LARIA - Local Area Research + Intelligence Association

Training: An introduction to data analytics for the public sector
2015-09-29 10:00 - 2015-09-30 16:00 (Europe/London) | iLab, University of Essex, Elmer Approach, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1LW, United Kingdom
This two day training course seeks to improve the data skills of junior analysts in the public sector and academic researchers. Focussing on four key areas, each subject compliments the other areas to give a rounded knowledge of using data analytics for the public sector. All of the subject areas will include practical sessions and computer workshops. Upon completion you will leave with improved data analytics skills that are immediately actionable.
There is a special offer for LARIA members of just £200 for the two day course rather than £250.

HSUG/LGA: Housing and Health Workshop
2015-09-28 11:00 - 16:45 | Convocation Suite, Centenary Building, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom
Use of information across housing and health and social care
Health Statistics User Group and Local Government Association Workshop
Monday 28th September 2015,
Convocation Suite, Centenary Building, City University London
Entrance in Spencer Street, near corner with St John Street
linked with a satellite workshop at the Health eResearch Centre, Manchester
Vaughan House, Portsmouth St, M13 9GB.
(behind the Holy Name church on Oxford Road)
11.00 Workshop Start
16:45 Workshop Close
Housing is a key determinant of health and wellbeing, and plays a significant part in the provision of social care and supporting people to live independently in their own homes.
Poor housing costs the NHS at least £2.5 billion a year in treating people with illnesses directly linked to living in cold, damp and dangerous homes. Treating children and young people injured by accidents in the home costs A&E departments across the United Kingdom around £146 million a year. Among the over 65s, falls and fractures account for 4 million hospital bed days each year in England, costing £2billion. Over 25,000 people die each year in the UK as a result of living in cold temperatures much of this is due to living in poorly heated homes.
Increasingly, health and social care are working together to provide integrated and personalised support. Housing is a crucial component in providing a personalised package of services that promotes independence, wellbeing and choice.
This workshop, hosted by the Health Statistics User Group (HSUG) and Local Government Association (LGA) will focus on links across housing and health and social care, and how data and statistics can contribute and inform this. It will include presentations from a number of speakers working across health and housing, and provide an opportunity for group discussions and feedback drawing on participants’ knowledge and experience of using data and information in this area.
This workshop is free but numbers are limited so you need to register if you wish to attend.
If you wish to register, please contact info@hsug.org.uk stating if you will be attending in London or Manchester.

MRS Networking Event: Seeing the blue ocean - customer research, Bristol
2015-09-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Armada House, Telephone Avenue, Bristol, BS1 4BQ, United Kingdom
Seeing the blue ocean: Understanding how your research can move the needle for your customers will give you more of a competitive advantage than methodology
The problem: research companies are in danger of all sounding and looking the same.
The opportunity: talking about the customer benefit of data, not the method, will differentiate you. Understanding how and where research helps business and brand to GROW – seeing the blue ocean and looking for the competitive advantage – will drive success for research firms.
This is NOT about quant v qual – it’s about understanding the customer’s business enough to know what will be useful. It’s about more human research.
Have an opinion: Clients value it and come back for more. Even better if you have an opinion that goes against the tide and shows that you see things in a really human, tangible dimension.
Know your customer: Companies need to attract talent, develop marketing and sales, improve systems performance, secure more funding and develop products and services.
Clients don’t want research. They want someone who will help grow their business for them.
Featuring case studies from Malibu and JD Wetherspoons, this presentation will show you that whilst a robust method is important, above all clients want a headline!
Speaker: Steven Fuller
Steven Fuller is Creative Head of brand experts The House. He wholeheartedly believes that #Purpose is the new status – organisations and people are increasingly achieving acclaim by doing work that isn’t about them. His role is to inspire clients to imagine a purpose that is good for shareholders and society, not simply one or the other. His favourite example of this has to be the transformation of thebestof – moving them from selling online advertising to championing the nation’s most referred local businesses.

Census Applications: Using the UK’s population census data
2015-07-16 10:30 - 2015-07-17 15:00 | University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
16 – 17 July 2015
Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester
Now that nearly all census outputs are out and being used the UK Data Service are hosting a two-day conference to celebrate the UK censuses.
The conference will include three plenary sessions:

The value of the Census
Making use of the Census
Challenges for the future

Speakers include:

Danny Dorling and Bethan Thomas
Ian Cope
Keith Dugmore
Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland Census Offices

General conference places will cost £100 per person to include drinks, lunch and conference dinner. Student places are available at £50 per person.
Residential accommodation should be booked separately. A Google map of hotels within walking distance of the conference venue is available.
To view the programme and book a place please see here.

LARIA in the East of England networking event: Pointing out the patterns
2015-07-15 10:00 - 16:00 | W309 Classroom, Waterfront, University Quay, Ipswich, IP3 8AH
The next LARIA in the East of England networking event will be looking at understanding your local place and communicating this to others. It will be a chance to look at techniques in how this can be done and how others are doing this and share learning/experience with others.
Speakers:

Dr. Neli Demireva from Department of Sociology University of Essex on defining communities
Paul Barton, Luton’s experience in defining areas
Stuart Keeble, Specialist Registrar in Public Health, Public Health Suffolk – public health and communities
Matt Jukes, Head of Digital Transformation @ ONS – developing ONS website for users
Public Health East of England, future developments on information provision and communication

Photo credit: The nave ceiling (detail), painted by the Rector’s wife, Mrs. Mildred Holland, between 1859 and 1866 — The Church of St Mary, Huntingfield, Suffolk, England by Spencer Means

SRA Summer Event: Researching the coalition years: how has the UK changed?
2015-07-07 14:00 - 17:00 | Local Government Association, Local Government House, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ, United Kingdom
This is the SRA Summer Event on the afternoon of 7 July in Central London, with four presentations:
Social policy in a cold climate: Changes in coalition Britain
John Hills, Director of the Centre for Social Exclusion and Professor of social policy at LSE
Acceptance, backlash or revolution? How did the public respond to 5 years of coalition?
Naomi Jones, Co-group head of social attitudes at NatCen Social Research
Not so risky business: The reality of changing youth behaviours
Carrie Harding & Shadi Ghezelayagh, Education Policy Group, TNS BMRB with Clare Baker, Strategic Analysis and Research Division, Dept for Education
Generation strains: The shifting cultural context in coalition Britain
Bobby Duffy, Managing Director of Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute
The chair is Alison Park, Director of CLOSER, and we’ll have audience questions and discussion after each presentation.
Date & time: Tuesday 7 July, 2 – 5pm followed by a drinks reception on the roof terrace

‘Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences’
2015-05-08 08:00 - 17:00
£45 to £85 for SRA Members, £105 for non-members – 10% early bird discount
This conference will bring together researchers from a range of disciplines and sectors to share experiences and learning.
We are delighted that Professor David Gauntlett from the University of Westminster, author of several books including Creative Explorations and Making is Connecting, has agreed to give the keynote speech.
Four subject experts have agreed to chair workshop streams and form a final panel
● Dr Kitrina Douglas, champion golfer, broadcaster, sports researcher at Leeds Beckett University (formerly Leeds Met), poet and songwriter, will chair the arts-based research workshop stream
● Jamie Bartlett, Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, will chair the research using technology workshop stream
● Matt Barnard, Head of Evaluation at NSPCC, will chair the mixed method research workshop stream
● Dr Molly Warrington, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Cambridge University, will chair the transformative research frameworks stream
To download the event flyer, click here
Press ‘Register‘ for more information and to book your place.

Chief Fire Officers Association: The call for data answered
2015-04-20 | University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
Following the hugely successful Dying for Data conference held in April 2014, the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) will be holding a further data conference entitled “The call for data answered”.
The conference will see the official launch of LIFEBID to UK FRS’s and interested parties. The aim of LIFEBID is to create the world’s first database of actions and motivations in Accidental Dwelling Fires. Unlike fires in commercial, industrial and public spaces, very little is known about human behaviour in ADF’s and yet this is where the majority of injuries occur. LIFEBID will provide detailed knowledge about the circumstances and events prior to the fire service response, and importantly those incidents not attended by the FRS. This is not limited to serious fires only but will capture information from all fires to identify the crucial areas which increase or decrease risk. The conference will enable delegates to:

Understand the development of LIFEBID
Learn about the survey data and associated research
Discuss ways in which this has, and will, provide a means for FRS’s to target resources, further reduce injuries and also consider the role of the public in resolving incidents.

The conference agenda will also see the launch of the CFOA data and research programme. The aim of the programme is to unify FRS’s in their approach to understanding and utilising its own and other agencies data in order to improve the outcomes for the community. You will also hear updates from the NorthWest data sharing trial with health and the Wales data sharing arrangements.

SSRG Annual Workshop - Evidencing Service Improvement for Vulnerable Children and Adults
2015-04-15 09:00 - 18:30 | New Academy Building, London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
In the current climate of getting ‘more for less’ it is vital to make service improvements that are based in good evidence. Come to this event to learn about cutting edge thinking and research evidence on commissioning, integration, inspection and research. The event will be hugely useful in preparation for Care Act implementation in 2016! Booking now open!!!

Socio-economic evidence behind the City Deal
2015-03-23 12:30 - 14:00
Find out about the socio-economic evidence behind the Greater Cambridge City Deal. A deal that could see a £1 billion investment in the Greater Cambridge area signed by central government and local representatives.

LARIA in Scotland - Laria Listens March 18th 2015
2015-03-18 10:30 - 15:30 | Satinwood Suite, City Chambers, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow, G2 1DU , United Kingdom
The first of what we hope will be regular events and networking sessions to support the work of local area researchers in Scotland, under the umbrella of Laria Listens (Laria in Scotland, Training Events and Networking Sessions).
If you are interested in coming along to a Laria Listens event to network with others involved in local area research in Scotland.
Please contact Erin Murray or Coryn Barclay to tell us about any wicked or burning issues you have with local research, analysis and use of evidence, that you would like to see discussed through Laria Listens.
Please note that these sessions are intended to complement events from existing networks, such as PAMS, AQMEN, and learning network sessions that will be developed through the Outcomes, Evidence and Performance workstream (formerly Improving Evidence and Data Group) to support community planning partnerships to use evidence more effectively.
Book your place here

Photo credit: Glasgow City Council by Kim Traynor

MRS Annual Conference - Impact 2015
2015-03-17 - 2015-03-18 | Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, 45 Prescot Street, London, E1 8GP, United Kingdom
Shifting markets. Stuttering economies. Political upheaval.
Has there ever been a better time to offer insight based on rigorous research? Impact 2015 will showcase big ideas you can apply for organisations desperate for clarity.
Keynotes:

Paul Polman, CEO Unilever – Hear what five years running one of the world’s biggest consumer giants teaches you about insight, impact and investment in research.
General Sir Richard Shirreff – We need to understand the state of geopolitical upheaval. Who better to ask that an officer who saw action from Northern Ireland to Kosovo – and now fights acts of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict
Sebastian Faulks – Storytelling has become a foundation-stone for corporate marketing – and for creating compelling research briefings. Here’s your chance to learn from a master of the art.
Brendan Dawes, artist and designer – Our world, and our attention, is dominated by dark rectangles of glass and metal. Brendan’s Dawes vision – and the machines he designs – reinterpret it as a distinctly human space.

See also:

Moss Bros on reshaping a brand
Innocent Drinks on unlikely new products
What the BBC discovered about gender representation
Delta Airlines on the passengers time forgot
How Heineken recruited urban adventurers
Rethink Mental Illness’s search for effectiveness
Unilever’s creative revolution in research-business partnering
Marie Stopes’s international insights
BSkyB’s journey into consilience
Technology as creative engine at EE
Citizen’s Advice applying behavioural economics
How Shell rediscovered truckers

Harnessing Open Data for Business Advantage
2014-11-05 | Hallam Conference Centre, 44 Hallam Street , London, W1W 6JJ, United Kingdom
MRS are hosting a full day event, specially designed with a focus on how users have been applying census and other open data, with an emphasis on ‘how to’ case studies and useful lessons learnt.
Wednesday, 5th November 2014
The next CGG seminar will focus mainly on how users have been applying census and other open data, with an emphasis on ‘how to’ case studies and useful lessons learnt.
Topics to be covered will include:

Techniques for visualising population change
Predicting retail performance using data on home and workplace populations
Using census migration and commuting data to analyse who moves where
Geodemographics of use/engagement with the Internet
Open data – suppliers’ update and user experiences
Applications and use cases for samples of anonymised raw data from the census
Social and cultural influences in the digital age – the balance between individual and area data

More details and booking

LARIA One-Day Conference 4th November
2014-11-04 | University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Tuesday 4th November – Manchester Meeting Place, Manchester University
The website is now up and running and ready to take your bookings for the LARIA one-day conference taking place at The University of Manchester on Tuesday 4th November 2014
Reshaping local places and services through local research
This one-day conference offers practical guidance on maximising the use of local research to help reshape local places and services. It covers:
• Getting the best out of customer insight
• Improving policy evaluation to improve outcome
• Using Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)
• Forecasting and predicting future demand for services
• The role of public health
• The future of performance monitoring
• The skills and professional development needed for local researchers, including the launch of our planned new LARIA professional development framework
The seminar is fully accredited by the Market Research Society as part of their professional development framework.
Please click here for more information and to book your place.
Sponsorship packages are also available, please contact the admin for more details.

Photo credit: University of Manchester by Joshua Poh

Office for National Statistics: The Changing Shape of UK Manufacturing
2014-10-22 09:00 - 16:30
The Changing Shape of UK Manufacturing
9:30 – 16:30 Wednesday 22 October 2014
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Conference Centre
Central London
On Wednesday 22 October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are jointly coordinating an event entitled ‘The Changing Shape of UK Manufacturing’.
The event will feature a range of talks from users, producers and suppliers of business statistics and will include engaging discussions about how manufacturing has changed in the UK, highlighting current trends, and how we are measuring these changes. In addition, future business statistic requirements and priorities will be captured via interactive sessions.
The event will be opened by John Pullinger, UK National Statistician, Head of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. Other prominent speakers include Lee Hopley from the EEF, Professor Sir Mike Gregory Head of the Manufacturing and Management Division and Institute for Manufacturing (Cambridge University) and Professor Richard Harris from Durham University.
The objectives of the event are to:

share what we know about manufacturing activity of UK businesses;
raise awareness of the importance and coverage of these statistics;
hear from users about the range of uses to which our statistics are put;
discuss future plans and priorities with a range of users.

For updates and announcements, join the conversation on Twitter #UKMfgStats
The event is free of charge, but please note that numbers will be limited and places are filling up fast. If you would like to attend the event please follow the link below and fill in the registration form:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/get-involved/events/events/the-changing-shape-of-uk-manufacturing/index.html
If you have any queries about the event, please do not hesitate to contact: BusinessStatisticsUserConference@bis.gov.uk

SRA Summer Event 2014: Living with austerity – What does research tell us?
2014-07-01 14:00 - 17:00
Since 2010, the UK Government has reduced spending on welfare and made even larger reductions in local government budgets. At the same time the cost of living continues to rise. This event showcases research that can help us make sense of the impacts of austerity.
Living with austerity – how is it affecting the better-off half of the 99%? Danny Dorling (Oxford University)
Families in austerity – a focus on food poverty Suzanne Hall (Ipsos MORI)
Holding on to a home – the impacts and implications of welfare reform Hilary Burkitt (Shelter)
Council Tax Support and Adult Social care: recent work by the National Audit Office Richard Douglas and Sarah Taylor (National Audit Office)
Event chair: Helen Barnard, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
(Please see the website for more details of these presentations)

The event will be followed by a complimentary drinks reception on the LGA rooftop patio overlooking Westminster.

Price: £65.00 (Discounted admission for SRA Members).

Positives and negatives in the Welsh government’s drive for bilingualism
2014-06-27 13:00 - 16:15
A balanced look at the potential for both positive and negative outcomes from these language policy interventions, based on recent research.
Potential positives and negatives in Welsh language policy documents
Dr. Dave Sayers, Sheffield Hallam University & Swansea University
Potential positives and negatives in bilingual education
Dr. Charlotte Selleck, University of Copenhagen
Potential positives and negatives in Welsh language broadcasting
Dr. Elen Robert, Cardiff University
Chair: Professor Gwynedd Parry, Professor of Law and Legal History, Director of the Hywel Dda Research Institute, Swansea University.
More details and booking: http://the-sra.org.uk/event-registration/?ee=171

Please note: Entrance is free to SRA members

Progress and challenges in social research
2014-06-24 11:00 - 13:00
This inaugural event of the SRA’s North and Central England group presents:
The Post Incident Research Programme: A case study of collaborative research in The North
Dr Andrew Clark, University of Salford and Jessica Smith, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service
Arts Council England Research Programme 2014-17: Supporting development of and advocacy for the arts and cultural sector
Jonathon Blackburn, Arts Council England.
In Search of Common Ground: Evaluating a project on farmer-grazer conflicts in North West Cameroon
David Drew, Dawn Harris and Veronica Wigley, Village Aid Research Group, Derbyshire
More details and booking: http://the-sra.org.uk/event-registration/?ee=149

Latest findings from the Great British Sex Survey
2014-06-11 17:00 - 18:30
In this free seminar, Soazig Clifton (NatCen Social Research) and Clare Tanton (UCL) will talk about the latest survey of National Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, including gender differences, change over the lifecourse and change over time in sexual behaviour in Britain; and the use of biological samples to enhance questionnaire data.
This event will be of interest to anyone who wants to hear about the survey, and especially to researchers working on sensitive topics or using biomarkers. Following the presentation there will be time for audience questions and discussion.
More details and booking: http://the-sra.org.uk/event-registration/?ee=154

Research into supporting an older rural population
2014-05-20 05:00 - 18:30 | Nobel House, 17,Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR, United Kingdom
Nearly a quarter of all older people in England and Wales live in rural areas. For service commissioners and deliverers, it is important to understand how ageing impacts upon service delivery so that services can be tailored to address those needs and ensure equitable services for an increasingly important sector of the population.
At this free evening seminar, researchers from TNS BMRB and the International Longevity Centre describe research which explores:
• The impact of an older population in rural areas on service demand and delivery
• Where and how the design and delivery of key services need to be tailored to meet present and future needs
• Underlying principles of good practice in designing and delivering key services to an older population.
The research methods used include a literature review, secondary data analysis, and qualitative research with a range of service users and designers/deliverers. This research was conducted to inform Defra’s development of policy and local strategies for the protection and improvement of services and to better understand the needs of older people.

Social Media in Social Research
2014-05-16 10:00 - 16:30 | British Library Conference Centre, 96 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom
We’re pleased to announce that the SRA Social Media in Social Research conference on Friday 16 May is now open for registration. It will be at the British Library conference centre in central London
It’s our fourth conference on this topic. The presentations this year are:

Uninformed consent and social media research

Dan Nunan, Henley Business School

Using social network analysis for social media in social research

Dhiraj Murthy, Goldsmiths, University of London

The Collaborative Online Social Media ObServatory: a progress report

Rob Procter, University of Warwick

The ESRC’s social media agenda

Samantha McGregor, ESRC

A social media case study – Facebook and Scottish independence

Preriit Souda and Alastair Graham, TNS BMRB

The social media challenge within the Food Standards Agency

Dr Joanna Disson and James Baker, FSA

Analysing digital activism: The use of multi-layered digital ethnography in the social sciences

Suay Ozkula, University of Kent
With questions after each presentation, and a Panel discussion to follow, delegates will have plenty of opportunity to raise and debate the issues.
The delegate rate is £75 for SRA members, £105 for non-members. Lunch and refreshments are provided.
More information, a flyer and online booking can be found on the SRA website

LARIA Conference 13th-14th May 2014
2014-05-13 - 2014-05-14 | University of Warwick, Warwick, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
Book your place at the next LARIA Annual Conference. It will be held 13th-14th May 2014 at the University of Warwick.
This will be LARIA’s 40th anniversary and we are looking for the 2014 conference to be our biggest and most successful yet. We know that the public sector continues to face a challenging financial climate at the same time as a rising demand for services. This conference will be about how local research makes a difference. This follows the challenge set at our 2013 Conference by Martin Reeves, our honorary president. Our speakers will illustrate how we can meet this challenge by showing research that is:

Fit for purpose
Rapid and robust
Include communities and others
Able to have impact on local services and communities

You can also download a pdf of the conference 2014 programme

Public Health Intelligence Network Event, 7th March 2014
2014-03-07 09:00 - 15:15 | Park Crescent Conference Centre, Great Portland Street, London, United Kingdom
Dear Colleague,
Re: Public Health Intelligence Network Event, 7th March 2014
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to the Public Health England Intelligence Network event, 7th March 2014, at Park Crescent Conference Centre, Great Portland Street, London.
View the Knowledge and Intelligence event 07 March 14 – Agenda and directions
The Network is aimed specifically at public health information and intelligence professionals and other users of public health data and intelligence within the boundaries of the two PHE Centres (Anglia and Essex and South Mids. and Herts).
The day will be split in to three parts:
1. Information Governance and access to data.
2. Fingertips Midlands and East future consultation.
3. Workforce development and training.
Bookings are to be made through emailing James.Harrison@phe.gov.uk by the 3rd March 2014. The event is free, lunch and refreshments will be served.
Please note numbers are strictly limited to 100. Public Health England reserve the right to cancel a booking if an organisation is over-subscribed, this is to ensure equity across all organisations to guarantee that each organisations is fairly represented and their views are heard.
Please pass on this invite to any colleague who may benefit from attending the Network.
Yours sincerely
Julian Flowers
Director KIT (East)
