to assign a person to a geographical area (e.g., Statistical Area 2). To maintain data privacy, the residential address and latitute/longitude are removed from the data that are provided to us for mapping.
Do I need to install any software to be able to view the Child Development Atlas?
No. The Child Development Atlas is created using InstantAtlas, which enables users to view the maps in a web browser, with no software installation required. If you are having difficulty viewing the maps, try using an alternative browser such as Firefox.
Is service information available in the Child Development Atlas?
Wherever possible, locations of child- and family-oriented services are included in the Child Development Atlas. At this stage, however, no information is provided on the catchment of those services (i.e., the 'reach' of a service), nor the quality of the service. It is also possible that not all relevant services in an area are captured. If you are aware of a relevant service that has not been included in the Child Development Atlas, we encourage you to contact us by email.
How can I add data to the WA Child Development Atlas?
Please email the CDA Project team to discuss inclusion of relevant data.