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Indicators Of Needs

Introduction

The Northern Ireland Deprivation Measures are based on the premise that multiple deprivation is made up of separate dimensions, or 'domains' of deprivation. These domains reflect different aspects of deprivation. Each domain is made up of a number of indicators which cover aspects of this deprivation as comprehensively as possible.   The criteria for selecting the indicators are that they should be statistically robust, up to date, available at a small area level for the whole of Northern Ireland and that they should directly measure a major aspect of the dimension of deprivation under consideration. This necessarily restricts the indicators which can be included. Nevertheless, this review has incorporated data sources hitherto unused for measuring deprivation. Each of the domains is measured at ward level, using the administrative boundaries as at the Census in 1991.

Domains and Indicators

Income

Income Deprivation: Indicators

• Adults in Income Support households (DSD, August 1999)
• Children in Income Support households (DSD, August 1999)
• Adults in Income Based Job Seekers Allowance households (DSD, August 1999)
• Children in Income Based Job Seekers Allowance households (DSD, August 1999)
• Adults in Family Credit households (DSD, August 1999)
• Children in Family Credit households (DSD, August 1999)
• Adults in Disability Working Allowance households (DSD, August 1999)
• Children in Disability Working Allowance households (DSD, August 1999)

The purpose of this domain is to capture the extent of income deprivation in an area.   This is a key deprivation. The domain is made up of non-overlapping counts of   families in receipt of the means tested benefits listed above.

Employment

Employment Deprivation: Indicators

• Unemployment claimant counts of those aged under 60 (average of four quarterly extracts) (DETINI)
• Incapacity Benefit recipients aged under 60 (DSD, August 1999)
• Severe Disablement Allowance recipients aged under 60 (DSD, August 1999)
• New Deal participants not included in the unemployment claimant count (DHFETE, August 1999)

This domain seeks to measure enforced exclusion from the world of work. The domain does not seek to capture income deprivation to which joblessness leads, since this is tackled in the Income Domain. 'Employment deprived' are thus defined as those who want to work but are unable to do so through unemployment, sickness or disability. The indicators in this domain constitute non overlapping counts of those excluded from the labour market through unemployment, ill health or disability.

Health Deprivation and Disability

Health Deprivation and Disability: Indicators

• Standardised Mortality Ratios for men and women at ages under 75 (NISRA, 1995 to 1999)
• People receiving one or more of Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance or Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance (DSD, August 1999)
• People registered as having cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). (Northern Ireland cancer registry, 1993 to 1996)
• Proportion of all 12 to 17 year olds with extractions and registered with a GDS dentist, and those not registered with a GDS dentist (CSA, September 2000)
• Drugs prescribed for depression or anxiety (CSA, August 2000)

This domain identifies areas with people whose quality of life is impaired by poor health and/or disability or whose life is cut short by premature death. While ill health   is closely intertwined with other aspects of deprivation, it is also a significant aspectof deprivation in its own right. This domain importantly includes a measure of mental health for the first time.

Education, Skills and Training

Education, Skills and Training Deprivation: Indicators

• Working age adults with no qualifications (1996-1999 aggregated LFSLA data at LGD level modelled to wards)
• Proportions of those leaving school aged 16 and not entering Further Education (School Leavers Survey, 1996/7 - 1998/9, DE)
• Proportions of 17-20 year olds who have not successfully applied for Higher Education (1997-9, UCAS)
• GCSE/GNVQ performance data points score and no qualifications (School Leavers Survey, 1996/7 - 1998/9, DE)
• Absenteeism at secondary level (all absences) (School Performance Survey, 1998-1999, DE)
• Proportions of Years 11 and 12 pupils not in a grammar school (1999 School Census, DE)

The central purpose of the Education Domain is to measure in as consistent a way as possible the key educational characteristics of the local area that might contribute to the overall level of deprivation and disadvantage. This is captured by indicators which show the lack of qualifications of the adult population and the children in the area. In addition measures of participation in post-school age education are included.

Geographical Access to Services

Geographical Access to Services: Indicators

• Access to a post office (General Post Office Counters, August 2000)
• Access to a GP Surgery (CSA, June 1999)
• Access to an Accident and Emergency hospital (CSA, March 1997)
• Access to a dentist (CSA, June 1999)
• Access to an optician (CSA, June 1999)
• Access to a pharmacist (CSA, June 1999)
• Access to a library (Education and Library Boards, November 2000)
• Access to a museum (Northern Ireland Museums Council, February 2001)
• Access to a Social Security Office or a Training and Employment Agency (DHFETE, 2001)

The purpose of this domain is to measure the extent to which people have poor geographical access to certain key services. Lack of access to services can affect people in all types of area. Some of the services: GPs, A&E Hospitals and Pharmacists have each been given a 'double weight'.

Social Environment

Social Environment: Indicators

Recorded offences relating to:

• Burglary in a dwelling
• Violence against the person (excluding assaults)
• Common assaults
• Serious assaults
• Theft of a vehicle
• Theft from a vehicle
• Criminal damage
• Burglary in a building other than a dwelling
• Drug offences

(All data from RUC, 1998/1999 and 1999/2000)

• Local Area Problem Score generated from data on:

Graffiti, Scruffy/neglected buildings, Scruffy gardens/landscaping, Litter/rubbish/dumping and Vandalism (1996 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey)

This domain seeks to measure deprivation in the social environment. Indicators about crime and local area problems have been combined to measure local conditions that reduce the quality of life.

Housing

Housing Stress: Indicators

• Housing in disrepair (1996 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey)
• Houses without central heating (1996 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey)
• Houses lacking insulation (1996 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey)

This domain seeks to identify areas of unsatisfactory housing by using indicators of 'housing stress'. This conceptualisation of the Housing Domain considers the condition of the housing itself, rather than the status of the occupants. The Northern Ireland House Condition Survey contains the most up to date data on poor quality housing available for the whole of Northern Ireland.

Child Poverty Measure

The Child Poverty Measure is a subset of the Income Domain Deprivation Measure, and shows the percentage of children in each ward that live in families that claim the 'out-of-work' means tested benefits of Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), and the 'in-work' benefits of Family Credit and Disability Working Allowance.

The Child Poverty Measure is not combined with the other domains into the overall Multiple Deprivation Measure as the children are already captured in the Income Domain. A Child Poverty Measure score of e.g. 24.6 means that 24.6% of 0-15 year olds in that ward are living in families claiming means tested benefits.

Source: Measures of Deprivation in Northern Ireland (June 2001), published by NISRA