Following the launch of the MoJ Data Strategy, released in August 2022, Deputy Director Sarah Blake has outlined the strategy for the next three years for data improvement.
To ensure the ability to deliver this, the MoJ intends to utilise the progress they have already made as a starting point for their decision-making improvement, through better data and skills.
Sarah Blake, Deputy Director, Ministry of Justice, recently said:
“We're also looking to the future - planning our roadmap for the next three years to deliver critical data improvement work and understanding how we will monitor and measure our progress”
Whilst acknowledging the challenges of their data and addressing the perception that its existence is not benefited from, Blake emphasises the value of data for the MoJ in delivering justice outcomes and operationalising the success of such, ranging from measuring the impact of policy interventions to user services.
With the clear need to enhance the quality of their data, the Data Improvement Team is focused on staff functional skills and accessibility, through channels of data science, operations, and analytics.
The roadmap devised the three-year strategy for the MoJ's data improvement into three phases- prototyping, learning by doing, and empowering others.
Initially, the roadmap intends to be based on discovery work, testing the newly developed prototypes designed to upgrade data quality, accessibility, and skills. Alongside improving internal data skills, restructuring within the MoJ will occur; introducing a new Data Board and hiring data architects.
Following this, after the processes from phase 1 are tested and iterated, the MoJ plans to improve its toolkit through collaboration with more partners. In doing so, select pilot areas will be chosen amongst exemplar end-to-end services, to evaluate their approach to data management, literacy and culture, as well as stakeholder engagement.
Once all testing has concluded and confidence has been built in their approach and skills, by mid-2025 the MoJ plans to incorporate what they have learnt to ensure the development of other teams, allowing them to mirror their strategic leadership and subject matter expertise into their own area.
Concluding the roadmap, Blake emphasises the complexity of the work amongst the need for such scrutiny of their fundamental processes, especially considering how important the accuracy of data is for MoJ functions.