Children administrative data linkage and integration: Readiness diagnosis for national statistical offices in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Since 2011, the Children Statistics Group of the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean Statistical Conference of the Americas has worked to enhance regional capacities for producing statistics on children and adolescents. In 2022, governments in the region acknowledged the need to better utilize administrative data systems to monitor the children's agenda, prompting the creation of a working group to conduct a readiness diagnosis and develop recommendations for the integration of administrative records related to children. This report presents a readiness assessment for linking and developing administrative data related to children and adolescents in the context of the 2030 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study involved 21 National Statistical Offices (NSOs) across Latin American and Caribbean, highlighting NSOs’ leadership roles as data stewards as well as the challenges that persist in demonstrating the benefits of administrative data, governance, engaging data providers, as well as capacity building. The study identifies four readiness typologies among NSOs and offers 11 recommendations to improve administrative data quality and use. These address demand (scope), governance, data issues, as well as information technology, human resource, and other enablers, and the recommendations include strategies for data platform development, stakeholder engagement, promoting safe data access, building public trust, and strengthening organizational structures.