Population statistics
SCLD publishes statistics about adults with learning disabilities who are known to local authorities in Scotland. Statistics are numbers that tell us more about something we are interested in. This project is called Learning Disability Statistics Scotland or LDSS for short. LDSS has been granted National Statistics designation.
All local authorities in Scotland collect information on the numbers of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in their area. Information is collected about everyone who is known to the local authority – not just the people who are using services. A report about the number of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in Scotland is published every year. The information we publish is anonymous. This means that the report does not contain any personal information like names or addresses and no one will be able to identify someone by looking at the report.
Current report
SCLD recognises that with the changing policy context, data users, data suppliers and other stakeholders want to ensure that the data provided in the Learning Disability Statistics Scotland (LDSS) publication continues to meet their needs and look at relevant outcomes.
To this end, SCLD and Public Health Scotland (formerly Information Services Division (ISD)) have worked together over the past three years to merge LDSS into the Source Social Care data collection.
The new arrangements are intended to provide richer and more useful statistics and insights into the learning disability population in Scotland .They would facilitate linkage to health and social care data to enhance understanding of the social determinants of health for people with learning disabilities. They are intended to simplify the data collation effort at a local level. Due to the transfer of responsibility to PHS, they have however required a change to the national submission process previously used. This change in process has necessitated new Data Sharing Agreements be drawn up and put in place. This has not gone as smoothly as hoped and SCLD has made the decision, supported by the Office For Statistics Regulation, to temporarily suspend the National Statistics badging for the 2021 collection.
You can out more by reading the correspondence between SCLD and the Office For Statistics Regulation:
- Temporary Suspension of National Statistics Designation for Learning Disability Statistics Scotland (LDSS)
- Reply from Office For Statistics Regulation RE Temporary Suspension of National Statistics Designation for LDSS
For more information please contact Ruth Callander on Ruth.C@scld.co.uk or by calling 0141 248 3733
Previous reports
You can access previous LDSS releases and other information of relevance by clicking the links below:
Data is available from 2008 onwards. For copies of these reports, please contact Lorne Berkley by email at Lorne.B@scld.co.uk or via phone on 0141 248 3733.
