Big data analytics in social care provision: spatial and temporal evidence from Birmingham

There is significant national interest in tackling issues surrounding the needs of vulnerable children and adults. At the same time, UK local authorities face severe financial challenges as a result of decreasing financial settlements and increasing demands from growing urban populations. This research employs state-of-the-art data analytics and visualisation techniques to analyse six years of local government social care data for the city of Birmingham, the UK's second most populated city. This analysis identifies: (i) service cost profiles over time; (ii) geographical dimensions to service demand and delivery; (iii) patterns in the provision of services, and (iv) the extent to which data value and data protection interact. The research accesses data held by the local authority to discover patterns and insights that may assist in the understanding of service demand, support decision making and resource management, whilst protecting and safeguarding its most vulnerable citizens. The use of data in this manner could also inform the approach a local authority has to its data, its capture and use, and the potential for supporting data-led management and service improvements.